Tienanmen definitives

The Tienanmen (Gate of Heavenly Peace) definitives were 6 issues that were the first regular issues for the People's Republic of China.  File:PRC Gate 1.jpg|From the 1950 first definitive issue File:PRC gate 2nd 300.jpg|From the 1950 second issue File:PRC gate 3rd.jpg|From the 1950 third issue File:PRC gate 4th.jpg|From the 1950-51 4th issue File:PRC gate 5th.jpg|From the 5th issue, with network underprint File:PRC gat 6th.jpg|From the 1954 6th issue 

Some values are distinctive due to color and denomination, but some are not. Here's how to tell the issues apart:  File:Gate 1 detail.jpg|1st issue. Cloud top is to the right of the frame and breaks the top shading line inside the double-lined frame. File:Gate 2 detail.jpg|2nd issue. Cloud top is also the the right but does not break the top shading line. File:Gate 3 detail.jpg|3rd issue. Cloud is a different shape and top is now more toward the center of the design. The cloud top just cuts into the top shading line. File:Gate 4 detail.jpg|4th issue. Cloud top is just to right of center top and does not cut into the top shading line. File:Gate 5th detail.jpg|5th issue. The network underprint should make this obvious. The cloud top is much lower than before. File:Gate 6th detail.jpg|6th issue. The Chinese value inscription is moved to the right. The cloud top is left of center and the cloud has fewer shading lines. Most obviously, the bottom table design has been changed. 

Regional issues
A couple of regional postal administrations used the same design. East China, North China, Northeast China (two issues) and Port Arthur and Dairen. These had small characters in the design identifying the region.  File:N China Gate of Heav.jpg|North China Liberation Area File:Northeast China Tienanmen A.jpg|Northeast China Liberation Area, 1950 issue. See: Northeast China Liberation Area File:NE China gate.jpg|Northeast China Liberation Area 1951 issue. Note cleaner printing and wider spacing of shading lines. 