Why do almost all the Liangshan heroes in "Water Margin" have tattoos?

Many people in "Water Margin" have tattoos. It is indeed because of this trend in the Song Dynasty. In the world of the Song Dynasty, it was the peak period of ancient Chinese tattoos. Some of the more famous tattoos in Water Margin

Tianweixing Nine Patterns Dragon History: Jin Shijin is a playboy. He has been very naughty since he was a child, and his parents can't control him at all, so his father found someone to teach him. In order to learn skills, Shi Jin likes to play with various sticks. He even hired a professional master to tattoo nine dragons on his body, which are spread on his chest, back and two arms, so that he can dance with sticks more powerfully.

Tiangusinghua Monk Lu Zhishen: Lu Zhishen was originally an army officer. He killed someone for justice and became a monk. Lu Zhishen was called Hua Monk not because he was a pervert, but because of the tattoos on his body. This tattoo was done before he became a monk. It has floral patterns on his back and forearm!

Yan Qing, the prodigal son of Tianqiaoxing: Yan Qing is a member of Lu Junyi’s family. When Lu Yuanwai saw that he was all white, he called a skilled craftsman to tattoo Yan Qing’s whole body with embroidery. Yan Qing often Yan Qing participated in a "Sai Jin Ti" tattoo competition and won the first prize time and time again. Yan Qing's floral embroidery also fascinated the famous prostitute Li Shishi, and she couldn't help but touch it, which made her emotional.

Ruan Xiaowu, the short-lived Erlang of Tian Sin Star, was born as a fisherman. He was good at water skills and had a green leopard tattooed on his chest. Tianlao Xing's disease concerns Yang Xiong. Yang Xiong is the prison guard of both hospitals and also plays the role of executioner. His flower embroidery is tattooed on both arms. Shi Naian wrote Linjiang Immortal Praise for Yang Xiong. The first sentence is: "Both arms are carved with green jade."

The twin-tailed scorpion Jie Bao of the Crying Star, Jie Bao was born in an Orion family and has two flying yakshas tattooed on his legs. Dijiexing Hua Xianghu Gong Wang, Gong Wang was born as a deputy general in Dongchang Prefecture. Because he had tiger spots tattooed on his body and a tiger head on his neck, he was nicknamed "Hua Xianghu". The origin, prosperity and ban of tattoos

The early tattoo culture has no direct relationship with the civilization of the Central Plains. The earliest tattoos were mainly distributed in eastern and southeastern China, where the tribes had to start from the rivers. They look for food in lakes, seas and jungles. Because they are different from the farming culture in the Central Plains, they are called barbarians by the Chinese. The fishing and hunting life of these "barbarians" is full of variables and dangers.

In the process of fighting against the vast nature, the tattoo culture of carving patterns on the skin and dressing up as animals developed. The Dongyi and Baiyue people believed that tattoos could allow them to obtain dragons. The power to avoid drowning!

The Central Plains people used tattoos as a form of punishment. They stabbed the person's body and dyed it black with ink to form a permanent mark, collectively called ink punishment. Usually, characters are tattooed on the face, and the execution site is mainly the forehead.

Tattoos became popular in the Central Plains starting from the Tang Dynasty. The inclusiveness of Tang culture and the mutual contempt between Han and barbarians were changed. Foreign things and foreign cultures influenced and changed the Han people who held high cultural prejudices. Tattoos, a kind of fashionable body art, were favored by the romantic and narcissistic people of the Tang Dynasty, and became popular in the market. There is a saying: "There are many heroes among the young people in Chang'an, and their arms are carved to match each other." Because tattoos are very popular, many tattoo craftsmen have appeared. In "Chinese Social Historical Data Collection", he wrote that he was a big fan of Bai Juyi who loved tattoos and had more than 30 poems by Bai Juyi tattooed on his body.

At the end of the Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, when Guo Wei, Taizu of the Later Zhou Dynasty, was a child, he met a Taoist priest who tattooed a sparrow on the left side of his neck and a bunch of millet on the right side of his neck. He said that when the sparrow eats the millet, he will be the one. In his early days, Guo Wei later joined the army, fought his way through the troubled times, and established the Later Zhou Dynasty. After becoming emperor, Guo Wei called himself the "Emperor Diaoqing"!

Guo Wei’s tattoos played a great role model in the Song Dynasty. Tattoos developed in the Tang Dynasty, and the popularity of tattoos among soldiers in the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties had formed a solid social foundation in the Song Dynasty and reached the level of ancient China. The pinnacle of tattoos.

Looking at Yan Qing’s tattoos and the competitions he has participated in, you can imagine that many people like tattoos. They have also formed a tattoo enthusiast organization "Jin Ti Club", which often organizes group activities for members, a group of shirtless men , covered with flower embroidery, competing to see who has the most beautiful tattoo. Generally speaking, people in the Song Dynasty regard tattoos as beautiful, and outstanding tattoos are like peacock tail feathers, which can greatly increase their personality and charm. Therefore, Yan Qing, who has the most beautiful tattoo, is fascinated by Li Shishi. Can't even control it.

The tattoo themes of the Song people are also rich and diverse, with various graphics and text. The Yuan Dynasty inherited the Song style, but the official began to interfere, and the tattoo style has declined. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, tattoos The trend became more prosperous again, and in the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang issued a strict order that anyone with a tattoo would be sentenced to exile and exile. Tattoos were basically banned in the Ming and Qing dynasties.