Tattoos' social insinuations are changing more rapidly, morphing from stigmatizing marks of deviance to acceptable expressions of individuality. Gan Tian looks at their transforming image.

He Wenqian is a portrait of how tattoos' image has continued changing in China. The tattoo artist says Chinese who got inked when he started his studio in 2002 not only were stereotyped as freaks and outlaws — they often were. Now, all walks of life, especially among the younger generation, are getting tattoos. He says more "elites" are getting inked. His customers today include businesspeople, pro athletes and bank clerks. "A few years ago, I wouldn't dare tell people what I did for a living," He recalls.