China recently began to seep back into the consciousness of many Westerners as something other than the name after "Made In" on the back of random plastics last year when they sent their first man into orbit. The nation made news again when they were successful in their bid to host the 2008 summer Olympics in Beijing. China has made no secrets about their ambitious desire to become a world superpower. Some analysts are saying they could even surpass some of the current world powers by the year 2050, and let's be honest: with a manpower base of over 1 billion people, and emerging potential like this, it's a real possibility. However, the Chinese also realize that to trade with us, and eventually surpass us, to some extent they need to be like us. It seems it has come time for China to modernize her image by becoming more tolerant of ideas that were once completely scorned, like capitalism ... and body modification.
In ancient China, there were a few ethnic minority groups that did use tattooing as a normal part of coming-of-age rituals, or simply because it was considered beautiful. The majority of Chinese, though, the Han, used tattooing as a punishment for criminals, and a way to easily identify them later. Coupled with the Confucian saying: "Our bodies, to every hair and bit of skin, are received by us from our parents, and we must not presume to injure or wound them. This is the beginning of filial piety," it's easy to see why Chinese culture has long been vehemently against tattoos and piercings. This idea was solidified even further as the Communist Party began to come into power and especially during the Cultural Revolution in the sixties. You might think that "Cultural Revolution", would imply a change toward more liberal attitudes that would accept modification. However, the Revolution was for the most part the Communist Party's extortion of the nation's youth to further homogenize society and unify Party ideals. Red Guards swarmed the country, destroying anything and anyone that they felt was a "class enemy". They attacked anyone with unpopular ideas; they destroyed the homes and property of anyone considered too "bourgeois"; they even stopped people in the street and forced them to cut their hair if it was too long, curly, or otherwise frivolous. Anyone with visible modifications would have been met with the same violent backlash. Through it all, however, the revolutionaries held fast to those ideas ingrained on them by previous generations regarding politics, sex, and yes, tattoos and piercings.
Recently, however, China has seen an upsurge in the number of youth now engaging in body modification. To the horror of older generations, the "linglei", which means "alternative", have forgone political rallies and begun to express themselves in other ways. A rose inked on a shoulder blade or an eyebrow ring doesn't seem like a big statement to us in the West, but is it really so different from our own beginnings? It wasn't so long ago that even in the US and Canada, tattoos belonged, in the public mind, only to "felons and prostitutes". Of course there are still obstacles, still prejudices, but you have to admit: we've come a long way. China is now blossoming with potential. As they try to make gains in the world market, they have had to embrace capitalism; they've even recently added an amendment to their constitution protecting private property. As the world keeps a watchful eye on them because of the upcoming Olympics, China has remedied or at least improved many of their human rights problems. And as they try to gain acceptance and equality in a Western-dominated globe, they just might be forced to accept modification, too.
Yes, we all know that Angelina Jolie has tattoos. We've seen Lenny Kravitz's nose ring, and read about Benjamin Bratt's suspension. And we know that every day, teenage girls are asking to get their navels pierced because Britney Spears has it done. Likewise, celebrities in China are sometimes credited (or cursed) with kick-starting their modification revolution. A twenty-something singer named Cony He is one of those people. He has several facial piercings, and makes no apologies for them. The most interesting thing about his situation is that it's exactly like ours. He speaks candidly about how strangers, even neighbors, whisper venomous comments about his choices in personal adornment. If he weren't in the entertainment business, he'd probably have a hard time finding a job. But is he doing this to be edgy or challenge society? No. His words echo the sentiments of so many people that we know, even our own: "It is also kind of a statement I make to make me feel unique, more complete." Who'd have known that such a small personal expression like a tattoo could change the world?
The answer to that is many people, also part of the linglei culture. Zhu Junjie, owner of a piercing shop in China, says, "Piercing is a kind of ritual I have undergone to show my objection to cultural oppression". While this doesn't mean that Junjie's modifications aren't personal and meaningful, it does mean that he realizes just how powerful his 14 gauge surgical steel dissent can be. And you know what? It's working. People are impressionable. The more often they see something, the less shocking it becomes. This is especially true when a celebrity is endorsing something, whether it be a piercing or a pizza. Cony He estimates that over seventy people he knows (and probably more that he doesn't) have gotten modified because of his influence.
Another intriguing factor in China's "modification revolution" is the authorities' distinct lack of action against it. In a country where other "deviations" including labor unions and ethnic minorities, have historically been brutally corrected, this is unusual to say the least. In a perfect world, we would simply smile and hope that the People's Liberation Army has somehow benevolently realized that a lip ring isn't hurting anyone. However, as earlier stated, China needs to modify itself. This is what makes China possibly the most promising arena for modification culture. Despite the fact that for the most part, older generations don't currently agree with modification, the powers that be, albeit not publicly, do. Although it's somewhat depressing that acceptance depends, at this point, upon being useful to faceless bureaucrats and big business, there is amazing potential here. Watch out for China, because they are moving up; they are coming in; and they look like us.
Works Cited
"Forecast sees China topping global economy by 2050". Daily Times. 19 Nov 2004. . 24 Nov 2004.
"Hole, Tattoo Trend on Body." Shanghai Daily. China Internet Information Center. 18 May 2004. . 24 Nov 2004.
Lam, Willy. "Jiang praised for 'major breakthrough'". CNN World. 2 Jul 2001. . 24 Nov 2004.
Monroe, John. "Tattooing in China: Awaiting a Renaissance". Skin and Ink. Sep 2003. . 24 Nov 2004.
Pei, Dr. M. L.. "Chinese Tattoo." China the Beautiful. 1995-2002. . 24 Nov 2004.
"Rebel Ink." Guardian Unlimited. 12 Nov 2004. . 24 Nov 2004.
"Wisdom on Body Modification". Good Characters. 2004. . 24 Nov 2004.
Yang, Rae. Spider Eaters. Berkley and Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press, 1997.