Anyone can spend a few hundred kuai on a tattoo kit on Taobao and start a business. And anyone has. Shanghai has over a thousand tattoo studios.



So what’s special about getting a tattoo here? In less than twenty years, Shanghai has gone from nearly tattoo-free to a booming ink economy, with exceptional tattoo artists who have sizeable portfolios and can think outside of the box. They are often more expressive than tattoo artists in north China. All kinds of mainstream styles are available here, with a good mix of traditional Chinese and Japanese influences. However, great artistic ability doesn’t always come with great artistic understanding. So we picked out a few.



First, two misconceptions: 1. hygiene isn’t really an issue. The business relies on reputation and single-use tattoo equipment is inexpensive (made in China); 2. it’s not bad etiquette to bargain a little with your tattoo artist, unlike other parts of the world. Everyone here knows pricing in Shanghai is a little inflated.

The Well Established

Han Tattoo (汉刺青)

Main Artist: A Liang (阿良)

Rate: 5cmx5cm (or less) is 600rmb minimum

WeChat: hanciqing, Reservation: han-tattoo



Han Tattoo is a hidden gem. It’s in a short longtang on Ruijin Yi Lu, looking like a Chinese tea house. It’s quiet, rustic, with plants in the garden. In fact, they do have a small tea pavilion. Getting a tattoo here seems to be an experience like a tea ceremony (minus the pain); it’s slow, relaxing, and you learn a great deal from your host.











The conversation here might be longer than the tattooing process itself. That’s A Liang’s style. He is the founder of Han Tattoo and one of only two tattoo artists here. A studious and very down to earth guy, he opened Han Tattoo 15 years ago, specializing in traditional-style Chinese tattoos. He’s also a main force behind Chinese tattoo culture, authoring many books on Chinese tattoo history. Most impressive? His work ethic. Before scheduling a tattoo session with him, he questions the client’s idea, temperament, living environment, and most importantly, whether the design can stand the test of time.







A Liang identifies himself as a craftsman rather than an artist and those craft details are in the space. Leftover concrete, woodware, and cloth became décor. A Liang even makes his own tattoo needles. “We should be very much in awe and cautious about tattoos,” he told me, admonishing that “tattoos should not be trendy or fashionable.”

Image: Han Tattoo

Influenced by the aesthetics of traditional Chinese characters and gongbi painting, A Liang’s tattoo designs are elegant and calm. Surprisingly, he doesn’t charge by size. If it’s a sleeve, for example, the fee is measured by the design and it will be a set price. A Liang likes to take things slow. Alongside the nice tea, beautiful plants, and the traditional instrumental Chinese music, that might make Han Tattoo the most Zen tattoo parlor in Shanghai.

Cang Long Tattoo (苍龙)

Main Artist: Shen Weiguo (沈卫国)

Rate: 2,400rmb-5,000rmb for a palm-sized tattoo

Instagram: shcanglongtattoo

Wechat: shcanglongtattoo; Reservation: canglongtattoos (Yongjia Lu), canglongtattoo1 (Changle Lu)



This iconic tattoo studio can be easily mistaken for an old-fashioned whiskey bar. Or a place to get your full back tattoo done before you set out to revenge the man who murdered your dog.







Spacious, dark, with relaxing R&B music in the background, the elegant decor and furniture here are all done by Shen Weiguo, founder of Cang Long (Instagram: canglongtattoo). He is serious-looking, like a frontman of a straight-edge band, but very friendly. Shen has over 20 years of practice under his belt, founding Cang Long in 1998. A household name in the Chinese tattoo world, Shen worked with tattoo master Paul Booth, and has apprentices all over China.







Shen is known for his large-scale, traditional/modern take on oriental tattoo motifs. He takes references from Chinese painting, Japanese woodblock printing, and even manga. He also has a strong attitude against copying and requires every one of his tattoo artists to develop their own style. Shen charges by design (on average, around 70,000rmb – 80,000rmb for a sleeve) and has a minimum charge of 10,000rmb.

Image: Cang Long Tattoo

The studio currently has seven tattoo artists. All have more than two years of professional experience. A wide range of styles can be found on the artist page on their WeChat: neo-traditional Chinese, old school, ambigram, realism, and so on. The characteristics and rate often attract more mature clientele.

Zhencang Tattoo (针藏)

Main Artist: Shao Gang (邵钢)

Rate: around 1200rmb – 1600rmb (design fee: + 15%, deposit: 50%) for resident artists

Instagram: zhencangtattoo

WeChat: zhencangtattoo; Reservation: zhengcang3



Zhencang has been running since 2000, and has five tattoo artists, including the well-known Shao Gang.







The parlor is adorned with Tibetan souvenirs, Oni masks, and withered-looking oddities. Like Shen Weiguo, Shao Gang is one of the most recognizable faces among the first generation of Chinese tattoo artists. He has been practicing since the early 1990s, traveling frequently to the US to study the techniques and attend conventions.







He has also collaborated with tattoo heavyweight Guy Aitchison, whose Biomech style has made a big impact on Shao’s artistic style. Despite Shao’s punk roots, he’s not a fan of “horror” or imitating images but prefers lowbrow art with bright colors and complicated 3D art. Like Mark Ryden.

Image: Zhencang