Flying Kites

2 min read

The Chinese began to make and fly kites 2，000 years ago.They are called”yao”（sparrow hawk）in the south and”yuan”（glede）in the north.The homophone of yaoyuan in Chinese means far away，and nobody is sure if it is just a coincidence or a metaphor.

Kites were originally used for military reasons.

Historical records show that General Hanxin in the Han Dynasty flew kites to measure the distance between his camp and the Palace Weiyang，which he planned tooccupy.Emperor Wudi in the Liang Dynasty used kites to send messages asking for reinforcement.By the Five Dynasties（907-960）palace maids fixed bamboo strips on kites，which flew in the wind（feng）with a sound like that of a zither（zheng），and a kite has since been called fengzheng in China.After the Song and Yuan dynasties （960-1368），kites flew out of the imperial palace into the realm of the common people and became very popular A traditional hard-winged kite flying in the sky.

Six children flying kites are depicted in a simple and adorable way in the famous picture scroll Along the Rioer during Pure Brightness Day, known to be an encyclopedia of ancient Chinese social life. Cao Xueqin, author of theclassical novel A Dream of Red Mansions, was a kite fan, too, and personally recorded 43 ways of kite-making.

Spring is the best season for flying kites. In early April, around Pure Brightness Festival(Tomb-Sweeping Day), it is warm with a moderate east wind. People go for a walk in the countryside and fly all kinds of kites. Some cut the thread holding the kites when they are flyinghigh, hoping that misfortune will disappear with them.

Although this is only a wish, kite-flying does help to keep the doctor away. Who can deny it is a healthy activity running around and stretching the body in the sunshine?

There are different types and styles of kites. Kite cultures vary a great deal, too. Beijing natives like to fly shayan(sandy swallow). Those drawn with black ink are called heiguodi(the black bottom of a pot), which look similar to the facial makeup in traditional operas. Tianjiners are good at making soft-winged kites in the shape of insects or birds. Sometimes they put together many small ones to make a big kite. The famous longtouwugong(centipede with dragon’s head) made in Yangjiang, Guangdong Province can be up to 100meters long. Equipped with several or even dozens of whistles, shaokoubanyao(whistling sparrow hawk) of Nantong, Jiangsu Province flies with a deafening sound that reminds you of waves breaking upon the seashore. The best kites are made in Weifang, Shandong Province, known as “the kite capital.”The International Kite Festival held there each year draws people from all over the world, making the Chinese yao and yuan fly to faraway lands.