The Li people in Hainan Province are one of China's 56 ethnic groups, numbering about 1.24 million. They maintained a patriarchal social structure of society up to the 1950s. They worshipped totems, nature and their ancestors. Tattoos were ordinary features of Li women in the past, symbolizing a rite of passage.
Fu Yandi, 57, belongs to the Li. What makes her extraordinary are the blue and black tattoos of frogs and snakes all over her arms, legs and face.
As a matter of fact, tattoos were a common feature for Li women in the past, symbolizing a rite of passage. The history of their tattoos could be traced back to 3,000 years ago, according to Zhou Weimin, a professor in Hainan University.
Currently, more than 2,000 Li tattooed women still live, making the Li the people with the most tattooed members in Pacific Rim regions. However, all these women are already in their 50s, even 60s. Their passing away will surely end the 3,000-year history of tattoos. Though Hainan Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau is working to preserve this precious cultural heritage, rather than encourage today's Li women to tattoo their skins, experts and folklorists are trying to keep a complete multi-media record of the tattoos. In this way, the cultural information of the tattoos will be well-preserved for the study of folklore and local customs.
(Chinanews.cn September 5, 2006)
