The art of tattooing has existed for a long time in China. However, almost during that time, their existence was always associated with social stigmas. Referring to tattoos, people immediately think of criminals, dust or gangsters.

“Ten years ago, we always associated tattoos with criminals or gangsters. People who want to get tattoos are afraid of being scrutinized by society,” said Liao Lijia, 28-year-old tattoo artist at Creation Tattoo shop in Beijing. , speak. “However, the tattoo culture is now accepted by the tattoo high top Chinese, especially Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou.”

A series of tattoo shops have mushroomed in cities across China, and many people are quickly buying their own gear to join this increasingly lucrative business.
“Over the past three years, our number of customers has been steadily doubling every year,” said Yu Haiyang, Liao's boss. On average, Yu's shop earns about 10,500 USD per month. “My income is now 10 times higher than it was six years ago.”

Unique personality

For young people, tattooing is a way for them to affirm their individuality and mark the memories in life, whether positive or negative.
“I think each tattoo is a symbol for me, like my name. It's a special part of my body that makes me different. Show your soul and your world,”  Wang said. Zi, 28, a fashion designer, said.
Wang has a hot air balloon tattoo on his shoulder blade. She designed this tattoo herself to inscribe her dream of flying in a hot air balloon since childhood.

Du Wei, 28, an information technology worker in Beijing, has a butterfly tattoo on her chest, reminiscent of her lost child.

While Chinese characters are very popular in the West, like footballer David Beckham having a Chinese proverb on his body, most Chinese prefer to have English characters and phrases tattooed.

The most common words are “love” and “forever”. There are people who choose to tattoo lyrics to songs like John Lennon's “Imagine” or quotes from the Bible.
Da Hua, a tattooist, is often inspired by Chinese legends. Initially, he practiced tattooing on pieces of pig skin bought at the local market.

Tattoo culture

Asia has long had its own tattoo culture. Japan is famous for its bold and bold tattoo style. Hong Kong is also a bastion of tattoo art. The port city has hosted many British sailors whose tattoo culture blends traditional Western images such as roses and anchors, with oriental motifs such as dragons and tigers.
Mainland China is also starting to form its own style of tattooing, both classic and modern.

Qiao Zhengfei, a 20-year-old tattooist, used to have his own shop in Xiamen city before moving to Beijing to expand his business.
She specializes in intricate tattoos with black ink. Qiao was delighted when these tattoos became a living embodiment of her work.
“It's an aesthetic choice,” she says. “I can't do traditional Chinese tattoos like dragons or fish. They don't sympathize with me.”

Business or art?
In China, many tattoo shops are just small, curtained rooms and are owned by full-blown tattooists. Some large stores are more decorated.
Most Chinese tattooists do not want to viking hawaiian shirt see their work as an art form, but merely a business.

Eight years ago, Zhao Liang graduated as a teacher with a major in painting and planned to teach or become a government official.
“However, both occupations have low income. Since I have to support my family, I think I need to find a job with a living income.”
One day, he saw a poster advertising tattoos for 50 yuan ($8) each and thought why not give it a try.
“Then I started tattooing. I just found that my life is getting better and better,” Zhao said.