Chapter 1 Yin and Yang Tattoo (1/2)

Chapter 1 Yin and Yang Tattoo

“Tattoos” have a history of over 5,000 years in China. They had another name: “spider lilies” . The earliest “tattoos” can be traced back to the northeast part of China at the dawn of Chinese civilization.

At that time, the Northeastern believers of Shamanism would put sap on the body and sketch out a strange pattern, expressing awe before the gods and fear of the spirits. Furthermore, those tattoos were said to carry the power of the gods.

Legend has it that, in the Stone Age, Emperor Fu Xi’s right arm had a “winged flying Tiger” tattoo, giving him the ability to move mountains and rivers.

The tattoo had been passed down and reached its peak during the Song dynasty.

In the famous book Water Margin, many heroes like tattoos, such as Nine Dragon Shi Jin, Figured Monk Lu Zhishen, the prodigal Yan Qing, and so on.

When Lu Zhishen first saw Shi Jin, he gave a thumbs-up and said, “ You have a good tattoo.”

Tattoos have existed all over the country. There were many various kinds of tattoos, but one of the most peculiar styles, yin and yang embroidery, could be found in the southern Fujian area.

Tattoos were called “flower embroidery” in ancient times, so the meaning of yin and yang embroidery is incorporating the “Yin and Yang” into the tattoo, allowing the tattoo to have healthy, protective and lucky functions, just like amulets, Buddha figurines, or imps.

Yin and yang embroidery was created by a wizard who lived in southern Fujian. In the process of sketching tattoos, the wizard found that using the blood of dead people to make the tattoo could let a person have the ability to ward off evil.

In Minnan Zhi, a South Fujian witch used the blood of a corpse to embroider, and the person with the embroidery became the only survivor when he and his companions encountered a water dragon.

In plain words, the southern Fujian witch used the blood of the dead as a dye to give people to make tattoos with. The person with the tattoo and his companions went to swim together, met the “dragon” (meaning whirlpool), and the person with the tattoos survived while the rest drowned.

This event got the wizard’s attention, and since then, he assiduously practiced “yin and yang embroidery”, and began accepting many disciples.

Ever since then, the technique of using the blood of the dead to tattoo had had a resounding name: yin and yang embroidery.

I am Yu Shui, a 15th generation practitioner of yin and yang embroidery.

Ever since my I began practicing yin and yang embroidery, my master told me, “ Yin and yang embroidery, embroidered yin and yang, life, death, riches and honour, a safe journey wherever you go.”

It meant the bearer of a tattoo with yin and yang embroidery could be rich, alive, and safe. The usefulness of the tattoo was great, as was its mystery.

Now, because of China’s reform and opening-up, every household has money. In order to feel secure, a lot of rich people spent hundreds of thousand at temples to seek hazelin consecrated by the monks.