Mr. Xing Haisong, the artist in Johnlong Tattoo Center, is one of the first people to engaged in professional tattoo art since China opened up to the outside world twenty years ago. When he was young, he reveled in drawing and writing and showed a great interest in art. When the exchange of culture between the Taiwan Straits began, Xing was just in his youth. At this time, a relative of his who had been a tattoo artist for a long time paid a visit to Shanghai. And occasionally, they met each other. The relative found out Xing's special gifts in tattooing, therefore, he decided to pass on to Xing all of his skills of tattooing. After five-years of hard studies, in order to further his skills, by the help of his master, Xing went to Japan and learned from many famous tattoo artists. Now he is an honour member of the Tattoo club in Japan.
In 1997, Xing opened the first tattoo studio in Shanghai. He tries his best to reduce the negative effect of tattoo in most Chinese people way of thinking and make them realize that it is an actual art. Gradually more and more people understand the meaning of tattooing and begin to love it. In order to make lots of tattoo fans' dream become reality, Xing opens the first tattoo studio: Johnlong, at the "D" Mall and Maoming Rd, North, where is the downtown area of Shanghai. Based on the persevering and excelsior pursuit of tattoo art, Xing goes abroad to exchange experience with other artists. His sophisticated skills has attracted tons of interviews from home and abroad journal and TV stations. Even the German TV-2 made a special interview from Europe of his famous artwork. Xing is also employed by Plastic Surgery Center of Shanghai to artistically cover up the scars that can't be cleared thoroughly.
Mr. Xing's customers span throughout the world. They may be from different diplomatic backgrounds, movie stars, foreign investors in Shanghai, chief hairdresser of VIDAL SASSOON Hairdressing Corporation, staffs of USA Consulate in Shanghai, CEOs of multinational corporations, domestic and foreign tourists in Shanghai who were attracted by its reputation, as well as those tattoo fans from the sports and entertainment circles. The most famous band BackStreet Boys who paid a visit to Shanghai and put on a show in Pudong Century Park during the National holiday of 2002 also came to our studio. In order to show his love for music ,Shanghai and Johnlong tattoo, Kevin specially had two Chinese characters “音乐”, which mean music, tattooed on his arm. In 2004, during the world mobile troupe of The Phantom of the Opera, many famous artists came to Johnlong for tattoo when they performed in Shanghai, which is an honor of Johnlong, and the tattoo also left them an eternal and beautiful memory of Johnlong, of Shanghai and of China. In recent years, a lot of famous film actors and actresses came to Johnlong for colored drawing, tattoo, or piercing, those including Wu Yanzu, Luyi, Yue Jiatong, and Huang Shengyi.
With the growing popularity and love for tattoo, Mr. Xing considers it a necessity to make tattoo even more popular and glorious in this vast land——China, especially in Shanghai, a metropolis linking the culture of China and that of the world. Therefore, Mr. Xing declined many invitations from abroad, just to keep this form of art in Shanghai, in China.
Meanwhile, Mr. Xing sincerely hopes to exchange and discuss the skills of tattoo with domestic and foreign artists.