A facial tattoo is a very significant custom applied by Taiwan's Aborigines. It is a symbol of maturity and honor. For men who obtain hunting skills and women who mature the weaving and cultivation can have facial tattoos. But during the Japanese colonization period, the facial tattoo was forbidden; hence the development of Taiwan’s Aboriginal culture was stagnated.

After the Retrocession of Taiwan, some people outside Taiwan’s Aborigines tribe had misinterpretation on the facial tattoos. Kuei-shih Tien, an Taiwan’s Aborigines who lived in Kulu Tribe, founder of Taiwan’s Aborigines Facial Tattoo Culture Studio wish to promote the correct values. When his son was teased and bullied by schoolmates in elementary school, he started the journey in correcting the outsider from the wrong concept on facial tattoos. He started to interview Taiwan’s Aboriginal elders. Consulting one by one, he recorded down the history of facial tattoo and took testimonial photographs. He worked night shift in the factory while interviewing the old Taiwan’s Aborigines during the day. After years of dedication, he had visited all the Taiwan’s Aborigines tribes in Taiwan and taken more than 300 photos. He preserved a set of old facial tattoo tools including pricker, brush, wooden hammer, trencher, bamboo strigil, and calabash for pigment-containing. Today the 200 years old tools are displayed in Taiwan’s Aborigines Facial Tattoo Studio. As many old Taiwan’s Aborigines gradually pass away, the interviews and photographic work ended unwillingly. Comparing to the modern worldwide facial tattoo trend, Kuei-shih Tien's studio emphasizes more on historical and cultural background. The style attracted many domestic and overseas tattoo artists to come to visit his studio, as well as some schools and cultural organizations. If you would like to know more about Taiwan’s Aborigines facial tattoo culture, you can visit the studio by making an appointment in advance.