''Sweep Away All Cow Demons and Snake Spirits'' (), alternatively translated as ''Obliterate All Ox Demons and Snake Spirits'', ''Sweep Away All Ox-ghosts and Snake-spirits'', is an

editorial An editorial, or leading article (UK) or leader (UK), is an article or any other written document, often unsigned, written by the senior editorial people or publisher of a newspaper or magazine, that expresses the publication's opinion about ...

published by the ''

People's Daily The ''People's Daily'' ( zh, s=人民日报, p=Rénmín Rìbào) is the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It provides direct information on the policies and viewpoints of the CCP in multiple lan ...

'' on June 1, 1966, calling on the masses to rise up and "sweep away all cow demons and snake spirits". The editorial declares that "the climax of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution is rising in socialist China, which accounts for a quarter of the world's population." It calls on the

proletariat The proletariat (; ) is the social class of wage-earners, those members of a society whose possession of significant economic value is their labour power (their capacity to work). A member of such a class is a proletarian or a . Marxist ph ...

to "completely eradicate all the old ideas, old culture, old customs and old habits that have poisoned the people of China for thousands of years, fostered by the exploiting classes."

Cow demons and snake spirits Cow demons and snake spirits ( zh, s=牛鬼蛇神, t=牛鬼蛇神, p=Niúguǐshéshén), also rendered in English as ox-demons and snake-spirits is a Chinese term used during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) to demonize perceived enemies. Ta ...

referred to people who were condemned during the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...

, including condemned government leaders, intellectuals and cadres. The claim to "sweep away all cow demons and snake spirits" is actually part of the campaign to combat the "

Four Olds The Four Olds () refer to categories used by the Red Guards during the Cultural Revolution to characterize elements of Chinese culture prior to the Chinese Communist Revolution that they were attempting to destroy. The Four Olds were 'old ideas ...

" and maintain the "

Bloodline theory The bloodline theory ( zh, t=血統論, s=血统论, p=Xuètǒng lùn) or blood lineage theory was a political theory associated with the " Loyalist Faction" (''Baohuang Pai'') of the Red Guards during the early phase of the Cultural Revolution in ...

References

{{Cultural Revolution 1966 works Cultural Revolution Campaigns of the Chinese Communist Party Chinese words and phrases People's Daily

See also

References