It’s a trend driven by a younger generation that isn’t afraid of standing out but also by the sophisticated skills of China’s tattoo artists.<\/p>\n
“Ten years ago we still associated tattoos with bad people or gangsters. People who wanted to get one were afraid of discrimination from society,” says Liao Lijia, 28 a tattoo artist at Creation Tattoo in Beijing.<\/p>\n
“But tattoo culture is well accepted by Chinese people these days, especially in Beijing<\/a>, Shanghai or Guangzhou.”<\/p>\n Scores of parlors are opening up in cities across China, and many are taking up the tattoo gun hoping to get in on the increasingly lucrative trade<\/a>.<\/p>\n “Over the past three years, the number of customers has doubled each year,” says Yu Haiyang, Liao’s boss. His studio takes on average around $10,500 a month.<\/p>\n “My income is 10 times more than six years ago,” he adds.<\/p>\n Identity<\/strong><\/p>\n Getting inked is one way for young people to forge their own identity and mark life experiences — bad or good.<\/p>\n “I think a tattoo is a sign of myself, like your name. It’s the most special part of your body, it makes you different. Shows your mind, your world,” says Wang Zi, 28, a fashion designer.<\/p>\n She has a tattoo of a hot air balloon on her shoulder blade, a design she drew herself to cherish a childhood dream of flying in one.<\/p>\n Du Wei, 28, works in IT in Beijing. She has a tattoo of a butterfly on her chest — representing the memory of a baby she lost.<\/p>\n Just as Chinese characters are a popular choice in the West — David Beckham famously has a Chinese proverb tattooed on his torso — in China some people like tattoos of English words and phrases.<\/p>\n Popular words include “love,” and “forever.” Others choose song lyrics such as lines from the John Lennon’s song “Imagine,” or quotes from the Bible.<\/p>\n Tattoo artist Da Hua shows off a quote scrawled over the forearm of one client that reads, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” He also takes inspiration from Chinese legend, creating art that melds time and cultures.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Chinese flair<\/strong><\/p>\n Asia has long had its own tattoo culture. Japan is famed for its bold and highly developed style.<\/p>\n Hong Kong is also a bastion — the port city catering to British sailors of old, giving rise to a mixture of traditional western tattoos — the rose, the anchor — with oriental motifs such as the dragon and the tiger.<\/p>\n China is starting to develop its own unique styles, drawing on both ancient and modern inspiration.<\/p>\n Qiao Zhengfei is a 20-year-old tattoo artist who opened up her own studio in her native Xiamen before moving her business<\/a> to Beijing.<\/p>\n She specializes in “blackwork,” an intricate form based on a style of embroidery. The former art theory student likes the fact that tattoos are a living embodiment of her work.<\/p>\n “It’s an aesthetic choice,” she says. “I couldn’t see myself doing traditionally Chinese tattoos like dragons and fish. They don’t resonate with me.”<\/p>\n A trade or art?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n In China<\/a>, some parlors are cubicle affairs, a small square room with a curtain and heavily tattooed proprietors.<\/p>\n Others boast large studios with grungy aesthetics and art adorning the walls.<\/p>\n The Chinese tattoo artists I spoke to shied away from calling their work an art form, viewing it as a trade.<\/p>\n Eight years ago, Zhao Liang graduated from teaching<\/a> college after majoring in art and planned to find a teaching or civil service job.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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