This master's thesis focuses on exploring the multifaceted role and significance of tattooing in Han Chinese society and analyzes how the perception of tattoos has changed throughout history and how the historical foundations of stigma influence the understanding of this practice in contemporary Chinese society. The theoretical part of the thesis focuses on the analysis of three key factors that have contributed to the long-standing stigmatization of tattooing. The first factor is the role of tattoos as an ethnic classifier, which established a distinction between the Han people and the non-Han ethnic minorities. The second factor stems from the Confucian ethical system and the concept of filial piety, according to which the body is a gift from parents that must not be damaged. The third factor is the criminal use of tattoos, which served as a permanent mark of criminals and established a direct link between tattooing and crime. Despite the prevailing stigma, the thesis also explores historical cases where tattooing did not carry negative connotations. During periods of national instability, voluntary military tattoos served as an indirect expression of filial piety, which was expressed through devotion to the state and the ruler, thus transcending their punitive role and becoming an expression of the highest Confucian moral virtue. The decorative and textual tattoos of the Tang dynasty serve as proof that in certain periods of pre-modern China, tattoos were not created solely for punitive purposes, but also for their aesthetic and artistic value. The empirical part of the master's thesis is based on a qualitative analysis of fourteen semi-structured interviews with young tattooed Han Chinese. The study tested the validity of the hypothesis that, despite the growing popularity of tattooing, stigma still exists in wider society, especially among older generations and within state institutions. The interviews revealed that knowledge of the historical background is mostly limited to the criminal context, which is why the association between tattoos and crime is still very common in contemporary China. Nevertheless, young people perceive tattooing as a form of individual self-expression, combining aesthetic and symbolic meaning.
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