Kite was called fengzheng in Chinese because in the tenth century, a person named Li Ye fastened a bamboo whistle to a kite. Flying high overhead, the whistle sounded like the zheng, a Chinese musical instrument. Therefore, kites were called fengzheng, feng meaning wind. Hence the name.
During the Tang Dynasty (618-907), people began to fix on kites some bamboo strips which, when high in the air, would vibrate and ring in the breeze like a zheng (a stringed instrument). The kites made today in certain localities are fixed with silk strings or rubber bands to give out pleasant ringing in the wind.
It was also believed, for instance, during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), that flying a kite and then letting it go, apart from the pleasure in itself, might send off one's bad luck and illness. Consequently it would bring bad luck if one should pick up a kite lost by other people. This may be dismissed as superstition but may not be altogether without reason: think of the good it will do to a person, ill and depressed all the time, if he or she could go out into the fields and fresh air to fly a kite.
Certain enthusiasts enjoy flying kites during the night. They hang small coloured lanterns on the line with candles burning inside, which go up high in the air to decorate the night sky with strings of glimmering lights, adding much to the fun.
The first kite made in China was a butterfly or eagle kite with a rigid framework. The selection was limited and the craftsmanship was clumsy. But Kite Wei developed over 200 kites with many new structural designs, such as flat hard-winged, three-dimansional, soft-winged and folding. Folding kites have a flexible tenon bamboo frame-work secured with glue instead of thread, and reinforced by a copper ring at every joint. Kites, one to three metres long, in the forms of aeroplanes, birds, animals or human figures can be folded up and packed in a 30 cm box in a large envelope for easy carrying or mailing. In 1915, "Wei Yuantai" kites own a gold medal and a certificate of merit at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, USA. Kites made by the Wei family are featured by life-like forms, fine craftsmanship and well-balanced flight. Some of the Wei's creations include kites in the forms of butterflies, eagles, swallows, peacocks, phoenixes and cranes. More than fifty varieties of kites made by the Wei's have been exhibited in China and abroad. Later generations have upheld the heritage of Wei Yuantai. Today Wei Yongchang, the third generation Wei, is a designer-technician at the Tianjin Arts and Crafts Studio. He has developed more than 50 new designs using the old Wei technique. Beijing is famous for kite-making too. Its kites are made of paper or silk. All the designs on kites are painted by hand. Beijing kites are also available in great varieties such as kites in the forms of a dragon, a butterfly, or a character in Chinese classical works, (like the "Monkey King"). There is a veteran craftsman named Fei Baolin in Beijing Kite Art Company. Fei has made several hundred kinds of kites in different shapes and sizes. The smallest is as small as the palm of your hand.
In April of each year the Weifang International Kite Festival is held in Shandong Province. Kite lovers from all over the world come to Weifang with their specially made kites to compete and take part in the festivities.
As early as two dozen years ago, a film entitled The Kite was jointly made by Chinese and French studios, which sings of Sino-French friendship through the "adventures" of a kite.
Kite Making
Chinese kites fall into two major categories: those with detachable wings and those with fixed wings. The former can be taken apart and packed in boxes. Easy to carry about, they make good presents. The second category refers to those with fixed, non-detachable frames; they fly better and higher , given a steady wind. Classified by designs and other specifications, there are no less than 300 varieties, including human figures, fish, insects, birds, animals and written characters. In size, they range from 304 metres to only 30 centimetres across.
It is no easy job to make a kite that one can be proud of. For the frame, the right kind of bamboo must be selected. It should be thick and strong for a kite of large dimensions in order to stand the wind pressure. For miniature kites, on the other hand , thin bamboo strips are to be used.
The second step in the making of a kite is the covering of the frame. This is normally done with paper, sometimes with silk. Silk kites are more durable and generally of higher artistic value.
Painting of the kite (the third step) may be done in either of two ways. For mass-produced kites, pre-printed paper is used to cover the frames. Custom-made kites are painted manually after covering. Many of the designs bear messages of good luck; a pine tree and a crane, for example, mean longevity, bats and peaches wish you good fortune and a long life, and so on.
Kite making is a traditional Chinese folk handicraft. Kite made in Tianjin, Beijing and Weifang are more superior among many styles.
Tianjin is well known for its kite making and the most famous craftsman in Tianjin was Wei Yuantai, nicknamed Kite Wei, who made kites for more than 70 years. The first kite made in China was a butterfly or eagle kite with a rigid framework. The selection of materials was limited and the craftsmanship was clumsy. Kite Wei developed some 200 kites with many new structure designs, such as flat hard-winged, soft-winged, three-dimensioned and foldaway kites, among which foldaway kite is most noticeable. It has a flexible tenon bamboo framework secured with glue instead of thread, and reinforced by a copper ring at every joint. Kites, one to three meters long can be folded and held in a very small box. More than fifty kinds of kites made by the Weis' have been exhibited at home and abroad. In 1915, Wei Yuantai kites won a gold medal and a certificate of merit at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. Wei's kites have obvious virtues, such as fine craftsmanship, vivid appearance and good balance. Later generations of Wei inherited and developed these strongpoints. Wei Yonghang, the third generation of Wei Yuantai, developed more than 50 new designs further on the base of old Wei designs.
Beijing is also famous for kite making. With large variety in shape, Beijing kites, which are made of paper or silk and painted totally by hand, have a good market reputation home and abroad. The most experienced craftsman in Beijing, named Fei Baolin, has developed several hundred kinds of kites in different shapes and sizes. The smallest is as small as the palm of your hand.
Weifang in Shandong province also is famous for its kite making and flying customs. Each year, Weifang International Kite Festival is held in April, and kitephiles from all over the world will take part in and compete in the festivity.
