In China, tattoos starting to stick

Jeanne Sun, 32, waits to be interviewed for an online web series exploring China's tattoo culture and the roots of the tradition. Sun, who owns Jeanne Tattoo Studio in Beijing, was 18-years-old when she opened her first tattoo shop in Tianjin. Alison Sullivan/chinadaily.com.cn

Celebrity ink

Inked to compete

Li's artist of choice was Jeanne Sun, who went about creating a tattoo that combines his love for lizards with an abstract image complete with claws, teeth and blood. The tattoo sleeve on his right arm remains a work-in-progress.

Sun said some young Chinese get tattoos to be rebellious or replicate celebrities, but for her it's about showing personality.

"Just getting a tattoo is easy but you can regret what you choose so quickly. A good tattoo, for me, is something unique," said Sun, who flies to an artist in Switzerland when she needs to get inked.

"It represents yourself and everything you like."

Sun Yejie, an independent producer, is exploring China's place in tattoo culture through a series of short online documentaries. The 10-minute episodes explore tattoos in the Middle Kingdom and their origins.

He said the explosion of social media in China exposed more people to tattoos and allowed people like him to share the art form with a broader audience.

"People have more say in their lives then before so I think now is a good time to talk about tattoos," Sun Yejie said.

Wang, the tattoo association director, said although social media is certainly a catalyst, tattoos are embedded in Chinese culture and can be traced back to the Song Dynasty 3,000 years ago.

"Tattoos are an ancient tradition and the resurgence of tattoos in modern society is an interesting phenomenon," said Wang, "Why tattoos are so appealing is a topic that's worth examining."