People's Republic of China Gate of Heavenly Peace Stamp (50 Yuan)

This is a vintage postage stamp from the People's Republic of China, part of the 'Gate of Heavenly Peace' series issued in the early 1950s. The stamp is printed in a monochromatic reddish-brown ink on off-white or cream-colored paper. The central design features the Tiananmen Gate (Gate of Heavenly Peace) in Beijing, with a Huabiao (ornamental ceremonial column) prominently featured on the left side. A portrait of Mao Zedong is visible over the central arch of the gate. The denomination '50' is clearly visible in the bottom left corner, accompanied by the Chinese character for Yuan. Across the bottom right, Chinese characters identify the issuing authority as 'People's Republic of China Post'. The top right contains the value written in traditional Chinese characters. The stamp features standard perforation along all four edges; however, the perforations appear somewhat irregular and fuzzy, suggesting a possible 'rough perf' characteristic of certain early PRC printings or general wear. The paper shows significant yellowing or toning consistent with age, and there is a slight rounding to the upper-left corner. This stamp represents the socialist realism style of the early Mao era and is a key historical artifact of Chinese philately from the founding decade of the PRC.