Weifang kite folk culture

? Weifang is the birthplace of kites in the world. Weifang, also known as Dewey and Kite Capital, has a long history and exquisite craftsmanship. Weifang kite is a traditional handicraft treasure in Weifang, Shandong Province, and a traditional folk festival cultural custom. It is one of the intangible cultural heritages, and now more than 70% of kites in the world are exported from Weifang. In May 2006, Weifang Kite was included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list. The conference headquarters of the International Kite Federation is also located in Weifang. Now Weifang has become the center of kite cultural exchange in the world and is called the hometown of kites by people all over the world. Weifang kite, like many folk art forms in China, originated from people's entertainment activities and is an entertainment product that bears people's ideals and aspirations and is closely related to people's lives.

The origin of Weifang kite can be traced back to the first "wooden kite" made by Mo Zhai, a great thinker in Lu period, with a history of more than 2,000 years. Kites are called "paper kites" in the north of China and "kites" in the south. The name "kite" began in the Five Dynasties. According to Lang Ying's Inquiring about Hungary in the Ming Dynasty, in the Five Dynasties, a man named Ye Li made a kite in the palace and tied a bamboo whistle on its head. When flying, the wind enters the bamboo whistle and makes a sound like a "kite", hence the name "kite". It really began to flourish, but it was not until the Ming Dynasty that it went to the people. By the middle of Qing Dynasty, folk artists specializing in kite-making began to appear in Weifang, and kite-flying became a local custom around Tomb-Sweeping Day. According to the "Wei County Records Draft", "Every time there is cold food outside the east gate of this city, on the beach ... Banqiao spans, the river begins to flood, peaches and plums spit, willow smoke is contained, and kites fly high into the clouds." Weifang kite is endowed with strong artistic vitality with its vivid and beautiful shape, superb tying skills, gorgeous and realistic colors and light take-off. Weifang also has unique geographical environment and climate characteristics suitable for flying kites. All these make kite culture take root in Weifang and become the most representative culture in Weifang since ancient times. This phenomenon can be seen from the poems of many ancient literati. ? Zheng Banqiao, a famous poet, scholar and painter in Qing Dynasty, was the magistrate of Weixian County. After he left office, his friend Guo Lunsheng came to visit him. Recalling my life in Weixian, I wrote "Two Poems of Huaiwei County, Send Guo Lunsheng to Li", which wrote: "Paper flowers are flying all over the sky, charming girls are swinging from side to side, and colorful skirts are swinging, making butterflies fight for spring." Among them, paper flowers are the metaphor of kites. It can be seen that the main cultural and recreational activity of Weixian people at that time was flying kites. In modern times, Wei county has become a famous kite producing area and market at home and abroad, and its grand occasion can be seen in the well-known words: "Kites are in the East City Wall, tourists come and go, tourists are attracted by renovation, and butterflies and kites are all ok." There are countless poems and songs like this, all bearing the people's love for kites. Today, Weifang and Weifang people are inseparable from kites. Culture is the source of urban development, and urban development needs the strong support of culture. Weifang kites imitate natural things, social life and images in myths and legends, all of which are entrusted with "auspiciousness", "auspiciousness and celebration", interests and ideals. The colorful colors are not so much symbols of what is imitated as people's yearning for a better life.