- Title: In rural China, elderly transgender Sister Liu finds solace
- Date: 18th December 2019
- Summary: FUZHOU, FUJIAN PROVINCE, CHINA (RECENT - NOVEMBER 2, 2019) (REUTERS) 63-YEAR-OLD TRANSGENDER VILLAGER, LIU PEILIN, APPLYING MAKE UP TO EYE LIU APPLYING LIPSTICK LIU PUTTING ON WIG LIU ADJUSTING HAIR PIN CLOCK AND A PAIR OF GLASSES ON SHELF LIU PUTTING ON A JACKET LIU STANDING IN FRONT A MIRROR AND BUTTONING JACKET LIU WALKING AWAY (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) 63-YEAR-OLD TRANSGENDER VILLAGER, LIU PEILIN, SAYING: "My name is Liu Peilin. I'm 63 years old. I've been wearing women's clothes for 24 years. My outfit has always been like this since I was laid off. My life became happier and more comfortable after I came to Fuzhou from Qingdao. I'm not feeling any stress. Anyway, I'm happy." LIU RAISING BIKE KICKSTAND LIU RIDING BICYCLE AWAY FROM HOME LIU PARKING BICYCLE AND WALKING INTO A SHOP LIU LOOKING AT GOODS LIU LOOKING ON AND WALKING AWAY LIU PAYING AT CASHIER LIU PICKING UP FOOD AND WALKING OUT LIU WALKING WITH BICYCLE/ WOMAN AND CHILD LOOKING AT LIU (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) 63-YEAR-OLD TRANSGENDER VILLAGER, LIU PEILIN, SAYING: "I have that thought (of dressing as a woman) when I was 10 years old. But at that time, it wasn't allowed because of the society. Also there were a lot of political movements in those days, like the Cultural Revolution. I've been through many of those movements. So I had to take those social factors into consideration, and I buried this feeling (that I'm a woman) deep down inside my heart. Then after a while, after being laid off, along with China's economic reform and opening up, I couldn't help but think about it again, so I dressed up in women's clothing. Since then, I can't stop it." FUZHOU, FUJIAN PROVINCE, CHINA (RECENT - NOVEMBER 4, 2019) (REUTERS) LIU WALKING TO A FOOD STAND VARIOUS OF PASSERSBY LOOKING AT LIU FUZHOU, FUJIAN PROVINCE, CHINA (RECENT - NOVEMBER 2, 2019) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) 63-YEAR-OLD TRANSGENDER VILLAGER, SAYING: "In Qingdao, there were some words almost unbearable to hear, and the way people were staring at me felt like a knife piercing my skin. It was too mean and too disdainful to stand." REPORTER: "How about now?" "Now it's easier. Since I came here, how to say, I don't deny that (the situation) still exists. But fewer people stare at me." LIU WALKING UP STAIRS VARIOUS OF LIU FOLDING HER WOMEN'S CLOTHES AND PUT IT ASIDE (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) 63-YEAR-OLD TRANSGENDER VILLAGER, SAYING: "I don't get to choose (where to live). Because it is basically impossible to rent a house in my sort of situation. Why? I don't deny that some people have serious prejudice. They won't lease their places to people like me. It happened in Qingdao before, and here I can't say it totally changed. It's still the same. I rented a house in Guandong village, but I got kicked out by the landlord after two months. That's a real example, isn't it?" LIU OPENING UP HER OLD DIARY VARIOUS OF LIU WRITING IN DIARY STACKED OLD DIARIES (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) 63-YEAR-OLD TRANSGENDER VILLAGER, SAYING: "I hope in the future I can have a normal life after changing my gender. I want to get married and have a family. It doesn't matter if there's a kid or not. I want to find a companion and live a life." FUZHOU, FUJIAN PROVINCE, CHINA (RECENT - NOVEMBER 3, 2019) (REUTERS) VILLAGE PARTY BRANCH SECRETARY RIDING MOTORBIKE DOWN ROAD (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) VILLAGE PARTY BRANCH SECRETARY, MR. LIN, SAYING: "We all know he is not a bad person, and he is an ordinary person. But behaving as a woman, especially, when he dresses up, it doesn't look so good. It results in a lot of people talking about him. Some people who don't know him think he's crazy." FUZHOU, FUJIAN PROVINCE, CHINA (RECENT - NOVEMBER 4, 2019) (REUTERS) VILLAGE WHERE LIU LIVES MOUNTAIN
- Embargoed: 1st January 2020 00:22
- Keywords: China Fujian Fuzhou LGBT issues rights transgender village
- Location: FUZHOU, FUJIAN PROVINCE, CHINA
- City: FUZHOU, FUJIAN PROVINCE, CHINA
- Country: China
- Topics: Living / Lifestyle,Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA001BAI3OEF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Liu Peilin starts off her daily routine by applying her makeup, carefully shading her face with bright eyeshadow, blush and a painted brow.
On her way to the market, morning shoppers look a little too long in her direction.
The 63-year-old has become well-known not only in the little southern Chinese village where she lives, but also on the national stage.
In 2012, a video of Liu wearing women's clothing and standing outside a burning residential complex went viral, and she became the centre of mockery by Chinese netizens.
Liu has yearned to be a woman ever since she was a kid, but didn't start dressing up in women's clothes until she was in her 40s.
"But at that time, it wasn't allowed because of the society," said Liu, referring to the Cultural Revolution, when most people wore Mao jackets. "So I had to take those social factors into consideration, and I buried this feeling (that I'm a woman) deep down inside my heart."
Liu's brief viral fame brought her into contact with a supportive community. At the beginning of the year, she was facing eviction when her landlord in Qingdao decided to raise the rent but an artist friend invited her to join his community in a village near the southern city of Fuzhou.
She has also gained fans, who call her "Sister Liu." Many send clothes, swelling an expansive wardrobe, dominated by pink and red hues. Others gift her books and even art.
Still, her life isn't perfect, as she still continues to face discrimination and some weird stares.
"We all know he is not a bad person...some people who don't know him think he's crazy," said Mr. Lin, the local village party secretary.
Liu who remains unemployed, says she wants to undergo gender reassignment surgery, but lacks the funding. She documents her daily life by writing in her diaries.
"I hope in the future I can have a normal life after changing my gender," said Liu. "I want to get married and have a family. It doesn't matter if there's a kid or not. I want to find a companion and live a life."
(Production: Irene Wang, Tingshu Wang, Joseph Campbell) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
