YING NING, a 33-year-old Tianjin man who became a woman following sex-change operations, received a new Chinese ID card as a woman Tuesday.

"I am so excited to receive it after a month-long wait," said Ying.

"The ID card has a special meaning for me, that I have been accepted by society. It will be the beginning of my new life," Ying told a reporter with the Tianjin-based newspaper Daily News.

"I was embarrassed by some people's curious looks. I had to give up my trip to Zhejiang for a winter vacation because I was worried that the male gender on my old ID card would confuse the airport's security staff," said Ying. "I was really sensitive about this at that time."

At that point, Ying applied to the local police station for a new ID card. Regulations require such applicants to provide medical proof of a gender change and parental consent, even for those of legal age.

Born in 1975, Ying, a native Tianjin resident, married a woman in 1998, but the marriage ended months later. "I felt sorry for my ex-wife, but I knew I could not bring her happiness. I always wanted to be a woman," said Ying.

Ying underwent about 20 operations starting in November 2006.

China is believed to have more than 1,000 people who have received such operations, according to the People's Daily.

(Xinhua)