Mr. Li “Guoxing, a 30-year old, whose face had been disfigured from an attack by a bear, received a partial face transplant operation in a north-western Chinese hospital on April 14, 2006. This was the first face transplant in China and the second in the world(Isabelle dinoire being the first person to receive such a transplant in France). In the 14-hour procedure, Mr. Li was given a new check, upper lip, nose and an eyebrow.

Mr. Li was looking for his lost sheep on a mountain near his village when  he saw a black bear eating it. Mr. Li picked up a wooden stick to try to drive the bear away, only to enrage the animal. The bear pounced on him and mauled his face: the right side of his face and nose were almost lost. Mr. Li was immediately sent to a local hospital for treatment. His life was saved but the disfigurement remained as he could not afford plastic surgery.

Mr. Li waited nearly a month in Xijing Hospital in Xi’an, capital of Shaanxi province, before the hospital was able to locate a brain-dead male donor. Following the face transplant, Mr. Li came through the 24 hour post-operative critical period successfully, but the final success of the transplant will depend on whether Mr. Li can get through an acute rejection period of two months.