Kite From
Kite From
Chinese kites have been flying for thousands of years, so it makes sense to present their history by the millennium! China’s literary tradition is vast, and the facts below are based on a number of specific events that have been recorded in ancient Chinese texts.
1000 BC to 0 BC
The military used large wooden kites called muyuan, somewhere between 770 BC and 221 BC. This period actually contained 2 separate periods of Chinese history, the Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC – 476 BC) and the subsequent Warring States Period (475-221 BC). Developed as military technology, the first Chinese kites were invented in the province of Shandong.
There is a record of a certain master of joinery named Mu Zi who developed a man-lifting kite over a period of 3 years. It was called the Wooden-Black-Eard-Kite. At least one more kite of this design was made in later years, by other craftsmen.
Further development of the Eard kites occurred during the Chu-Han War of 203-202 BC. Besides spying on enemy positions, kites were sometimes used to deliver urgent messages.
1 AD to 1000 AD
The first century AD saw the rise of the prosperous Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). Around this time Chinese people from many walks of life discovered the simple enjoyment of kite flying. Traditional bamboo and paper, or bamboo and silk styles of kite had their origins way back here.
Even more designs and new ideas, such as the musical kite, emerged in later centuries. There’s a record of a palace worker in the 900s AD who fixed bamboo pipes to a kite to make it ‘sing’ in the wind. Ever since then, the word for kite in Chinese has been fengzheng.
The 900s were known for the introduction of silk-covered kites with beautiful and detailed hand-painted designs. These kites also carried many ornate accessories such as streamers and ribbons. So much went into these kites that it’s likely they were only made and used by the royalty and aristocracy of the time.
1000 AD to 2000 AD
After 1000 AD Chinese kites became more popular in all levels of Chinese society. If you couldn’t afford silk, there was always paper! Kite flying eventually became a seasonal activity. Most flying was done during and after Chinese New Year and through to March or April. For some areas of China, there were better winds for flying kites at these times.
Many Chinese believed that kite flying was good for your health! This was around the time of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Other superstitious ideas were around at this time too. For example, letting go of the kite string might get rid of back luck or illness as the kite drifted away. On the other hand, picking up a kite lost by someone else would bring bad luck!
By the late 1900s, China had a number of significant kite flying festivals where a large variety of kites were on show. Everything from the small Chinese butterfly to extremely large Chinese dragon kites. Notable kite makers would show off their creations, just like at other kite festivals around the world.
Since 2000 AD
Some Chinese kite makers are getting more adventurous these days. In a similar way to the Western kite scene, new innovative designs, ‘art kites’ and novelty designs are appearing.
Yearly kite festivals are still popular, for example the World Kite Festival at Weifang, in Shandong Province. Shandong? Yes, that’s where the very first kites that historians know about were constructed and flown.
To see Chinese kites purely as art, you can see a great collection at the International Kite Museum, also in WeiFang. You can walk down the halls and visually take in much of the history of Chinese kites.
Tim Parish and his family are rediscovering the joys of kite flying. They blog their kiting fun on their My-Best-Kite.com website, and also research the kiting world. This site will introduce you to many kinds of kites and kite flying activities, including Chinese kites of course!
will a kite made from chip packets ever fly?
i had a project to build a kite, and out of originality me and my group decided to make a kite out of chip packets.
we tested it on a windy day and it sort of flew, then on the day it was being assessed it didn’t fly and there was not enough wind.
there were about 100 kites and only a couple flew.
it would work if they wernt glued together because that would way it down. Need to stich them and then it would be lite enough to fly.
When you say chips i assume you mean Crisps. Because they are crisp potatoes not chips. chips are chips not fries.
The Beatles(LOVE) – Being the Benefit of Mr. Kite
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3D Avatar Dragon Pterosaur Kite from Pandora Art Deco Gift Idea $9.90 |
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Kiting Loot Card from March of the Legion | WOW Warcraft TCG | Dragon Kite $144.99 |
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Vintage Lot of 3 Kites from the Gayla Co. New Unopened Condition 42″ Wing Span $0.99 |
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Bird Kite With 66″ Wingspan From Go Fly A Kite $5.00 |
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Hornet Kite With 55″ Wingspan From Go Fly A Kite $5.00 |
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MTG: 1x Journeyer’s Kite RARE Venser Vs Koth Mint From Pack $2.85 |
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☆3D Avatar Dragon Pterosaur Kite from Pandora Art Deco $17.99 |
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GORGEOUS 3-D Handmade 48″ DRAGON KITE from Bali NEW ~ $22.95 |
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Swimming Sea Turtle Kite from Permier Kites NEW $15.00 |
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MTG BLUE NON-HUMAN CREATURE PLAYSETS (x4 CARDS) FROM VINTAGE & LEGACY SETS MAGIC $0.99 |
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SALE ! GORGEOUS 3-D Handmade 52″ Butterfly KITE from Bali NEW $18.95 |
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GORGEOUS 3-D Handmade 48″ DRAGON KITE from Bali NEW ~ $22.95 |
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HUGE 3D Flying Dinosaur /Pterosaur Kite from JURASSIC $17.99 |
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SALE – GORGEOUS 3-D Handmade 67″ EAGLE KITE from Bali NEW ~ LARGE $29.95 |
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SALE – GORGEOUS 3-D Handmade 67″ EAGLE KITE from Bali NEW ~ LARGE $29.95 |
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1886 Kite Flying Photo Mugs A boy lies on the grass while a girl flies a kite …. |
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3 Boys Fly Kites 1912 Photo Mugs Three happy boys flying their kites …. |
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Annual Takoage Gassen (Kite Fighting Festival) in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan Photo Mugs Annual Takoage Gassen (Kite Fighting Festival) in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan…. |
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Love $6.97 It begins with a twittering of birdsong lifted from “Across the Universe.” And once the triple-tracked a capella harmonies of “Because” enter, followed by snatches from “A Hard Day’s Night” and “The End,” leading into a fired-up “Get Back,” it becomes obvious that this is far more than just another Beatles compilation. This is Love, conceived by the Fabs’ former producer George Martin and son Gile… |
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Anthology 2 $16.91 The most anticipated of the Anthology series, this disc covers what was arguably the Fab Four’s most intensely creative period (’65-’67) when they single-handedly changed the course of popular music. Anthology 2 doesn’t disappoint. Outtakes and demos show the building of songs like “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite,” while the pure pop song writing of Rubber Soul a… |
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All That You Can’t Leave Behind $4.89 The foursome come roaring out of the blocks with their latest collection. The album’s first single, “Beautiful Day,” raced to the No. 1 slot on the U.K. singles charts and received a similar rapturous reception stateside. From its shimmering preamble to its sweeping, infectious chorus, it perfectly stakes out the middle ground between the anthemic U2 of the ’80s and the more grounded group of the … |
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Disney Sing Along Songs: Heigh-Ho [VHS] $9.99 … |
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Harvey Penick’s Little Red Video: Lessons and Teachings from a Lifetime in Golf [VHS] $24.99 … |
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Wakeboarding Basics: Advice From The Pros on Deep Water Starts, Wake Jumping, Surface Turns, and the Half-Cab Wake Jump (Learn To Ride Guide, Hyperlite) … |
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DEWALT D180005 14 Piece Master Hole Saw Kit $94.59 Designed for the versatile, demanding craftsman, DeWalt’s convenient Master Hole Saw Kit combines all the trade specific tools from DeWalt’s Plumber’s Hole Saw Kit, Electrician’s Hole Saw Kit, and Door Lock Installation Kit in one convenient, compact injection molded kit box. At the heart of this kit are hole saws in 3/4-, 7/8-, 1-, 1-1/8-, 1-3/8-, 1-1/2-, 1-3/4-, 2-, 2-1/8-, 2-1/4-, and 2-1/2-inc… |
Tags: bookmark, howto, kite, kite from .hack, kite from china, kite from newspaper, kite from paper, kite from plastic bag, kite from plastic bags, reference, video
This entry was posted on Friday, May 22nd, 2009 at 5:51 pm and is filed under Toys and Hobbies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.