Among China's ethnic minorities, several ethnic minorities have inherited tattoo customs from their ancestors, such as Drung, Dai and Li, but only the women of the Li and the Drung have the custom of tattooing the face.

The tattoo customs of the Drung ethnic minority originated in the late Ming Dynasty (about 350 years ago) when they were attacked by other ethnic groups and when the women were captured as slaves. To escape rape, the Drung women tattooed their faces to make themselves less attractive to the perpetrators. Although Drung women are not currently threatened by any other ethnic minorities, they have retained their tattoo custom as a powerful symbol of maturity.

Girls from the Drung ethnic minority had their faces tattooed when they turned 12 or 13 as a symbol of maturity. There are different explanations as to why the women tattoo their faces. Some people say that the Drungs consider a tattooed woman more beautiful and will not marry a woman without tattoos on her face.

First, an old woman would dip a bamboo slip into water mixed with soot and draw on the girl's face; then, she would beat a thorn into the skin with a small stick in the designed area and fill the pricked parts with soot. After the scabs had formed, a dark blue design remained on the face. The tattoos were applied between the eyebrows and around the mouth in a diamond shape, and on the cheek using dots to form a flying butterfly design.

This form of tattooing is popular in the upper reaches of the Drung River, while along the lower reaches, the tattoos are much simpler, with only two or three lines on the lower jaw.

Tattooing is also an ancient custom of the Dai people, which can still be found in some remote villages in the Dai-inhabited area or among older generations.

Both men and women were tattooed according to the Dai custom: men on their strong muscles and women on the back of their hands, arms or between the eyebrows.

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