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Kites: by Tamarapu Sampath Kumaran
Kites: by Tamarapu Sampath Kumaran
By
Acknowledgement: Google for the pictures and many authors for the information,
The making and flying of kites is a tradition in China that goes back thousands of
years.
When we talk about the skies above China, beneath the clouds there is a Chinese
art form that has glided through history. This ancient relic brings the colors and
patterns of the ancient dynasties to the city skies of modern China and the world.
The famous Chinese kite and its long history of cultural significance begins
thousands of years ago.
The kite is believed to have originated in China. Kites were invented in the
early Warring States period (475 - 221 B.C.) by Mozi and Lu Ban,
two philosophers who came after the teachings of Confucius. The kites were
exclusive to China for many years before the knowledge of how to make and use
them advanced. The period saw many attacks from foreign powers, as well as civil
unrest. Kites played a role in providing military intelligence for the Chinese forces.
Since its invention, there have been many adaptations to the kite by various cultures
around the world. Kite flying is prevalent in all countries, depicting from the local
fairy tales.
The kite probably flew as a kid looks a bit different to the original Chinese kites and
even the kites of modern China.
From ancient to medieval times, kites have been used for measuring distances,
testing wind, lifting humans and communicating for military operations. By the 19th
century, kites were being used for scientific purposes in Europe. During the kite’s
golden age, from 1860 to 1910, kites were a scientific research tool for meteorology,
wireless communications and early aeronautics.
One of the earliest uses of kites was in fishing, the kite would trail
a line with hooks and bait allowing the kite-flier to fish in areas some way out over
rivers or the sea.
Mozi built a kite made of wood in the form of an eagle near Mount Lu in Shandong.
Later on the kite was made much lighter when silk and bamboo replaced wood. The
invention of fine paper in China made kites cheaper and easier to build.
There is an ancient legend about Huan Jing who was told by the soothsayer Fei
Jiangfang, to flee to high land to escape floods. He did as he was told trying to
follow the kite, and Kite flying on this day became an annual festival.
There is a large range of different designs of kites, some are 3 dimensional rather
than flat and often are made in the form of creatures such as:
birds, bats and dragons. The size of kites varies enormously, the tail can be
several hundred yards long. Most designs use a basic frame made from
bent bamboo. In the parks you will often see people flying kites. The traditional
kite flying season starts on the Chongyang festival held in October. At
the Qingming Festival kites were flown to send messages to departed loved ones.
In China, the city of WeiFang in Shandong province is known as the kite capital of
the world and is home to the world’s largest kite museum, where one can view an
exhibit of handmade kites in traditional and modern styles.
They were also used to calculate and record wind readings and provided a unique
form of communication like ship flags at sea.
The earliest kites were made from light varieties of wood and later developed to
included ornamental paper and fabric.
The construction of kites has changed over the years. New materials and better
understanding of flight have given modern kites a serious advantage in flight.
However, the ancient methods are still interesting and worthy of note.
According to Marco Polo's travel diary, there existed a tradition in Weihai at the
time for testing the wind with a kite to determine if an imminent voyage would be
good or not. This was done by binding a sailor to a large kite to a ship as it "rode
with the wind", then casting kite and sailor off the ship into the breeze. If the kite
and its passenger flew high and straight, it was a sign that the voyage would be a
good one.
When he returned to Italy, Marco Polo brought with him a Chinese kite, and soon,
thanks to the Silk Road, the Chinese kite became known throughout Europe, and
from Europe.
In the History of Flight pavilion at the National Aeronautics and Space Museum in
Washington D.C. a plaque is inscribed to the humble Chinese kite. It states, "The
earliest aircraft made by man were the kites and missiles of ancient China."