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The Four Olds or the '''Four Old Things''' () were Old Custom, Old Culture, Old Habits, and Old Ideas. One of the stated goals of the on August 20, 1964.Law, Kam-yee. {Link without Title} (2003). The Chinese Cultural Revolution Reconsidered: beyond purge and Holocaust. ISBN 0333738357


NAMES

The only Chinese name is "破四旧", a number of different English translations have been used to describe the series of campaign.

  • Anti-Four OldsLo, Ruth Earnshaw. Kinderman, Katharine S. {Link without Title} (1980). In the Eye of the Typhoon. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich publishing. University of michigan Digitized no ISBN Apr 10, 2006

  • Smash the Four OldsPerry, Link. {Link without Title} (1993). Evening Chats in Beijing. W.W. Norton & Company. ISBN 0393310655

  • Destruction of the Four OldsLu, Tonglin. {Link without Title} (2002). Confronting Modernity in Cinemas of Taiwan and Mainland China. ISBN 0521806771



CAMPAIGN


Guidelines

The Communist Party Of China set very loose guidelines in terms of classifying what was actually "old". As a result, anything that existed before 1949 was subject to being destroyed, including examples of centuries-old traditional arts. Anyone caught being in possession of "old goods" would suffer serious consequences from the Red Guards .Wen, Chihua. Madsen, Richard P. {Link without Title} (1995). The Red Mirror: Children of China's Cultural Revolution. Westview Press. ISBN 0813324882


Destruction of Chinese cultures and traditional values

Mao Zedong called for the Four Olds to be swept away at the very early stages of the Cultural Revolution in 1964. Red Guards listened tentatively to Mao’s call. As a result, examples of Chinese Architecture were ransacked, Chinese Literature and classics were burned, Chinese Painting s were torn apart, Antiquities were shattered. Many families' long kept Genealogy Books were burned to ashes. During that time, many of ancient Chinese cultural things were destoryed forever. People in possession of these goods were punished. Intellectual s were targeted as Personification s of the Four Olds, and sometimes they were mocked, harassed, imprisoned, Torture d, or killed.

Upon learning that Red Guards were approaching the Forbidden City , Premier Zhou Enlai ordered the gates shut and troops posted, knowing of the Red Guard's reputation of destroying cultural objects.


Popular slogans

  • “breaking down the four olds, setting up the four news” Boxun.com zongjiaoxinyang

  • “beating down the bad elements”

  • “beating down imperialism”

  • “beating down foreign religion”

  • “beating down Jesus following”

  • “beating down the counter revolutionists”



COMMUNIST PARTY RESPONSE

No official statistics have ever been produced by the Communist party in terms of reporting the actual cost of damage. By 1978, many stories of death and destruction caused by the Cultural Revolution had leaked out of China and became known worldwide.Roberts, Richard H. {Link without Title} (1995). Religion and the Transformations of Capitalism. Routledge publishing. ISBN 0415119170


RESTORATION

Starting in the and others demonstrating ways to spot hoax ceramics and other cultural items.


SEE ALSO



REFERENCES