Jeanne Sun (right), owner of Jeanne Tattoo Studio in Beijing, works on a large tattoo on a customer's back. Sun became interested in tattoos when she was 16-years-old and was the first to open a tattoo shop in Tianjin at age 18.  Provided to chinadaily.com.cn

Celebrity ink

Inked to compete

Jeanne Sun, a Tianjin native, opened her – and the city's – first tattoo shop when she was 18. She learned the craft using her mother's makeup tattoo tools and practiced on her friends.

Jeanne Sun, now a professional, doesn't have any catalogs on coffee tables in her shop and said she's not there to replicate other artists' works. For her, she meets with customers several times and gets to know them before creating a personalized "piece of art" for the customer.

Although China is opening up to tattoos, Sun said not everyone on the streets of Beijing appreciate her art.

"People will always judge you for having a tattoo," Sun said, taking a drag from her cigarette. "That's why it's important to do something interesting, something that reflects who you are and shows your personality."