Using hospital records, media narratives, administrative rules, community hotlines, litigation and surveys, and digital archives, this study reconstructs mainland China’s transgender public history through six documentary regimes and a reproducible source-card method.

Transgender narratives – the stories and representations of transgender experiences – have gained increasing prominence in literature, media, and cultural discourse. These narratives range from personal memoirs and fiction to films, journalism, and online storytelling. They not only reflect individual journeys of...