What is the origin of kites?

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the Mohists were very famous for their mechanical skills. The Mohists invented and made many machines. The predecessor of the kite was a wooden bird made of wood by Mozi. Later, Luban used bamboo to improve the material of Mozi's kites. Until the Eastern Han Dynasty, After Cai Lun improved papermaking, people began to use paper to make kites, called paper kites.

During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, kites began to become a tool for transmitting information. Starting from the Sui and Tang Dynasties, due to the development of the paper industry, people began to use paper to decorate kites. By the Song Dynasty, kite flying became a favorite outdoor activity.

Kite and entertainment

After the establishment of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), due to a series of measures taken to ease class contradictions, stabilize social order, reduce people's burdens, and develop economic production, society quickly moved toward stability and prosperity, becoming a comprehensive development of ancient Chinese culture and economy. period. Social stability and cultural and economic development have brought about the popularity of traditional Chinese festivals.

The popularity of festivals has promoted the development of various cultural and entertainment activities. The paper kite, which has always been used in the military, has taken a new turn with the rise of the traditional festival Qingming, and has begun to transform into folk entertainment. During the Qingming Festival in the Tang Dynasty, customs such as banning fires, sweeping tombs, outings, swinging, Cuju, playing polo, and inserting wicker sticks were popular in both the government and the public.

Children flying paper kites became popular among the people. Tang Cai, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, recorded in "Zhi Kite Ode": "There were wandering children in the past, who enjoyed their work. Decorating plain paper with adult birds, like flying kites in the sky; turning over the kites will vibrate. The heron on the sand is like a giant in the sky, the light gradually fades into the land. When it is suppressed, it is limited, but when it is allowed to move, it is infinite. When it moves and breathes on the silk fiber, it moves and is hidden in the palm of the hand.