Artists Series #4
Founder & Artist
Shanghai Tattoo, Folsom
ZHUO DAN TING
Artist Series: Zhuo Dan Ting
The woman behind Shanghai Tattoo. When people hear the name Zhuo Dan Ting, or simply Ms. Ting, they often think of her tattooing. With a career spanning more than 25 years, an international reputation, and tattoo studios established in both China and the United States, she’s spent much of her life dedicated to her craft.
But there’s a lot more to Ting than tattoos.
Behind the accomplished artist is someone who loves heavy metal, fishing, gardening, animals, and the simple pleasure of taking a long walk on a beautiful day. She’s quiet, stubborn, occasionally hilarious, and has a few stories that might surprise you.
This week’s Shanghai Tattoo Artist Series takes a look at the woman behind the artwork.
A childhood filled with drawing
Born and raised in a small town in Heilongjiang Province, in the far north of China, Ting remembers herself as a quiet, stubborn little girl who was constantly drawing.
Some of her happiest childhood memories were spent at her grandparents’ small farm, surrounded by chickens, ducks, geese, and other animals. She loved helping feed the animals and going fishing with her grandfather, two interests that have stayed with her throughout her life.
Her grandmother was actually her very first art teacher, showing her how to draw a cow on the floor. It was a simple childhood moment, but one that marked the beginning of a lifelong passion.
Her father was another major influence. A talented, largely self-taught man with a wide range of abilities, he encouraged Ting’s creativity and helped her find opportunities to learn. He introduced her to people who could teach her new things, including a friend who worked in sign design and had an impressive collection of drawings.
That friend lent Ting a sketchbook filled with illustrations of cars, buildings, calligraphy, and other subjects. She spent countless hours studying and copying the drawings, developing her skills through observation and practice.
By first grade, Ting was already covering practically every page of her schoolbooks with doodles. While other students could pass their books along when the school year ended, hers were so completely covered in drawings that they were practically unusable!
As she got older, her creativity spread beyond books. Her school required students to keep fabric covers on their desks, and Ting began decorating hers with drawings. Her classmates loved them so much that they started bringing her their own desk covers to decorate.
She also had a mischievous side. Along with two classmates, Ting created little illustrated stories featuring exaggerated cartoon versions of their teachers. Her drawings were intentionally ridiculous, but somehow everyone could still recognize exactly which teacher was being portrayed.
And yes, they eventually got caught!
From Harbin to Shanghai to California
As a young adult, Ting eventually left her home in northern China and moved south to Guangzhou, beginning a new chapter of independence and exploration.
She began tattooing professionally in 2001, turning her lifelong passion for drawing into a career.
Just two years later, in 2003, she opened her first tattoo studio, Wenyifuxing, in Harbin, China. It was the beginning of her journey as both a tattoo artist and business owner.
In 2007, she established Shanghai Tattoo in Shanghai, continuing to develop her artistic abilities and building a reputation for her distinctive approach to Chinese watercolor and ink-wash tattooing, realism, portraiture, Classic Asian Traditional and hand-brushed Chinese calligraphy.
Over the years, her dedication to the craft earned her international recognition, but her next major adventure would take her much farther from home.
In 2018, Ting brought Shanghai Tattoo to the United States, opening a new studio in Historic Folsom, California.
Leaving behind an established business and starting again in another country was an intimidating decision. Although Ting doesn’t necessarily describe the transition as difficult, she remembers the uncertainty of taking such a big step into unfamiliar territory.
Today, she appreciates the opportunities that life in California has given her, particularly having a yard to garden in, nearby lakes to fish, and more room to enjoy the outdoors.
She still misses aspects of life in Shanghai, especially the convenience of city living and being close to family. Chinese traditions remain important to her, particularly Lunar New Year, when she enjoys celebrating with good food and staying connected with loved ones back home.
Heavy metal, broken cassette tapes, and Carcass
One thing that might surprise people meeting Ting for the first time is her lifelong love of heavy metal.
Growing up in China, Western rock and metal weren’t always easy to come by. During her school years, Ting discovered the music through dakou (打口), damaged or discarded cassette tapes that circulated among students and music enthusiasts.
Some of the recordings were physically cut or damaged, and she remembers having to tape them back together just to listen to the music.
She couldn’t understand the English lyrics, and sometimes didn’t even know the names of the bands, but the sound immediately caught her attention.
That fascination eventually developed into a lifelong passion for heavy music.
Her all-time favorite band is Carcass.
It’s a choice that has remained unchanged for years. She’s also a fan of bands like Whitechapel and Lamb of God, and has attended numerous metal concerts over the years, including seeing Lamb of God perform in both Shanghai and California.
Her musical tastes aren’t limited to metal, either. She also enjoys The Cure and has a soft spot for nostalgic Chinese songs, even if she jokes that many of them are incredibly sad.
Ting has also spent time learning to play heavy metal guitar, something she wishes she had more time to practice today.
A lifelong love of animals
Ting’s love for animals began long before she became a tattoo artist.
Growing up around her grandparents’ farm helped develop an appreciation for animals and nature that has never faded.
Over the years, she’s cared for all kinds of animals, including chickens, rabbits, and squirrels.
At one point, she even kept a chicken inside her apartment on the 22nd floor of a building in Shanghai!
These days, much of that affection is directed toward her two spoiled dogs, Thanos and Pepper.
The two have very different personalities. Thanos is the quieter, more reserved one, while Pepper is outgoing and always looking for attention.
Both enjoy homemade meals, plenty of affection, and comfortable sleeping arrangements alongside Ting and her husband, Joshua.
For Ting, animals are more than just pets. She has a deep appreciation for their companionship and feels strongly about treating them with kindness and respect.
Spending time with her dogs is one of the simplest ways to make her happy, whether she’s relaxing at home, working in the garden, or just enjoying a quiet afternoon together.
Fishing, gardening, and life outside the studio
Fishing is another passion that connects Ting’s childhood in China with her life in California.
Her earliest fishing memories are of spending time with her grandfather. Years later, after moving to the United States, she began fishing more seriously with Joshua, exploring local lakes and eventually taking up kayak fishing.
One of her proudest fishing moments came on Folsom Lake, where she caught her very first bass from a kayak.
3.7 pounds. Her first bass from a kayak.
It’s a catch she still remembers fondly. Although bass fishing is her favorite, she enjoys being outdoors and appreciates the excitement of catching just about anything.
When she’s not on the water, there’s a good chance you’ll find her in the garden.
Ting loves growing plants, fruits, and vegetables, and she checks on her garden nearly every day. She enjoys watching things grow, experimenting with different plants, and spending time surrounded by greenery.
For someone who grew up in China and spent years living in the middle of Shanghai, having her own outdoor space has become one of her favorite parts of life in California.
She’s even involved in the local gardening community, helping manage a Folsom plant group where fellow enthusiasts can share their interests.
Between gardening, fishing, spending time with Joshua, and relaxing with Thanos and Pepper, Ting enjoys the quieter side of life away from the demands of the tattoo studio.
Getting to know the real Ms. Ting
People who first meet Ting may notice that she’s naturally quiet and reserved.
She’s never been someone who feels the need to fill every silence or make conversation just for the sake of it.
But once she becomes comfortable around someone, a completely different side of her personality comes out.
She’s funny, talkative, sometimes sarcastic, and isn’t afraid to speak her mind.
Ting values honesty and genuine friendships. She’s not particularly interested in impressing people or pretending to be someone she’s not, and she has little patience for unnecessary drama or dishonesty.
She also has a few entertaining quirks.
For starters, she absolutely cannot stand melted ice cream, cinnamon, or pumpkin spice.
And despite her incredible artistic abilities, she has a notoriously terrible sense of direction.
L and R, tattooed on her hands.
In fact, she has the letters L and R tattooed on her hands to help her remember left from right!
It’s a small detail that perfectly captures the funny contradictions in her personality. She can spend countless hours creating an intricate tattoo, yet still needs a little assistance figuring out which way to turn.
Her idea of a great day doesn’t necessarily involve anything extravagant. A good night’s sleep, some delicious food, a little shopping, time outdoors, and being around the people and animals she loves are often enough.
Of course, she wouldn’t complain about winning the lottery, either.
More than an artist
From a little girl drawing cows with her grandmother and covering schoolbooks with doodles to opening her first tattoo shop in Harbin, establishing Shanghai Tattoo in Shanghai, and eventually bringing her work to California, Ting’s journey has been anything but ordinary.
Tattooing has played an enormous role in her life, but it doesn’t define everything about her.
She’s a wife, an animal lover, a gardener, a bass fisherman, a lifelong metalhead, and someone who still finds happiness in the same simple things she enjoyed as a child.
And while she’s spent more than two decades building a career around creating artwork for others, some of the things that mean the most to her have nothing to do with tattoos at all.
Sometimes, happiness is as simple as a good song, a fish on the line, a garden full of plants, or a quiet afternoon with Joshua, Thanos, and Pepper.
That's the Ms. Ting you might not know.
And the woman behind Shanghai Tattoo.
Shanghai Tattoo Artist Series. Get to know the artists behind Shanghai Tattoo through our Artist Series, where we share the stories, backgrounds, interests, and personalities of the people who make our studio what it is.
Instagram: @zhuodanting | @shanghaitattoo916
