Makes sense. I figured it wouldn’t be Qing since Mao/the communists broadly (and the nationalists like Kai-Shek for a time) were known for opposing and defeating the resulting warlords after the fall of the Qing.

I suppose it could just represent Mao, who stood for the incredibly poor peasant class, holding down the remaining and emergent (during the warlord period) wealthy or bourgeoisie. Forcing them to kneel in shame or something like that. The figure also appears ghostly or ethereal. Maybe like he’s resting his hand upon a now-dead ruling class. Lenin is sitting on the (I think) Tsarist statue head in a similar symbolic depiction.