Chinese man who won national award as model citizen becomes woman after sex-change surgery
Provincial officials criticised online for telling her not to mention the prize they also gave her for caring for her sick mother after she changed sex, according to newspaper report
PUBLISHED : Thursday, 09 April, 2015, 10:33am
UPDATED : Thursday, 09 April, 2015, 10:33am
Laura Zhou
[email protected]
Liu Ting before and after her sex change surgery. Photo: SCMP Pictures
A dutiful son dubbed by the authorities and the media in China as a model citizen for taking care of his sick mother for 15 years has made headlines again after he became a she.
Liu Ting, who was named as a national model citizen eight years ago, announced in Guangzhou this week that she had finished a course of surgery to become a woman, the Beijing Times reported.
The change has sparked debate and comment on the internet.
Liu announced her decision to have sex change surgery in August, but she got a call from officials in eastern Zhejiang province suggesting she avoid mentioning the model citizen title they had also previously awarded her, The Beijing News reported.
The social media platform Sina Weibo has attracted over 190,000 comments discussing Liu’s case, with many expressing their support.
“She looks pretty,” one person wrote. “It’s two totally separate issues between being a model citizen and changing gender.”
Liu, 28, told the Beijing Times she felt more complete as a person after undergoing the surgery.
She has changed her given name to make it more feminine and will publish her autobiography soon.
She said she knew from an early age that she was different, although born a boy.
Liu was an only child and comes from Huzhou in Zhejiang province.
Her mother become ill in 1999 with a kidney complaint and her father left home.
Liu studied hard and was accepted by Zhejiang Forestry University in 2005.
She rented a small apartment near the campus to continue taking care of her mother.
Liu’s story was widely reported by the media in China.
She won many titles and awards in 2007, including “Zhejiang’s Pride”.
She was also named as a “National Model of Morality” by China’s state broadcaster for her filial piety.
Liu said in an interview in August with the Beijing Times that she had previously felt suicidal because she felt trapped in the wrong sex.
She also had to convince her mother of her actions, she said, as many people still found it difficult to accept that somebody might want to change sex as it conflicted with traditional morality in China.
