Some say it is insane. Some say it is understandable. But for He
Qiang himself, undergoing a transsexual surgery to become a "real
woman" is just something he has been dreaming about since he was a
little kid.
"When I was as young as three years old, I found myself
different from other boys as I felt subconsciously that I should be
a girl," said He, who received a breast enlargement operation two
days ago at a Guangdong plastic surgery hospital.
"Breast enlargement is the first phase of the whole
operationfacial and skin plastic surgery will be conducted in March
and followed by a reproductive organ removal and re-plantation
scheduled in May," said Shen Shaoyong, the doctor in charge of He's
transsexual operation.
"After the three operations He will transform from a man to a
woman completely," Shen added.
The surgery is the first of its kind ever recorded by the
country to be conducted on a male university student.
He, who graduated from Guangzhou Nanhua Business Administration
College last year, is currently working at a local tourism
company.
From December 21, 2006, He has established his own blog through
Oeeee.com and a few other websites to express his will of becoming
a real woman. Calling his blog "Sister Butterfly's," He said that
he "was born as a man but was determined to be a woman."
"It is just that a woman's heart has been put into a man's
body."
Though the pronunciation of He's Chinese given name, "Qiang,"
remains the same, He has changed the Chinese word itself from the
one meaning "strong" to another signifying the name of a
flower.
He described himself as a person "living and walking at the
verge of society."
"I hope that more people can understand and support persons like
myself," He said in a blog.
"It is your destiny to be a man or a womanany attempt to change
it by means such as a transsexual operation is against the natural
rules, which I think is disgusting," said one net surfer calling
himself 123.
A net friend nicknamed "Leiyunong," however, expressed her
admiration toward Liu. "Welcome to the girls' team," she said.
"Don't care about what other people say to youif men do not
understand you, we women will understand and support you."
Born in 1985 in Southwest China's Sichuan province, He is the
only son in his family and has two older sisters. The family risked
being fined for excessive birth to have him so that He could "help
pass the family's generation on".
He's family finally gave in before his determination to be a
woman. "But don't come back home within 10 years," He's father
said.
"I am not doing this for hyping or for making money," He said.
"I just want to live as a woman later and fall in love with a
man."
(China Daily February 14, 2007)