Weifang kite culture

After historical evolution and horizontal spread, Weifang Kite has gradually formed a traditional style and artistic characteristics with exquisite materials selection, beautiful shape, exquisite paste, vivid image, gorgeous painting and flexible take-off, which complements Beijing Kite and Tianjin Kite and stands firm.

There are many kinds of kite art in Weifang today. Because kite artists and kite makers from all walks of life have different life experiences, different cultural levels and different knowledge structures, they have formed different systems and schools, which are roughly as follows:

Weifang-traditional folk school

Weifang folk kites are historically relative to court kites and craftsman kites; In modern times, they are relative to modern new kites. Characterized in that:

(1), the makers of folk kites are mostly farmers and craftsmen. Generally speaking, they have no special artistic training, and they freely express their ideals and wishes according to their intuitive feelings and aesthetic habits. Their kites, no matter in shape, materials, color configuration and production style, have a strong local flavor.

(2) Folk kites are mostly made in combination with traditional festivals such as Tomb-Sweeping Day and Double Ninth Festival, with selective themes and decorative forms.

(3) Folk kites are generally made from local materials, which are not very particular, but their style is rough and unpretentious.

(4) Folk kites are influenced by regional culture, economy and customs, and they often observe and negotiate with each other in production, plus ancestral and hereditary factors. Therefore, folk kites have the color of ancient traditions, which is actually a collective creation.

Weifang no.2 middle school. Traditional craftsman

As a result of selling kites in Weifang, full-time kite artists came into being. In the history of Weifang, many famous painters even participated in the drawing and even design of kites, which made Weifang kites look very beautiful. Of course, most people can't afford to play and buy these fine products, but rich people who buy these kites often ask artists to order them. This is the situation that the proverb handed down from generation to generation says that "seven points are teachers and three points are craftsmen". In addition, when the old and new dynasties changed, some court kite artists lived among the people, which also promoted the development and improvement of kites sent by craftsmen, making them solemn and luxurious. The traditional craftsmen's party has played a very good role in promoting the development of Weifang kites, which has turned Weifang kites from ordinary toys into a precious handicraft and an important part of Weifang local culture.

Weifang III. Modern innovation school

In recent years, Weifang has created a brand-new modern kite on the basis of inheriting traditional kites, because many professional artists, technicians, workers and city residents bravely participated in kite activities. The main feature of modern kites is that they attach importance to the application of new materials and new techniques, and their shapes are simple, bright, fresh and ingenious, with distinctive times.

Weifang Weifang kites can be divided into six categories according to their shapes, namely string, tube, board, hard wing, soft wing and free wing.

Weifang String Style: A kite that flies by tying several identical or different kites on one or more strings like candied haws. For example, a dragon-headed centipede kite has three parts: a split part, a body and a tail. The main body is composed of several disc-shaped monomers, and each disc is a kite. 、

Weifang bucket shape: Also known as three-dimensional kite, it generally adopts the skeleton of folding structure, and consists of one or more round buckets or buckets of other shapes, such as palace lanterns, vases and rockets.

Weifang board is a flat kite. Lifting pieces are mainly supported by bamboo strips on all sides, and have various shapes such as octagon, diamond, square and quadrilateral.

Weifang Hard Wings: The wings of this kite are fixed, but the shape and skeleton structure of the parts outside the wings vary with different themes. Its lifting piece is made of two horizontally placed bamboo strips in the shape of wings, with high sides and concave middle, forming a ventilation channel. The two ends of the wings are tilted backwards, so that the wind can escape from the two ends of the wings.

Weifang Soft Wing: Its lift sheet consists of a main wing strip, and the lower end of the wing is soft and not attached to the main wing strip. The skeleton structure is mostly relief, which is suitable for birds and insect kites. Such as eagle, bee, swallow, crane, phoenix, dragonfly, mantis, cicada and so on.

Weifang Freedom Category: Freedom category includes kites that cross categories, use new technology and learn from foreign kites. Cross-species, such as the "Queqiao Club", combines several methods such as string, three-dimensional and board; Using new technologies, such as 1.20 meters long string kites, such as "Liangshan Hundred Single Eight Generals" and "Birds Facing the Phoenix", not only can they spin in the wind, but also can beat drums and fireworks, and the "the Monkey King" can change seventy-two times in flight.