cosmetic surgery

In 1943, during the Anti-Japanese War, a medical school student was sent to the University of Pennsylvania to study plastic and reconstructive surgery so that he could bring back advanced treatments for wounded soldiers. His name was Song Ruyao, and he became the founder of plastic surgery in China and its offshoot, cosmetic surgery.

Only a few cosmetic surgery operations were performed before Liberation. It was denounced during the Cultural Revolution for its ‘bourgeois’ attention to form over function. When the ‘pursuit of beauty’ became acceptable in the 1980s, cosmetic surgery grew rapidly in popularity, reflecting changing beauty ideals.

Due to a long-standing ideal of smooth white skin, techniques for whitening skin and removing moles and freckles were by far the most popular. Perhaps reflecting the influence of Western ideals, next popular was the ‘double eyelid’ operation to add a crease above the eye opening, which was considered naturally characteristic of European eyes as well as of a minority of Chinese eyes. This was followed by nose implants to increase the height of the nose bridge. Breast augmentation was not nearly as popular as in the USA, and the average size of the implants was smaller; but it became more popular over time, perhaps due to the influence of Hollywood ideals.

Further reading

Song, R. (1987). ‘Woguo zhengxing waike fazhande lishi huigu’ [A Look Back at the History of the Development of Our Nation’s Plastic Surgery]. Zhonghua zhengxing shaoshang waike zazhi [Chinese Journal of Plastic and Burn Surgery] 3.4 (December).

SUSAN BROWNELL