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Photos: Resistance seeps deeper as Hong Kongers get symbolic tattoos

From umbrellas and calligraphy in Chinese, to gas masks and helmets, Hong Kongers are getting their bodies inked as a sign of solidarity with a protest movement which is challenging the city's government and its Beijing-backers.

Updated on: Aug 27, 2019 1:23 PM IST

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Tattoo artist Zada Lam works on an umbrella tattoo at his studio in Hong Kong. From umbrellas and calligraphy in Chinese, to gas masks and helmets, people are getting their bodies inked as a sign of solidarity with a protest movement which is challenging the city’s government and its Beijing-backers. (Lillian Suwanrumpha / AFP)

Updated on Aug 27, 2019 1:23 PM

Tattoo artist Zada Lam works on an umbrella tattoo at his studio in Hong Kong. From umbrellas and calligraphy in Chinese, to gas masks and helmets, people are getting their bodies inked as a sign of solidarity with a protest movement which is challenging the city’s government and its Beijing-backers. (Lillian Suwanrumpha / AFP)

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Tattoo artist Iris Lam takes a photo of her client’s fresh Bauhinia flower. The Bauhinia flower is the emblem of Hong Kong and normally coloured red, but is represented in black in C’s tattoo as a mark of the troubles clouding the city. (Lillian Suwanrumpha / AFP)

Updated on Aug 27, 2019 1:23 PM

Tattoo artist Iris Lam takes a photo of her client’s fresh Bauhinia flower. The Bauhinia flower is the emblem of Hong Kong and normally coloured red, but is represented in black in C’s tattoo as a mark of the troubles clouding the city. (Lillian Suwanrumpha / AFP)

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The five stars on the flower’s petals, which usually represent China and its ruling Communist Party, are also missing -- a move commonly made by Hong Kongers who want to separate their identity from the mainland. (Lillian Suwanrumpha / AFP)

Updated on Aug 27, 2019 1:23 PM

The five stars on the flower’s petals, which usually represent China and its ruling Communist Party, are also missing -- a move commonly made by Hong Kongers who want to separate their identity from the mainland. (Lillian Suwanrumpha / AFP)

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As a tattooist’s black ink fills the petals of Hong Kong’s Bauhinia flower on her upper thigh, ‘C’ says the indelible act of rebellion will forever serve as a reminder of the city’s summer of defiance. “No matter how many years pass, I’ll remember this year; I decided to stand up to fight for my freedom and to fight for what I really care about,” said the finance worker who asked to be identified only by an initial. (Lillian Suwanrumpha / AFP)

Updated on Aug 27, 2019 1:23 PM

As a tattooist’s black ink fills the petals of Hong Kong’s Bauhinia flower on her upper thigh, ‘C’ says the indelible act of rebellion will forever serve as a reminder of the city’s summer of defiance. “No matter how many years pass, I’ll remember this year; I decided to stand up to fight for my freedom and to fight for what I really care about,” said the finance worker who asked to be identified only by an initial. (Lillian Suwanrumpha / AFP)

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Tattoo artist Vincent Yau works on a ‘Hong Kong/Add Oil’ calligraphy tattoo on first time client ‘Jerry’ at Mofo Tattoo studio. Since June when the largest protests to hit Hong Kong in decades erupted, tattoo studios have received a surge in requests for protest-related artworks. (Lillian Suwanrumpha / AFP)

Updated on Aug 27, 2019 1:23 PM

Tattoo artist Vincent Yau works on a ‘Hong Kong/Add Oil’ calligraphy tattoo on first time client ‘Jerry’ at Mofo Tattoo studio. Since June when the largest protests to hit Hong Kong in decades erupted, tattoo studios have received a surge in requests for protest-related artworks. (Lillian Suwanrumpha / AFP)

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They include a so-called ambigram that from one angle reads “Hong Kong” and from another “add oil” -- a Cantonese expression of encouragement which has become one of the catchphrases of the unrest. (Lillian Suwanrumpha / AFP)

Updated on Aug 27, 2019 1:23 PM

They include a so-called ambigram that from one angle reads “Hong Kong” and from another “add oil” -- a Cantonese expression of encouragement which has become one of the catchphrases of the unrest. (Lillian Suwanrumpha / AFP)

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Many protests have seen violent clashes, with police using tear gas and rubber bullets, and hardcore demonstrators throwing bricks and molotov cocktails. The crisis began with protests against plans to allow extraditions of suspects to mainland China, then morphed into a broad pro-democracy campaign that has seen hundreds of thousands of people march regularly through the streets. (Lillian Suwanrumpha / AFP)

Updated on Aug 27, 2019 1:23 PM

Many protests have seen violent clashes, with police using tear gas and rubber bullets, and hardcore demonstrators throwing bricks and molotov cocktails. The crisis began with protests against plans to allow extraditions of suspects to mainland China, then morphed into a broad pro-democracy campaign that has seen hundreds of thousands of people march regularly through the streets. (Lillian Suwanrumpha / AFP)

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The magnitude of the ongoing protests is what has brought people together, said Vincent Yau, another Hong Kong tattoo artist. “A lot of people want to commemorate this,” Yau said, and tattoos are a way to “say to yourself that you were part of a movement this big.” Yau said his studio had been doing most of the tattoos for free. “It’s our way of supporting this movement,” he said. (Lillian Suwanrumpha / AFP)

Updated on Aug 27, 2019 1:23 PM

The magnitude of the ongoing protests is what has brought people together, said Vincent Yau, another Hong Kong tattoo artist. “A lot of people want to commemorate this,” Yau said, and tattoos are a way to “say to yourself that you were part of a movement this big.” Yau said his studio had been doing most of the tattoos for free. “It’s our way of supporting this movement,” he said. (Lillian Suwanrumpha / AFP)

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