Tattoos Keep Youths Out of Chinese Army
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BEIJING — Hundreds of army recruits have been rejected for military service because of their tattoos, a newspaper reported Sunday.
The Guangming Daily said tattoos were discovered on about 75% of the youths at a recent military recruitment campaign in Chengde, a city northeast of Beijing.
It said that most of the 574 tattooed youths used cigarettes or sticks to make various designs, which the paper did not describe. It also did not say why the army objects to tattoos.
About 5% had tattoos of Chinese characters for “fortune,” “longevity,” “strength,” “revenge” and “unity,” which their parents had given them as children in hopes of bringing good luck to the family, the paper said.
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