20 LIFEPULSE THURSDAY MARCH 29, 2007 DAILY The big smile said Making the cut it all A 50-year-old HOT POT farmer is on the brink of realizing

a life-long dream, JUDY POLUMBAUM thanks to the y dad, who passed away six support of his years ago, was one of the most family and society. Maffable people you can imag- ine. When I was a kid, he used to mor- tify me by striking up conversations Wu Yong reports with total strangers everywhere. Parents’ quirks often surface hen Feifei always says at in their children, of course — so fi rst meeting: “Please call eventually, as an adult, I found me Sister Chen.” This may myself doing the same thing. Just sound ordinary — except ask my kids; they’ll tell you how that Chen Fei is a 50-year- I constantly embarrass them by oldC farmer who was born a man. He’s chatting with people I’ve never met on the threshold of fulfilling his before and may never see again — in dream to be a woman. elevators, in line for movie tickets, Chen nervously paced a hallway at at the grocery store. Shenyang’s Apricot Plastic Surgery A freelance photographer, my Hospital two weeks ago. His wife dad faced subjects ranging from and sister were tucked deep into a diplomats and corporate executives sofa around the corner, glancing up to artists, athletes, fi shermen and briefl y when a visitor entered before factory workers, so his ability to get looking down to avoid eye contact. along with everybody served him Dressed in women’s clothes, with a well. At bottom, though, it was not fashionable light green coat and black utilitarian purpose that gave rise to boots, and wearing pink nail polish, his friendliness; it was a profoundly outwardly Chen already has made a democratic attitude that made him convincing male-to-female transition. converse as easily with a US senator He’s just waiting to undergo fi nal sex as with a janitor. reassignment surgery in April. Chen is I’d actually been pathologically from Liaozhong County, some 700 kilo- shy as a child, but once I started meters northeast of , where he work as a newspaper reporter, my has lived as a married man for nearly inheritance became second nature. three decades. He and his wife have After all, much of journalism’s raw raised two daughters, and he supple- material comes from listening to ments their farm income with a side job strangers. And sometimes the best repairing household appliances. stories and sources come from ser- endipitous encounters on the street. hen says he always differed While my days of daily reporting from his neighbors slightly are past, my journalistic habits per- C— he dressed more tidily and sist, and I continue to fi nd chance was more concerned with cleanliness encounters a source of endless fasci- — but didn’t start to feel like a woman nation. Now that I’m back in Beijing until about a decade ago. Chen Feifei, 50, models on International Women’s Day on March 8 after undergoing gender-change operation at for a couple of months, however, The psychological change was ac- the Apricot Plastic Surgery Hospital in Shenyang, Liaoning Province. Huang Jinkun chatting with strangers takes on companied by physical sensations, new dimensions that I don’t always Chen recalled. “I found that my Shenyang’s plastic surgery hospital years with his transgender feelings: The example of a celebrity such as welcome. shoes became too big while my torso to advocate on his behalf. His psychological gender — his deep- top designer Jimmy, who is openly On the one hand, if I initiate the got smaller,” and his skin seemed to est awareness of his identity — does transgendered and whose star cli- interaction, typically with a request grow whiter and smoother, he said. t fi rst the hospital’s president, Dr not correspond to the parts he was ents include Ricky Martin, Jet Li and for directions, I get gleeful reactions “From then on, I could not help Shi Lingzhi, who oversees trans- born with, she said. , has contributed to the to my Beijing-infl ected Manda- dreaming of living as a woman.” Agender surgery, rejected their China is gradually coming to ac- climate of rising tolerance. rin Chinese. On the other hand, With two daughters still in school, request. “I could not understand why cept the existence and realities of The process is complex: Since last Chinese who notice this middle- Chen kept the sensations secret even a 50-year farmer wanted to do this,” she “transgender” individuals, who can August, Chen has undergone three aged casually dressed woman with as they grew stronger. At night, said; in fact, she admitted, she thought range from cross-dressers to those operations to sharpen his chin, re- dirty-blond hair and green eyes however, he stealthily began cross- Chen was out of his mind. who actually seek surgical genital move his Adam’s apple and augment wandering a subway platform or a dressing in his wife Li Min’s nylons But as she learned more, and par- correction to match their internal his breasts, and he is scheduled for a department store may well seize a and skirts. When she discovered him, ticularly in light of his wife’s strong gender identifi cation. fi nal operation in April. chance to practice their English. she felt scared, deeply ashamed and support, she changed her mind. No one knows how many transgen- The ultimate aim, Shi noted, is Being a sounding board for a haunted by the idea that others might “Chen is very lucky. His family dered people exist in China, but Shi es- “to help Chen rebalance his inner language learner is not always my fi nd out some day, Li recalled. “How understands and supports him,” Shi timates that “gender-identity disorder” and outward selves”. The key to idea of fun. If I’m tired, distracted, would they look at us?” remarked. occurs in at least one of every 100,000 success is not “technical”, she said; or in a bad mood, or if the speaker Gradually, villagers began to no- Nevertheless, given the surgery’s people — which would mean more the main challenge is dealing with seems to be talking at me rather tice Chen’s changing behavior. But irreversibility and permanence, Shi than 10,000 gender non-conformists the psychological aspects of the sex than to me and doesn’t catch what I in a surprising contrast to what one took a cautious approach. She ap- in China. Only a tiny fraction of that reassignment surgery. say ever-so-slowly in response, I’m might expect from traditional villag- proved only after Chen had provided number have sought surgery. But Chen said he is feeling confi - seldom inclined to carry on. I prefer ers, perhaps refl ecting growing con- 16 supporting documents, including Shi’s hospital is known as one of dent and joyful at the prospect of liv- two-way communication, for what is sciousness of gender non-conformity affi davits from a psychiatrist, rela- the best in China for such operations, ing as a woman at last. His plans to a conversation if not an exchange? spread through news of high-profi le tives and his local police. and she said they have performed start afresh where nobody knows him An incident last week, however, cases, they did not reject or ostracize Liu Yin of China Medical Univer- transsexual surgery on fi ve people as a former man are already mov- reminded me that crossing paths him. sity, the psychiatrist who did the in recent years amidst growing ing forward; he has leased his plot with strangers has its own rewards. “Sure, it was really unusual,” com- mental competency evaluation, ex- knowledge of a condition that was of land back home for 10,000 yuan I was waiting to board the light rail mented a local resident, Zhang Ying. plained why Chen had struggled for hardly recognized in the past. ($1,300) and rented a fl at in the city when a fellow with shaggy graying “But it was Lao Chen’s choice and it’s of Shenyang, where he’s hoping to do hair wheeled by on one of those none of our business. Chen is a good promotions for a beauty parlor. folding mini-bikes. “American?” he man.’’ Several years ago, Chen even His wife and daughters have moved asked in English. When I said yes, felt comfortable enough to begin to Shenyang with him. But he asks he gave me a big gap-toothed smile openly dressing as a woman and his wife to call him “sister” and his and pedaled on. wearing makeup. daughters to call him “aunt”. Half an hour later, he passed me A turning point came in July 2006, Other challenges undoubtedly lie on his bike in the street; evidently when his elder daughter, Xiao Ying, ahead. Chen has yet to persuade local we’d disembarked at the same sta- graduated from medical college. police to change the sex designation tion. He halted to give me a hearty For the fi rst time, he declared to on his birth certifi cate and identity greeting before cycling on. In an- his family what all of them already card. And if they grant the change, other 15 minutes, as I was walking knew — that he wanted to be a woman. he might have to divorce his wife on a college campus, there he was His wife found herself resistant — but because China’s current Marriage again, rounding a corner. He told when he attempted suicide three Law permits marriage only between me he was visiting an uncle who times, she fi nally relented. people of the opposite sex. worked there. Again, he cycled off. Their two daughters had a some- In an illustration that sex is not des- On each occasion, I got another what easier time accepting Chen’s tiny, however, Chen remains devoted smile. I didn’t feel like a lesson plan. choice. “He has taken care of me for to Li, who has yet to fi nd a means to I felt like we were old friends. decades and made great sacrifi ces for support herself in the big city. me,” said Chen Xiaoying. “No matter The case of high-profi le designer Jimmy (center), who has worked for “I would never throw her over,” he To comment or contribute, what he does, I am on his side.” stars such as Zhang Ziyi, has encouraged more ordinary folk grappling said. “We are one family and this will e-mail [email protected] She accompanied her father to with issues of sex identity to go for sex-change surgery. Sun Jun never change.” REVIEWS

MOVIE anniversary, was a showcase of the best dita Armonia from Tosca and Fan Jingma’s and brightest in China’s classical music Nessun Dorma from Turandot were both The Post-Modern Life of My Aunt scene. Even though part of the program was marvels of vocal and dramatic prowess. Directed by Ann Hui, starring Siqin truncated for brevity, it was made up for The concert will be aired on CCTV Music Gaowa, Chow Yun-fat (pictured) with more glittering star power and a richer Channel on March 31, and a companion This is stereotyping of the funniest kind. variety of choice selections. program highlighting China’s traditional Ethnic Mongolian actress Siqin Gaowa, the On the instrumental front, Li Yundi, with instruments is scheduled for April 1. RZ closest China has to Meryl Streep, plays a king Opera roles brings down her guard and his pop-idol good looks, played with sensi- retired Shanghai teacher of English, whose brings her endless regret. tivity the opening section of Franz Liszt’s AUCTION upcoming sale, more than three-fourths British accent fails to get her a part-time The characters are so colorful and well- Piano Concerto No. 1; Vivaldi’s Four Seasons of the nearly 160 artworks to go under the job coaching kids who dream of going to drawn, and incorporate so much informa- was rendered with virtuosity by four of the Power to oil hammer are oil paintings and sculptures America. tion about current society, including nega- nation’s top violinists, complete with match- Rongbaozhai, one of the oldest art dealers sought after by both domestic and interna- Into her world swirl a Norma Desmond- tive stereotypes, that one would laugh and ing background colors; Xue Wei’s complete in China, is known for its expertise in Chi- tional collectors. like neighbor, who desperately wants to laugh and, between laughter, refl ect on our Butterfl y Lovers packed such an emotional nese paintings and calligraphy since it was The most important piece is a large-sized relive her former glory (a symbol of the city, way of life. Actually, Chow Yun-fat does not wallop that you could feel the fl utter of the established more than 300 years ago. Its oil painting by contemporary artist Leng I suppose), a grandson who is in tune with get it right as a Shanghai male gold-digger, butterfl ies. Celebrated cellist Wang Jian huge and mysterious collection of traditional Jun, titled Museum Series, No 2 (pictured). the latest trends, a daughter who curses but I quibble. Raymond Zhou infused restrained passion into Dvorak’s artworks is known as the Small Forbidden The artist presents in a strikingly realistic her for abandoning her family when she got cello concerto. City among Chinese collectors. way a most common scene in a museum, the fi rst chance to leave the impoverished CONCERT On the vocal front, Huang Ying, who fl ew Times change, and China’s young gen- and probes the boring truth behind elite Northeast, a migrant worker who resorts in from New York for the occasion, delivered eration is going more for oil paintings and lifestyles. to extreme means to make ends meet, and CCTV Music Channel Gala a bravura rendition of Juliet’s aria with the other forms of Western art. Rongbaozhai The auction will be held on April 1 at above all, a middle-aged man whose charm The performance on March 25 at Poly right combination of coloratura polytechnics is also betting on vanguard artists such the Asia Hotel, with a preview at the same Earth graphics by Google Earth and vocal dexterity in singing female Pe- Theater, in celebration of the channel’sAll informationthird providedand emotional by the Central vigor. Meteorological Zhang ObservatoryJianyi’s Recon- as Zhou Chunya and He Duoling. At its venue on March 30 and 31. Wang Shanshan