Tattoo Hypothesis Statement

Background and Hypothesis statement

Since the Tattoo Show Convention of 2007 held in Beijing, the practice of getting tattoos has slowly started being accepted in China. As a result more Chinese have begun getting these indelible marks on their bodies. During the Convention, a photographer claimed that in certain areas of China more so the Jiangsu Province would question seeing a young man with tattoos. This is because, as discussed in later parts of this paper, of the Chinese cultural beliefs associated with tattoos.

The 2007

This paper thus aims mainly at providing evidence to the above stated hypothesis as well as discussing the historical Chinese cultural beliefs that have for a long time caused stigmatization to the people who get these marks on their skin.

To begin with, the Chinese language and symbols are widely used in the tattoo industry. This is apparent because of its ability to convey bigger messages in a small symbol representation. However this practice is not that common, at least until the last decade because of the historical perspectives.

Since ancient China, religious sects believed that the body was holy, a representation of the family and its lineage. Putting permanent marks on one’s body was considered marking out the family. Thus, many people, both young and old distanced themselves from such practices. Another reason is that, early Chinese governments took advantage of this belief to curb crime. Moxing was the practice developed by the Chinese to control increase of criminal cases. Criminals were ‘tattooed’ as a way of discriminating them from the

However, as with many traditions, tattooing was banned after 1949 welcomed the Communist party’s New China. During the reform and opening-up from 1979 onwards, slowly but surely the art form was secretly resumed (CITE). However, all across the country, inking was done predominantly among criminals and gangsters. In Hong Kong tattoos were therefore strongly associated with the Triads. Because of such historical events, many people, especially the old folks still believe that the practice is associated with