Tattoo, also known as "tattoo" or "tattoo", is to cut or burn certain words and patterns on the surface of the skin with a knife, needle or other sharp instrument, and apply it with potion. A behavior that can maintain the appearance of words and patterns for a long time. In China, as a cultural phenomenon, tattoos have a relatively long history, and in different historical periods, their meanings and social evaluations are also different.
In ancient times, as a form of totem worship, tattoos (or face tattoos) were just an external symbol to distinguish this tribe from other tribes. Such tattoos have gradually disappeared with the advancement of human civilization. There are still some remnants among some ethnic minorities. In the Han Dynasty, "tattooed faces" were still popular among the Huns in the north. Envoys from the Han Dynasty to envoys to the Huns had to go through "tattooed faces" before they could be received by the leader of the Huns, Danyu. In Jin Yong's novel "The Eight Parts of the Dragon", after Qiao Feng, the leader of the Beggar Clan, doubted his own life experience, he discovered that the wolf head tattoo on his chest was the same as the tattoo on the chest of a Khitan warrior, and he became somewhat convinced. Historically, the Khitan people did have the habit of "totem worship" tattoos during the Liao and Song Dynasties, with graphics including wolves, tigers, bears, etc.
Since the time of Yao and Shun in ancient times, tattooing has existed as one of the five punishments, that is, tattooing the face of a person who has committed a crime and then applying it with ink and charcoal to show punishment and mark. By the Zhou Dynasty, "tattooing" became the most widely used punishment in ink punishment. This can be said to be the source of the negative evaluation of tattoos. However, tattoos at this time can only be called "tattooing" strictly speaking. Early form. Since then, tattoos have always been a symbol of criminals in the Qin, Han, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, and even in the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, but the scope and objects of use are slightly different in each period. The most common ones are Lin Changchong in the TV series "Water Margin", who was assigned to Cangzhou, Song Jiang was assigned to Jiangzhou, Wu Song was assigned to Mengzhou, etc. After being tattooed on their foreheads or cheeks, they were sent to remote places to serve as soldiers, and they carried the mark of criminals throughout their lives. .
By the Tang, Song and Five Dynasties, tattoos had experienced a stage of popularity and development. At this time, tattoos had begun to break away from the limitations of "tattooed faces", extending from hands, faces, arms, legs and even to human body. The whole body, and the range of people with tattoos has also expanded. Especially in the Song Dynasty, tattoos became popular in the market. During the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, feudal towns were divided and wars were frequent. In order to prevent soldiers from fleeing, some generals of the feudal towns tattooed the hands and faces of the soldiers under their jurisdiction as marks. After this habit became popular in the military, many soldiers regarded it as a beauty. At this time, the content of tattoos gradually became richer, ranging from simple words to complex pictures, dragons, tigers, flowers and birds, and there were many types. By the Song Dynasty, this This habit gradually spread from the army to the people, and people in society imitated it one after another, becoming a temporary fashion.
During the Five Dynasties period, Zhu Wen, Taizu of the Later Liang Dynasty, tattooed the hands and faces of soldiers, and he was called "Jianzi with tattoos" at that time. Any escapees captured during the war were beheaded; There is a picture of a family of sparrows tattooed on his neck, so he is called "Guo Que'er"; Di Qing, the general of the Renzong Dynasty in the Northern Song Dynasty, repeatedly performed extraordinary feats in the war between the Song Dynasty and Xixia, and was known as "General Mian Nie", and "Mian Nie" refers to him. The face is tattooed with patterns. The nine-patterned dragon Shi Jin, the flower monk Lu Zhishen, and the prodigal son Yan Qing in the classic "Water Margin" are also enthusiasts of tattoos. In the Southern Song Dynasty, the famous "Eight-Character Army" of the anti-Jin rebels had soldiers tattooing the words "Serve the country with my whole heart and swear to kill the gold thieves" on their faces to show their determination to fight against the Jin army; Yue Fei, a famous anti-Jin general, was also said to have tattoos on his back. The four characters "Serve the country with all your loyalty" were tattooed on it. Although he died at the hands of a cowardly king and traitorous officials, his loyalty and justice will remain in history.
During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, tattooing still existed as a form of punishment, but its scope of use and applicable objects were narrower than before, and its cruelty also gradually weakened. Tattoos have experienced thousands of years of evolution and development among the people, and have gradually become a culture. However, from the late Qing Dynasty to the modern Republic of China, and even long after the founding of the People's Republic of China, until the reform and opening up, the mystery of tattoos as a social culture became more and more obvious, because ordinary people generally did not get tattoos, and most of the tattoos were folk secrets. Participant in a gang.
Many young people in today’s society like tattoos. There are roughly two reasons. The first reason is that they were influenced by Hong Kong and Taiwan dramas in the 1980s and 1990s. Many people in the underworld gangs in the dramas Everyone has tattoos, which make them look handsome and awesome, such as "Young and Dangerous"; another reason is that many European and American film and television and sports stars have also gotten tattoos in recent years. The above two reasons have led to many young people to follow suit, so Tattoos are on the rise again.
Although tattoos have now become a kind of social culture, throughout the history of China, tattoos began as "punishment", emerged among ancient soldiers, developed into social idlers, and even became a folk custom. "The logo of an organization is not easily accepted by most people psychologically. This is a social and cultural mass psychology, and changing it requires a process.