Chinese Tattooing

Tattoos (刺青, cì qīng) have a history of thousands of years in China. The Chinese word for "tattoo" (纹身) literally means "applying ink to the body."

Although tattoos have been known in China for centuries, they were largely an unusual practice. Tattooing was often seen as a defacement of the body or something undesirable.

The earliest tattoos were documented during the ancient Shang Dynasty, when the refugees Taibo and Zhongjun shaved their hair and got tattoos in order to gain the recognition of the Jingman people.

The most famous tattoo in Chinese history comes from the legend of the Chinese general Yue Fei. Yue Fei served the Southern Song Dynasty. During a battle with northern enemies, the field marshal under whose command Yue Fei served betrayed the Southern Song and defected to the enemy.

In protest, Yue Fei resigned and returned home. His mother was angry with him, telling him that his duty was to serve the country, no matter what. To remind him of this, she used a sewing needle to tattoo four characters on his back. These characters meant "Serve your country with utmost loyalty."

At certain points in Chinese history, tattoos were also used to identify and punish criminals. People convicted of serious crimes were ordered to have a tattoo applied to their face with indelible ink. This form of punishment was known as "Ci Pei" (tattoo, exile).