Blackwork Tattoos

This is the first tattoo of my life, inspired by my second bass guitar — a Japanese-made Fender AJB-M.

I was introduced to rock music through Beyond when I was a kid, and later got into punk, funk, nu-metal, hardcore, and other genres. The bass has always been familiar to me.

So when I first touched a real instrument at the end of 2014, I decided to get my own. Life hasn’t been boring since — even practicing alone has been a lot of fun!

I added a design on my forearm — whenever I feel angry, upset, depressed, or irritable,

it helps me calm down and let the negative energy slowly fade away.

That’s pretty much the meaning behind my second tattoo.

The third design reflects my identity as a devoted cat lover. It was originally based on Luna, my first cat after I started living on my own.

I brought her home in 2016 when she was just 51 days old.

Not long after I got the tattoo of the cat, I met my second cat, Didi. By coincidence, the design ended up becoming a blend of both of them.

The fourth piece is music-inspired — a gramophone emerging from a human head.

It symbolizes how the melodies and ideas in our minds can take shape and bloom into sound,

expressing themselves through our own creative voice.

The fifth tattoo symbolizes my wish to have a will as unshakable as stone.

The arm reaching out from the rock represents a force breaking through, a surge of strength from within.

By the way, my hairstyle back then looked hilariously similar to Paul Wong from Beyond in the "Paradise" MV.

All things lie hidden, waiting quietly for fortune to turn.

At the time, the space on my wrist was quite limited, so I kept thinking — the tale of "the carp leaping over the dragon gate" came to mind, along with the idea of "welcoming wealth and treasures." Eventually, I settled on the theme of “carp hugging a yuanbao (ingot).” as the sixth tattoo pattern.

Coincidentally, the cat already tattooed on my upper arm seemed ready to paw at the carp — a playful take on fortune-grabbing, haha.

Having lived in Guangzhou for years, I’ve grown deeply attached to its neighborhoods, its people, and the unique rhythm of life here. Guangzhou is also known as the "City of Rams", so I always wanted a tattoo that paid tribute to the city—with a ram as the central motif.

Herbal tea is a daily ritual in Guangzhou, and saying "grab a bottle of 癍痧" has become our most common group order at the office. So the final design features a ram carrying a medicine box on its back and holding a traditional palm-leaf fan in its mouth—symbolizing protection from illness, peace, and good fortune.

The name "Sanyang Kaitai" (三阳开泰) is drawn from a traditional Chinese blessing that marks the arrival of good fortune and harmony.

Note on 癍痧: It’s a type of bottled herbal tea popular in southern China, often believed to help with heat and minor ailments. There’s no perfect English translation, but it’s a cultural staple in places like Guangzhou.

The eighth tattoo design is a cluster of spider webs. While the main purpose was to fill some blank space on my arm, its meaning happened to resonate deeply with the situation I was facing at the time.

In 2020, I found myself at a crossroads in life. I was still working at a big tech company, and on the surface, everything seemed stable. But in reality, it felt like being a frog in warm water—slowly boiling, mentally and physically exhausted over time.

The constraints of the work environment meant I had very limited exposure to new technologies. There were many things I wanted to explore and build up experience in, but I simply didn’t have the opportunity. For a while, I even found myself working just for the sake of working—something that felt deeply wrong to me and went against my long-held attitude toward work.

I wanted to grow and improve, but it was incredibly difficult to do so in that environment. On the other hand, I was hesitant to leave because I wasn’t sure if I’d find another opportunity at the same level. I went back and forth in my mind for a long time, feeling stuck.

Eventually, the ancient Chinese saying "Instead of yearning for fish by the water, better to weave your own net" struck a chord with me. Rather than wasting time in frustration, I decided it was time to take action and build a new path for myself.

After making the decision to leave, life actually became more free and joyful. With fewer constraints, I found myself exposed to a wider range of exciting and meaningful things. I later published my own technical book, joined a much more dynamic and driven team, and now I’m working on a product that I find more interesting than anything I’ve done before. All of these experiences continue to affirm that I made the right choice.

Related blog posts:

• Let the Sound of Rock Echo Through the Night
• True Colors: A Decade