‘Simply discriminatory’: Chinese city orders taxi drivers to remove tattoos

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Taxi drivers in a northwestern Chinese city recently received an unusually blunt government directive: get rid of your tattoos. “Our tattoos don’t turn us into bad guys and criminals.” The driver noted that removing tattoos was painful and expensive, requiring repeat visits to scrub traces of permanent ink from the skin through laser technology. Covering them up achieves the same result.” After the pushback, Lanzhou’s transportation committee said that drivers could hide large tattoos on their arms and necks but suggested that it would be a temporary solution. A male internet user said on Weibo, a Chinese microblogging platform, that although he respected the art of tattooing, he would become nervous if a tattooed driver took a turn down a deserted road.