Wang Yuanyuan

    IN China, tattoos were until recently associated with rebelliousness and even delinquency.

    However, an increasing number of students and white-collar workers have taken to the art form and used it as a fashion statement.

    The city’s most popular tattoo artists are based in Dongmen, Luohu District, with a large number of small workshops, said Judie Wu, who also runs a tattoo workshop in Dongmen.

    “Dongmen has a long history of tattoo art. In the past, it was just young avant-garde types who got tattoos. Many people who have tattoos are youths who don’t have respectable employment and want to show how rebellious they are. But now more people, particularly those returning from abroad, have tattoos in places that cannot be seen when they are fully clothed to remind themselves of who they really are,” said Wu.

    Wu also studied abroad.

    “I fell in love with tattoos when I was in Britain. I worked part-time in a tattoo shop,” she said. Art was her major, so she used her talent to focus on tattoo art when she came back to Shenzhen.

    Wu’s proudest moment was doing a tattoo of the Civic Center in Futian District on a man’s calves. “That was a real challenge. I went there several times to think about how to make an image of the building look good on the human body,” she said.

    Many people don’t want to get a tattoo because they are afraid that the ink may never wash off, but a trained tattoo artist can easily remove it.

    “Removing a tattoo is highly skilled work and requires laser technology. If the laser is misused, it may leave some light ink on the skin or make the skin darker,” Wu said.

    If the removal fails, people may have to have cosmetic surgery.

    The recommended method is to remake it into a new one. “A skilled artist can cover the original tattoo with a new design, making you feel like you are a new person,” she said.

    Luohu Commercial City near Luohu Checkpoint also has some established tattoo workshops. “In the beginning, some Hong Kong tattoo artists opened small studios there and the number has been growing over the past 10 years.

    “They are more elaborate and Japanese in style than the ones in Dongmen,” said Tommy Chan.

    The OCT LOFT in Nanshan District is an up- and-coming spot for tattoo art as it has become a gathering place for artists and art lovers.

    “There are a few tattoo art workshops in the OCT LOFT. Unlike the shops in Luohu District, workshops here are all well-decorated and more stylish, but they are also more costly,” said Chan, who runs an outlet in the OCT LOFT.

    At present, the starting price for a small tattoo is about 200 yuan (US$31.8) and the number will be increased if customers want to have a bigger or more elaborate one.

Recommended workshops:

Kowloon Tattoo Studio

Tel: 2546-6249

Add: 5/F, Kowloon Plaza, Dongmen, Luohu District (罗湖区东门九龙城广场五楼 九龙纹身工作室)

Sheng Studio

Tel: 8236-5844

Add: Room 91, 2/F, Bada Shopping Center, Dongmen, Luohu Distirct (罗湖区东门八达商场二楼91号 胜工作室)

Tattoo Art Workshop

Tel: 2325-5849

Add: 4/F, Luohu Commercial City, Luohu District (罗湖商业城4楼 纹艺轩)

Lotus Ink

Tel: 135-1048-5517

Add: OCT-LOFT North, Xiangshan Street East, Nanshan District (南山区华侨城创意园香山东街创意园北区 莲之印)

Tips:

1. Find a licensed tattoo workshop with sanitary tools and ink. Stainless steel-made machines and phytochrome ink are recommended.

2. Do not get a tattoo while ill or under the influence of alcohol.

3. Keep the skin dry for at least one week after getting a tattoo to prevent infection.

4. It is forbidden to use alcohol and gentian violet to clean the wound.

5. Do not scratch the scar.

6. Wear only light clothes after getting a tattoo.

7. Do not swim or do spa before the scab wears off. This may take at least a week.