A 59-year-old woman from Chongqing, China, is gaining a lot of attention on social media because of her incredible life story. She was born with two reproductive systems and has lived life in a very unique way—being both a mother and a father to her children.

About her journey

Liu grew up in a village in Bishan County, and her ID card identified her as female. However, from a young age, she was different from other girls. She liked having short hair and wearing boy’s clothes, which often confused her classmates.

When Liu was 18, she married a man named Tang, and they had a son together. But her life changed a lot after she started developing male features because of an increase in certain hormones. She grew facial hair, her breasts became smaller, and male reproductive organs started to form. These changes caused her marriage to end.

After her divorce, Liu left her son with Tang and moved to a different area to begin a new life. She worked at a shoe factory and started living as a man. While working there, a woman named Zhou fell in love with Liu. At first, Liu was unsure, but after some time, Zhou's determination made her fall in love too.

The couple faced legal issues because Liu's ID still said she was female, and same-sex marriage is not allowed in China. To work around this, Liu’s ex-husband Tang agreed to marry Zhou on paper. In return, Liu helped financially with her son from her first marriage. Later, Zhou had a son who calls Liu “dad,” while Liu’s first son calls her “mum.” This has made Liu a parent in two very different ways.

Liu’s story was first shared in 2005 and has become popular again online. Even though doctors offered to do exams, Liu has said no and hasn’t had gender reassignment surgery because it is very expensive. Her official documents still say she is female.

Online, reactions to her story are filled with amazement. “She has such rich life experiences—being a woman and then a man, a mother and then a father,” one user said.

Liu’s story highlights the complexities of identity and family while reminding people of the remarkable ways individuals adapt to life’s unexpected challenges.