Public History on GenderLibshttps://www.genderlibs.org/tags/public-history/Recent content in Public 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 Metropolis