The 4 Olds

 

Generally referred to in English as the four olds (4 olds), they might also be called the four olds of Mao, the four olds of Chairman Mao, the four olds of Maoism or the four olds of the Cultural Revolution.

The word four is usually used as spelt rather than the number being used, and the wording may or may not be capitalised. Bear in mind this was originally a Chinese phrase. The four olds appeared in print for the first time on June 1, 1966.

Below is a video that explains them succinctly. It is an excerpt from a speech by Xi Van Fleet which was uploaded to YouTube on September 13, 2023. She calls herself Chinese by birth; American by choice. Xi lived through the Cultural Revolution and emigrated to America in 1986, so she knows what she is talking about.

1. old ideas
2. old culture
3. old customs
4. old habits

Xi Van Fleet on the 4 olds

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