A picture posted online by the government of Ningguo, a small city in Anhui province, showed officials including the deputy mayor and his colleagues apparently towering over the city’s oldest resident, 103 year old Cheng Yanchun.

The photo was supposed to have been taken at a festival earlier this month, with the men showing their respects to the elderly lady.

Instead it showed one official 'hovering' over the woman like a ghost, as his legs had been removed. As for 103 year old Cheng Yanchun, she had been shrunk down to the size of a small child and was totally disproportionate to the men around her.

Criticism of the image spread once the image was discovered on the civil affairs bureau's website. It has since been removed from the site and the creator of the image was ordered to write a 'self-criticism report'. The employee explained that no image taken on the day that accurately portrayed the event so he merged two together but never thought it would cause such a stir.

Many have called the manipulated images an embarrassment and some say the pictures send a negative message to the public concerning the job duties of the officials.

This image is only one of many recent Photoshop fails by Chinese officials. In 2011, an image was released of officials from Sichuan province inspecting a newly built highway, but the officials look as if they're floating over the road. Again, they received mass ridicule over what may well be one of the worst-doctored photographs in internet history