How many styles of kites are there?

1, bird shape

Judging from historical records and discovered ancient kites, the most prominent symbol is the kite made in the shape of a bird. Bird shapes are the most common among kites, including swallows, butterflies, eagles, etc.

2. Square

This kind of kite is the most commonly used and the most common. It is composed of two frames. Although the method is simple, there are many changes in the shape. With a little change, it can be made into many shapes.

3. Barrel shape

A kite composed of one or more barrels, or barrels of other shapes, such as palace lanterns, vases, rockets, wine bottles, etc.

4. Plane shape

From the structure and shape point of view, its lifting piece is the main body, there is no protruding structure, and the four sides of the kite are supported by bamboo strips.

The origin of kites

As for the origin of kites, some folklorists believe that the ancients invented kites mainly to commemorate their deceased relatives and friends. Therefore, when the ghost gates were briefly opened during the Qingming Festival, they placed their condolences on the kites and conveyed their condolences to their deceased relatives and friends.

It is said that in the late Tang Dynasty, someone added strings to the kite. When the wind blew, it made a sound like a guzheng, so the name "kite" came into being.

Kite was called "harrier" in ancient times and "kite" in the north. Most people believe that kites originated in China and then spread all over the world. They are a traditional folk handicraft. In fact, the earliest kites that appeared in China were made of wood. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the Eastern Zhou philosopher Mo Di (478-392 BC) once "spent three years flying into the sky with a wooden kite."

Mozi was in Lushan (now in Zibo, Shandong), "The wood is cut into a harrier, which takes three years to grow and flies in one day to defeat." This means that after three years of research and trial production, Mozi finally made a wooden bird out of wooden boards, but it only broke down after flying for one day. The "Wooden Harrier" (or "Wooden Kite") made by Mozi is the earliest kite in China and the earliest kite in the world. (around 300 BC), 2,400 years ago.

It was not until Cai Lun invented papermaking during the Eastern Han Dynasty that people began to use paper to make kites, called "paper kites". Therefore, it can be inferred that Chinese kites have a history of more than two thousand years.