Tooth dyeing is an ancient custom of Huayao Dai people. Huayao Dai people are part of the Dai ethnic group, who mostly dwell in Jiasa township of Xinping Yi and Dai Autonomous County, southwest China's Yunnan Province. The closed geographic environment of Xinping has made it possible for Huayao Dai people to keep their traditional customs such as worshiping gods, tattooing and tooth dyeing. For the older generation of Huayao Dai women, the black teeth are a symbol of beauty and dental health. Th

Once the mark of criminals or sex workers, for centuries tattoos have been stigmatised in China but the growing influence of celebrity culture is changing all that -- particularly for women. | AFP News Agency