“I’ll make the world the way I like it!”

It is well-known that the People Republic of China (PRC) rewrites its history as it deems politically correct. The same goes for pictures showing the history of China. Since you haven’t seen everything yourself, you seldom notice it, of course. But here we have two stamp images that are supposed to show the same thing, yet are different.

In figure 1 we see a popular Chinese stamp issued on the 10th anniversary of the PRC. The stamp corresponds to a painting that is supposed to show the solemn moment of the founding of the state. The painter allowed himself the artistic freedom to clear away a pillar that hinders the view of the celebrating crowds on the right. Mao Zedong is shown enlarged.