| Have you ever seen a kite flying? Did you fly kites when you were a child? Most of the children in China fly kites. The kite is made of very thin bamboo slices as framework, then pasted with thick paper. It is designed to climb and fly in a steady breeze at the end of a long string, while the person on the ground holds the other end of string to control the kite. Most of the kites in China are made in the shapes of animals such as flying birds. China is the birthplace of kites, and Weifang is one of the chief places where Chinese kites originated. Kite-flying became prevalent in Weifang in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), and by the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) kite-flying had become even more popular, and there had appeared fairs on kites on a rather large scale. Kites were sold not only across Shandong , but also to Jiangsu , Fujian, Anhui and other places. Kites constructed at Weifang have had a good impact on the world, and the noted English scholar Joseph Needham listed kites in his book History of Chinese Science and Technology as one of the important contributions in science and technology that Chinese introduced to Europe. To enhance exchanges with the outside world, Weifang has ,on many occasions ,sent kite-flying delegations and groups to many parts of the world to demonstrate kite construction and kite flying. In 1984 Weifang opened a new chapter in kite flying by holding an annual international kite-flying festival. In 1988 Weifang was recognized as the world’s kite metropolis. That Weifang holds its annual international kite-flying festival has made Weifang better known in China and elsewhere in the world, promoted its economic take-off and cultural and other social undertakings and pushed Weifang onto the world arena. |
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