What is the origin of kites?

China is the hometown of kites. It is called "Harrier" in the south and "Kite" in the north. The word "kite" first appeared in the Five Dynasties. Chen Yi's "Xuncu Lu" of the Ming Dynasty recorded: "In the early days, Li Ye of the Han Dynasty in the Five Dynasties made paper kites in the palace, and led the strings to ride the wind for play. Later, he used bamboo as a flute on the head of the kite to make the wind The sound is like a kite, and the common name is kite. According to historical records, the inventor of the kite was Han Xin of the Han Dynasty. Legend has it that in 190 BC, the Chu and Han Dynasties were fighting. The Han general Han Xin attacked the Weiyang Palace and used kites to measure the distance of the tunnel under the Weiyang Palace. In the Battle of Gaixia, Xiang Yu's army was besieged by Liu Bang's army. Han Xin sent people to make kites out of cowhide, covered with bamboo flutes, and played in the wind. The Han army sang Chu songs in conjunction with the sound of the flutes, which weakened the morale of the Chu army. This is the idiom. The story of "Besieged on All Sides".

Early kites in China were mostly related to military, communications and meteorology. Around the Tang and Five Dynasties, kites entered the folk culture and became a toy for people's entertainment and games. At the same time, it was also a good physical exercise. Yuan Zhen, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, once wrote a poem: "There are birds and flocks of paper kites, which are held by children because of the wind." This vividly describes the scene of children flying kites. The poem "Paper flowers flying all over the sky like snow" written by Zheng Banqiao in the Qing Dynasty "Huai Wei County" truly records the grand occasion of kite flying at that time. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, kite flying during the Qingming Festival has become a seasonal folk activity. When spring returns to the earth, people fly kites and fly their dreams.

About 500 years ago in the Ming Dynasty, kites were introduced to Korea, and later to Japan, Southeast Asia, Europe and the Americas. In the southeast and northwest of China, there are kites with unique local characteristics everywhere. They have been passed down from generation to generation and have different styles. Some are rough and bold, some are lively and exquisite, some are colorful, and some are light and elegant. Famous kite producing areas such as Beijing, Tianjin, Weifang in Shandong, and Nantong in Jiangsu all have masterpieces from important schools. (Source: "People's Daily" Overseas Edition reporter Zhang Dongwei)

The origin of kites

Chinese kites have a long history. It is said that Han Xin, the general of the Han Dynasty, used kites for measurements. Emperor Wu of Liang used kites to send messages, but failed. In the Northern and Southern Dynasties, some people jumped from high places with kites on their backs and did not fall to their death. When Zhang Pi of the Tang Dynasty was besieged, he used kites to send messages to ask for help, and he was successful. These show that the history of Chinese kites is at least 2,000 years old.

Starting from the Tang Dynasty in China, kites gradually became toys. By the late Tang Dynasty, kites had sounding instruments made of silk strips or bamboo flutes, which made sounds when the wind blew, hence the name "kite". Some people also say that the name "kite" originated from the Five Dynasties, when Li Ye made a kite out of paper and put a bamboo flute on it.

By the Song Dynasty in China, kites had developed greatly, with more varieties and improved performance, and they were closely related to people's lives. For example, it is recorded in "Wulin; Japanese Affairs" that /Young men compete to release paper ducks to seduce each other, pull each other to cut them off, and the one who loses the thread will be the loser/"Along the River During the Qingming Festival" by Zhang Zeduan in the Northern Song Dynasty and "A Hundred Sons Picture" by Su Hanchen There are also scenes of kite flying in the movie. Xu Wei, a painter of the Ming Dynasty, wrote many poems related to kites, such as "The wicker threads are rubbed with cotton, and Qianxun is able to fly the paper ducks. How much force the spring breeze can dissipate will bring all the children to spring." Another example: "I also I used to fly harriers, but this year I can't do this anymore. I can hang out with the spring horses and watch the children cut off their strings. "In the Qing Dynasty, the popularity of playing kites became more and more popular. Legend has it that Cixi asked the eunuch to go to Tianjin to find "Kite Wei" to tie a "Birthday Star Old Riding Crane" kite for him to play with. There are still three large kites that Fu Yi played with hidden in the Forbidden City.

In Chapter 70 of "A Dream of Red Mansions", China's Cao Xueqin vividly describes the scene of sisters flying crabs, beauties, big fish, bats, phoenixes, sand swallows and other kites in the Grand View Garden. It can be said that China's toy kites have developed to a very high level at this time.

Starting from the Tang and Song Dynasties in China, Chinese kites spread to the world, first to North Korea, Japan, Malaya and other Southeast Asian countries, and then to Europe, America and other places. Under the influence of the industrial revolution in Europe, China's toy kites developed towards aircraft there, passing through the work of Kelly in the UK, Hargrave in Australia, and Lilindahl in Germany. Finally, the earliest energy-carrying kite was created in the United States by the Wright brothers. Man successfully flies the plane.

Therefore, China hangs a Chinese kite in the hall of the Aerospace Museum in Washington, USA. Next to it is written: "The earliest human aircraft are Chinese kites and rockets." (Source: China Weifang Net)

Three legends about the origin of kites

There are generally three legends about the origin of kites. One is the bamboo hat and leaf theory; the second is the sailboat and tent theory; the third is the bird theory. However, the conclusion that kites originated in China is currently unanimously recognized by the world's kite community.

bamboo hat, leaves said

The bucket hat is an ancient rainproof and heat-proof device. It was used when humans switched from fishing and hunting to farming. It was especially indispensable in the tropical and subtropical regions. At that time, the making of bucket hats was very simple, and the ropes were made from local materials, mostly made of soft materials. of bark fibers. It is said that a farmer was farming when a strong wind suddenly blew up his bamboo hat. The farmer hurried after him and grabbed the rope. It happened that the tether was very long, and the bamboo hat flew in the air like a kite. The farmer found it very interesting, and he often flew bamboo hats to the villagers, which later evolved into flying kites. The leaves are said to come from southern China. It is said that in ancient times, people admired the phenomenon of leaves flying all over the sky in the wind, so they tied the leaves with hemp threads and played with them, which gradually evolved into kite flying activities. The Gaoshan people in Taiwan and the Li people in Hainan Island used the leaves of the bread tree to make kites in the early days.

Sailing boat and tent

Humans have used wooden boats for a long time, and they were used in production as early as 2000 BC. Later there were sailing ships. Legend has it that sails were already on the ship during the Yu Dynasty. Sail is a machine that uses wind power, so people imitated the principle of sail and set up kites to fly. Others say that kites originated from tents in the north. The earliest kites were made by people to imitate the phenomenon of strong winds blowing tents in the air, and then gradually evolved into a recreational activity.

Asuka says

Judging from the current historical records and discovered ancient kites, their structure, shape, tie-painting technology, etc., a prominent symbol is that they are mostly in the shape of a bird. Therefore, it is concluded that the first kites were inspired by flying birds, made in imitation of flying birds and named after flying birds. People admire and love flying birds, and making kites by imitating flying birds is their pursuit of a better life. It is only natural that kites were born because of this.

Kites originated in China, which is a conclusion unanimously recognized by the world's kite circles. The earliest kite in China was made by the ancient scientist Mo Zhai. According to the Chinese historical material "Han Feizi·Wai Chu Shuo", Mo Zhai lived in Lushan (today's Qingzhou area of ??Shandong Province) and "the wood is used as a harrier, which takes three years to grow and flies in one day to defeat." This means that Mozi studied for three years and finally finally A wooden bird was made out of wood, but it only flew for one day before it broke down. The "Wooden Harrier" made by Mozi is the earliest kite in China.

kite story

Kite originated during the Warring States Period. Gongshu Pan is what later generations call the Seven Skills Craftsman Lu Ban or "Master Lu Ban". The raw materials for his "magpie" or "kite" are extremely thin wood or bamboo chips. After the Han Dynasty, due to the invention and application of paper, paper was gradually used instead of wood when making kites. It's called a "paper kite". In the Five Dynasties, bamboo whistles were tied to paper kites. The wind blew the bamboo whistles, and the sound was like a kite, so it was later called "kite." During the Tang and Song Dynasties, it was very common to fly kites in various places in Weifang. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the kites in Weifang reached their peak. Every year around the Qingming Festival, when the weather is beautiful and the weather is beautiful, every family takes the old and the young to go on an outing and send their favorite works to the blue sky. The Qing Dynasty poet Zheng Banqiao said in his poem "Huaiwei County": " Paper flowers are flying all over the sky like snow, and charming girls are swinging around. The five-color skirt swings in the wind, so that the butterflies will return in spring. "Vividly describes the scene of kite-making in Weifang during the Qingming Festival. This spring-filled folk activity is not only an opportunity for mutual observation and evaluation, but also a good time to breathe the early spring air, enjoy the gifts of nature, and exercise. Weifang Kite Making It is exquisite, with unique painting techniques, novel shapes and reasonable composition. It also absorbs some characteristics of woodblock New Year paintings, drawing on the painting skills of Beijing and Tianjin, with beautiful lines and bright colors, and is good at exaggerating the style to highlight the theme. The most representative large-scale dragon-headed centipede kite is more than a hundred feet long. When flying, the tail and body are gradually raised, and the head is connected to the sky by the lifting force generated by dozens of "kidneys". The knots are tied according to the principles of mechanics, and the ropes must have strict angles and distances. The "Dragon Head Centipede" soars into the blue sky with great momentum and has won widespread praise at home and abroad since the first Weifang event in 1984. After the International Kite Festival, the annual International Kite Festival will be held in mid-April every year. In 1988, the Fifth International Kite Festival designated Weifang as the "Kite Capital of the World." Nineteen Kite Festivals have been successfully held, attracting dozens of countries and regions from around the world every year. It also made outstanding contributions to the economic development of Weifang