China has crowned its best circumcision surgeon, after holding a bizarre competition.
More than 100 of China’s top surgeons took part in a three-hour online competition in December last year, presenting pre-recorded videos of their work which they spoke about in front of a strictly controlled “serious” audience.
The judges then evaluated the surgeons based on their technique, explanations and innovation.
Organizers Guo Tao and host Wang Xin, both urologists, said their goal was break the taboo around circumcision, considered uncivilized in China.
However, sometimes there is a medical necessity for the procedure, including a foreskin that is too tight.
One of the surgeons who participated in the circumcision competition, organized online in December 2023
An anti-circumcision activist holds signs in Las Vegas, US, including one calling for the imprisonment of doctors who perform the procedure.
Two months after the competition, a spectator shared a photo of the unique event on Chinese social media platform Weixen, the South China Morning Post reported.
Each participating surgeon presented a six-minute pre-recorded circumcision video with live commentary.
Some doctors have gotten creative with their work, including homemade penis protection devices to wear after surgery and carefully applying postoperative ointments.
The winning doctor, urologist Jiang Qiqi, highlighted the value of circumcision using comic illustrations and was praised by judges for his “humanistic” approach, rare among Chinese doctors, South China reported Morning Post.
People watching the competition had to go through a strict identity verification process to confirm they were “reliable viewers.”
One viewer said: “At first, seeing so many male reproductive organs made me a little curious and self-conscious, but I quickly adapted and focused on the surgeries.”
For many people in mainland China, circumcision is considered a shameful body modification and there is a lack of understanding of the procedure.
The award-winning doctor said: “In traditional Chinese beliefs, anything related to ‘sex’ tends to be pushed aside.
A competitor shared the story of a patient who experienced extreme pain in his penis during sex, which led to severe discomfort. The doctor discovered that the man was suffering from penile cancer due to his excessive foreskin.
Another told of a patient who, in 2022, thought circumcision would improve his sexual performance but was too embarrassed to see a doctor.
He purchased tools online and attempted an at-home procedure, which left him with a painful injury.
“There is a common misconception in China. In fact, circumcision does not necessarily equate to improved sexual function,” said Wang, the competition host.
Circumcision – the removal of the foreskin – is usually done by stretching the foreskin with forceps to separate it from the head of the penis, then cutting it with a scalpel.
In China, the operation costs between 2,000 and 4,000 yuan in a regular hospital, the equivalent of $270 to $540.
The procedure normally lasts about half an hour and does not require hospitalization.
About a third of men worldwide have been circumcised for religious, cultural or health reasons.
The rate of male circumcision is relatively low in China. In 2016, an estimated 14% of Chinese men were circumcised.
In the United States, the national newborn circumcision rate fell from 64.5 percent in 1979 to 58.3 percent in 2010, but it remains well above the 32 percent in Canada and 10 percent in the United States. United Kingdom.
At various times during the 19th and 20th centuries, removal of the foreskin was touted as a cure for paralysis, masturbation, or, more recently, infection.
But the medical community is now somewhat circumspect.
In 2012, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) came under fire from the European medical community after stating that the “benefits” of circumcision “outweighed the risks.”
The AAP guidelines have not changed, but they indicate that the benefits are not sufficient to recommend universal circumcision and therefore it should be a parental decision.
