‘Sexual shame’: China holds online professional circumcision contest to correct misconceptions, promote positive attitudes, levels of acceptance
- Live-streamed procedures carried out before strictly controlled, ‘serious’ audience
- Many people in China see surgery as shameful, others wrongly believe it boosts sexual function
Surgeons in China have hosted a competition to showcase their circumcision skills, with the winning doctor being praised for his “exceptional technical expertise” and “compassionate patient care”.
Circumcision is a procedure that removes the foreskin from the human penis.
In the most common form of the operation, the foreskin is extended with forceps, then a circumcision device may be placed, after which the foreskin is removed.
More than 100 of China’s most skilled surgeons took part in the three-hour-long online contest in December 2023.
Two months after the competition was completed, a spectator shared the unique event on mainland social media platforms.
Each doctor who took part presented a pre-recorded six-minute circumcision video with live commentary.
Judges evaluated the surgery based on technique, explanation, and innovation.
Some contestants showcased innovations in technique, such as homemade post-operative penile protection devices and meticulous application of post-operative ointments.
The winning doctor, urologist Jiang Qiqi, spelled out the value of circumcision using comic illustrations, earning praise for demonstrating the humanistic care that is rarely present with Chinese doctors.
Organisers, Guo Tao and host Wang Xin, also urologists said their aim was to raise awareness of male health.
The contest was live-streamed, and viewers had to undergo a strict identity verification process to confirm that they were “serious observers”.
One female viewer said: “At first, seeing so many male reproductive organs made me feel a bit curious and embarrassed, but I quickly adapted and focused on the surgeries.”
In China, the cost of circumcision at a regular hospital ranges from 2,000 to 4,000 yuan (US$270-US$540), with the procedure usually lasting about 30 minutes and not requiring hospitalisation.
For many people on the mainland, circumcision is viewed as a “shameful body modification” and there is a lack of accurate understanding of the procedure.
Jiang, the champion doctor, said: “In traditional Chinese beliefs, anything related to ‘sex’ tends to be sidelined.”
One contestant shared the case of a patient who suffered severe penile pain during sexual intercourse, leading to extreme self-doubt and a 30-year absence from home.
After undergoing an examination, it was discovered that penile cancer resulted from excessive foreskin.
In 2022, one mainland man thought that circumcision would enhance sexual function but felt “too embarrassed” to visit a hospital.
Instead, he purchased tools online to circumcise himself, leading to painful injury.
“There is a common misconception in China, in fact, circumcision doesn’t necessarily equate to enhanced sexual function,” said contest host Wang.
Wang Xiang, a urologist at the Fudan University in Shanghai, suggests that not all cases of excessive foreskin require circumcision.
“Consulting a doctor is essential before making a decision,” said Wang.
It is estimated that one-third of men worldwide have undergone the procedure either for religious or health reasons or as part of tradition.
The male circumcision rate is relatively low in China, with an overall prevalence of 14 per cent reported in 2016.
