Ananova:

A Chinese man who won a Miss Universe award says he's stuck between genders after his plastic surgeon went bankrupt.

Xie Xiaoxing, 27, won 'best camera image' in the Fujian regional heat of the contest to select Miss China for Miss Universe 2006.

The organisers assumed he was female - but he had only had the first phase of surgery to turn him into a woman.

Mr Xie says the Fashion Beauty Plastic Surgery Hospital in Fuzhou city had offered him a full sex change in exchange for him advertising its services.

"After the first phase of surgery, I stopped for a while to deal with some personal issues, and when I came back last autumn they'd gone bankrupt," he said.

Mr Xie says he isn't sure now whether he's a man or a woman and can't even get a job because he can't confirm his gender.

"Some companies would like to hire me but can't take me, since I can't provide them with an ID card," he added.

Mr Xie says his only hope of leading a normal life is to find a way to complete the second phase of his operation, reports Southeastern News Express.