A young female secretary will be transformed into Shenzhen's first man-made beauty.  

Zhang Wei, 21, said Wednesday that since she was not satisfied with some aspects of her appearance she was prepared to undergo plastic surgery provided by the Shenzhen Sun Hospital for free.

Zhang faced the media Wednesday afternoon as the only finalist selected from 1,089 women who signed up for the operation.

"My hope is that the surgery will give me the freshest look that can help show my spiritual qualities," Zhang said.

Facing a barrage of questions from reporters, Zhang sometimes found it difficult to answer.

But she said she had no fear of possible risks or failure in the operation and that she had full confidence in the hospital.

She declined to disclose much of her personal information such as her educational level and the name of the city she came from in Hubei Province. Having worked in Shenzhen for two years, Zhang said she had a boyfriend and that both he and her family supported her in having the operation.

Zhang has a passion for singing and said she would like to enter show business if she had the opportunity after her operation.

Deputy head of the hospital Zhou Xiaotian said the operation would cost 300,000 yuan (US$36,000) to 500,000 yuan and would be performed on Zhang’s eyes, nose, temple, chin and breasts. It will take six months to complete the surgery.

Wang Hairu, chief of the hospital, said his hospital wanted to build a name making people look more beautiful. He said Chinese clinical skills in plastic surgery were no less advanced than those in France, Japan and South Korea.

(Shenzhen Daily December 26, 2003)