Face Tattoo Of Dulong Women

Is it possible to find people still isolated in this information age? Dulong people are the last ethnic group in China that has access to a road. Due to the high altitude (over 3000 meters), frequent natural disasters, and snowbound mountainous, the highway constructed in 1999 was only available for a few months to pass. In 2015, the tunnel joined up, and the isolation situation of the village broke. In recent years, more roads built in Dulong, and villagers can use new materials to replace wood, building solid houses. Face tattoo is an endangered cultural heritage in Dulong. Women there will get their face tattoos done at the age of 12. The tattoo artist uses tree ash and local brambles with a small stick to beat the face for the tattoo. The tattoo lasts a lifetime. In 2013, the last tattoo artist passed out. The face tattoo skills would be lost forever, and there are no more than ten face-tattooed women alive in the village. The average age of them are over 80.

 

I visited Dulong in 2021, and villagers still feel surprised by my visit. Even though the tunnel is open, the elderly and children never leave their place. Because of the long-term isolation, their language and ethnic customs differ from mine, which creates communication boundaries. With the help of a translator, I understand the legends behind their facial tattoo. People say that tattoo is to defend against foreign intrusion and women’s kidnapping. Others believe it is the design of god and represents beauty. People with tattoos can be reborn after death. But none of them is written in the record, thus no way to investigate. During the shooting period, I could reveal their expectation of outer life through their pure eyes. In this photo set, I emphasised their daily facial emotions, and in the coming months, they will move out from this old cabin to the new home. I recorded the family life of one of the tattooed women in this last key stage, leaving a little trace of this vanishing cultural heritage.