Newborn socialist things
Newborn socialist things () is a political and cultural term popularized during the Cultural Revolution to refer to harbingers of a progressive future which emerge in the present. The term is used in reference to both physical objects, such as commodities produced under a socialist mode of production, as well as new political concepts. Also referred to as newborn things under socialism, newborn things were in contrast to "old things" such as the Four Olds. Definition The term newborn socialist things refers to a harbinger of a communist future which emerges in the present. In 1959, Chinese Communist Party theorist Sun Dingguo defined newborn things as those which pass a four-part test. They must (1) struggle against "old things," (2) forge their own path, (3) accord with socialist developmental principles, and (4) have a long and bright future. Under Sun's view, it was necessary for something to "earn" the "right" to be called a newborn thing. A key element of the term is its relation to forward historical progress. Newborn socialist things were said to herald the eventual transition to commodity-free communism and to serve as a sign of this "officially recognized future." In addition to the technical political sense,