Kite is not a kind of folk toy but a handicraft. It is made from slender slips of bamboo as the frame with thin paper plastered and a long thread to fly with. With the wind it can fly into the sky.

It is said Lu Ban, who lived in the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 B.C.) invented the kite. Inspired from the sparrow hawk spiraling in the sky, Lu Ban made one with bamboo and called it "bamboo sparrow." It was the original kite. Bamboo was replaced by paper later and the kite was named "paper bird".

According to historical records, emperor Liangwu of the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420-589 A.D.) used a kite to send message for help when he was besieged in a city. In the Song Dynasty (960-1279 A.D.), people loaded fire powder on kite to assault the ememies by tying a piece of kindling incense on the fuse and flying it into the sky above the enemy camp, where it exploded and caused chaos. Then they took the advantage to launch an attack and defeated the enemy. According to these records, kite was originally made for military use.

From the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.) kite turned into a kind of toy for entertainment for the rich and after the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127 A.D.) paper kite became popular among the ordinary people.

About Weifang International Kite Festival

The Weifang International Kite Festival is an annual kite-flying festival held during April 20 to April 25 every year in Weifang, East China's Shandong province.

Weifang is known as the kite capital of the world. Each spring, people in the city fly kites as a leisure outdoor activity.

On April 1, 1984, with the help and support of the Chairman of the Seattle Kite Association, David Checkley, the first International Kite Festival was held in Weifang. 1988, April 1, the presidium of Weifang International Kite Festival unanimously adopted the proposal and set Weifang as the "Kite Capital".

Weifang World Kite Museum, dedicated to kites and the relative culture, is located at 66 Xingzheng Street, Kuiwen District of Weifang city. It is China’s first big kite museum with an area of 8100 square meters. There are eight exhibition halls in total displaying delicate kites from China and abroad, ancient and modern. It tells stories about the origin and the development of kite.

Editor: Yang Qi