According to Marco Polo's travel diary, there existed a tradition in Weihai at the time for testing the wind with a kite in order to determine if an imminent voyage would be good or not. It was in 1282 in Weifang that Marco Polo witnessed the flying of a manned kite. Weifang also has a museum dedicated to the history of kites. The climax of the festival is the crowning of ‘The Kite King’. Thousands of kite enthusiasts from all corners of the globe, visit the city to participate in kite competitions. The Chinese city of Weifang, also known as ‘the World Kite Capital’, is home to the International Kite Association and holds the Weifang International Kite Festival from April 20th to the 25th each year. Movement is incorporated into a kite with hinged sections of the frame, suggesting a wing or tail. Modern kite artisans are also producing kites with materials such as plastic, nylon, LED lights and specialized noise-makers. Tassels and sometimes hollow reeds are attached to give the kite movement or produce sound. Once the kite's sail has been glued to the frame, the kite is then decorated. ![]() The paper type used is generally very thin but fibrous, which reduces its weight and is often treated with a thin layer of oil to preserve it. Silk is considered more expensive and fragile, while the paper is cheaper and more practical to work with. Silk and paper are the materials of choice for the kite's sail. Many frame shapes have been popular over centuries including birds, butterflies, diamonds, dragonflies as well as insects, such as centipedes or mythical animals like dragons. It is light, exceptionally strong and pliable. Mostly, bamboo is used to create the bones of a kite. Kite construction consists of three parts: framing, gluing and decoration. Another use was to deliver urgent messages.”īeautifully designed kites by a Chinese couple Hearing the melodies, the Chu soldiers began to miss their homes and scattered without fighting in the war…. Children sitting in the large kites played tunes of Chu (the present Hubei Province) on flutes. The general of the Han troops, Zhang Liang, ordered his soldiers to fly kites in the heavy fog around the Chu troops led by Xiang Yu. The technology evolved further during the historical Chu-Han War of 203 - 202 BC. One book noted that the master carpenter, Lu Ban, also made some that were flown high to spy on the enemy. ![]() The prominent ideologist Mo Zi spent three years constructing a wooden kite that failed after one day's flight. According to a record, “(Kites) first appeared in the wars of the Spring and Autumn Period (770- 476 B.C.). This was a time when kites were still used mainly as functional devices to calculate and record wind readings and communicate in a fashion similar to flags of ships. The use of paper kites occurred a millennium later, when kites were flown in order to appeal for help during the siege of Nanjing. He wrote extensively about the use of wooden bird kites in China. Mozi was a philosopher and lived a century later than Confucius (551-479 B.C.). Mu Yuan or wooden kites, find a mention in the tales of Mozi (470-391 B.C.). Interestingly, the earliest kites in China were for military purposes such as measuring distances for moving large armies. An ancient painting depicting kite flying in China
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