Media History on GenderLibshttps://www.genderlibs.org/categories/media-history/Recent content in Media History on GenderLibsHugoenCopyright © 2024-2026 GenderLibs. All Rights Reserved.Sat, 12 Sep 2026 09:00:00 -0700From Confidential Surgery to Woman’s Dream: How Zhang Kesha’s Public Narrative Took Shape, 1983–2003https://www.genderlibs.org/blog/2026/09/zhang-kesha-public-narrative-history/Sat, 12 Sep 2026 09:00:00 -0700https://www.genderlibs.org/blog/2026/09/zhang-kesha-public-narrative-history/Abstract On January 10, 1983, Zhang Kesha underwent surgery in the plastic-surgery service of the Third Hospital of Beijing Medical College. A 2026 institutional retrospective from Peking University Third Hospital describes the procedure as China’s first male-to-female gender-reassignment operation and emphasizes the strict confidentiality surrounding the case. Twenty years later, in 2003, Zhang appeared under her own name in reports by Xinhua, Southern MetropolisFrom a ‘Filial Son’ Narrative to Liu Ting’s Public Reappearance: Moral-Model Credentials Across Transition, 2005–2016https://www.genderlibs.org/blog/2026/09/liu-ting-moral-model-public-credential-history/Sat, 05 Sep 2026 09:00:00 -0700https://www.genderlibs.org/blog/2026/09/liu-ting-moral-model-public-credential-history/Abstract In 2005, Liu Ting entered national news under the historical public name Liu Ting then used, written 刘霆, after bringing her mother, who had uremia, to live near Zhejiang Forestry University while she studied and provided daily care. Her mother received a kidney transplant in 2006, and the caregiving story continued to circulate through Spring Festival features, local honors, public-benefit activities, and awards. In 2007 she received