“Just Shao is a tattoo monk,” Whitford tells Sixth Tone with a smile. Shao’s shaved head, round face, and calm, serious demeanor could well see him mistaken for a monk if he were to don flowing robes. Instead, his waistcoat and hand-carved pipe betray a life devoted to the aesthetic, not the ascetic — though he approaches his work as a spiritual calling.

Shao is well-regarded both in China and abroad for his distinctive 3-D effect biomechanical style of tattooing. To Whitford, Shao is one of the most successful living artists, enjoying a level of recognition that few artists in any medium achieve during their lifetimes.

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