Investigation Reveals China's Underground Height Surgery Market

A new investigation by Sixth Tone uncovers a thriving underground market for height surgery in China, despite the procedure being banned for two decades. The report details how patients and doctors operate in secrecy, with surgeries often performed in unlicensed clinics or even hotel rooms. The demand is driven by social pressures linking height to success and marriageability. The investigation highlights the risks, including infections, deformities, and even paralysis, as well as the lack of regulation and oversight. It also profiles patients who have undergone the surgery, some traveling from rural areas to urban centers like Shanghai and Beijing. The article notes that the ban has not curbed the practice but pushed it further underground, with costs ranging from 100,000 to 300,000 yuan. Experts quoted in the report call for better public education and stricter enforcement, but acknowledge the deep-rooted cultural biases that fuel the demand.