Michelangelo becomes latest victim of Chinese censorship In a report about the opening of a major Renaissance exhibition in Beijing, editors from China's CCTV decided to blur-out parts of Michelangelo's 'David-Apollo' statue, triggering criticism and a barrage of jokes from hundreds of thousands of internet users. The exhibition - which features 67 Renaissance works by artists such as Sandro Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Raffaello Sanzio and Michelangelo - opened its doors last Friday and is said to be the most expensive collection ever to be put on show at Beijing's National Museum of China. "The exhibition makes it possible for Chinese people to enjoy a journey to Florence in the Renaissance without travelling abroad and to deepen their understanding about Italian history and culture," the website of the museum, located in Tiananmen Square, says. CCTV's decision to cover parts of the Italian artist's 1530 marble statue in its Monday morning report prompted a major online stir. Subsequent broadcasts of the story dispensed with the digital mosaic used to cover the statue. Without the mosaic, it is art. With the mosaic, it has become porno," complained Yiteng Kaisi, on the Chinese internet portal, NetEase. "The CCTV broadcasted is definitely a fake," joked one user of the Weibo micro-blog under the name SpeechlessPK. The real David [statue] has a penis. A series of doctored photographs also circulated online, poking fun at the decision. One showed the private parts of Michelangelo's 'Statue of David' covered by an image of CCTV's futuristic Beijing headquarters, created by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas. Another photo mock-up showed Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel fresco 'The Creation of Adam', with a black tie draped over Adam's genitals. Earlier this year Chinese censors were criticised after editing a nude scene of Kate Winslet out of a 3D version of James Cameron's 1997 blockbuster Titanic. In a statement explaining their decision, officials from China's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television said: "Out of consideration of building a harmonious ethical social environment, we've decided to cut off the nudity scenes."