Weifang is the city of kites. How is a kite made? Where did it originate?

Weifang, also known as the kite capital, has a long history and exquisite craftsmanship. The skeleton is made of bamboo, wrapped with high-grade silk and painted by hand. The combination of arts and crafts embodies the appreciation value of kites. With the increasing frequency of international kite communication, kite, an ancient folk art, has flourished under the new situation and become an important work of art. Its types include soft wing, hard wing, faucet string, board and three-dimensional bucket. It is not only widely used in flight, competition and entertainment, but also has become a fashion ornament to beautify people's lives.

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:

-Traditional folk schools

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.

Second, the traditional craftsman school.

Because of the business of selling kites, 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.

Third, modern innovators.

In recent years, professional artists, technicians, workers and urban residents have actively participated in kite activities, given full play to the advantages of modern technology and modern science and technology, and created brand-new modern kites on the basis of inheriting traditional kites. 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 kite museum

Weifang Kite Museum is located in the east cliff of Bailang River in Weicheng, covering an area of 13000 square meters and a building area of 8 100 square meters. This is by far the largest kite museum in the world. Its architectural modeling features the centipede kite of Weifang Dragon, and the roof is a complete composite ceramic dragon, which is supported on the glazed tile roof of Peacock Orchid, just like a dragon roaming in the sky and shaking the sky. There are nearly 1600 square meters of halls, and 10 exhibition halls with more than 3,000 square meters. Now, on the basis of the original exhibition, the museum has been adjusted and enriched from the aspects of literature, pictures and objects, and has initially formed a professional folk museum with characteristics. The museum will collect and display ancient and modern kite treasures at home and abroad, and can also reproduce the grand occasion of previous Weifang International Kite Games through video, systematically introduce the development and evolution of kites in Weifang, China, the kite-making techniques of various schools and the broad prospects of kite technology inspiring human flight, and show and introduce the kite development and tying, painting and flying techniques in various countries in the world. There are also kite artists making kites on the spot. Kite Museum is multifunctional. It is not only a professional museum for collecting and displaying kites and folk handicrafts at home and abroad, but also a cultural and entertainment center. If the facilities are complete, it will become the center of tourism, culture, entertainment and kite trading in the kite capital. The museum vividly shows the origin and evolution history of kites with a large number of objects, photos and materials; This paper introduces the kinds, types and characteristics of kites. It shows the friendly exchanges between Weifang International Kite Club and kite groups and people all over the world. The kites on display are as follows: 1. Traditional kites. There are all kinds of centipedes, butterfly kites with soft and hard wings, seven-star kites and gossip kites, all kinds of fish and birds, insect kites, spool kites and legendary kites. There are also excellent works from Jilin, Jinan and Zhejiang. Second, Weifang innovated kites. It is a novel kite, stunt kite, multi-characteristic kite, miniature kite and giant kite made by Weifang kite artists and amateurs, which shows the bold and innovative spirit and rich imagination of Weifang kite lovers. Third, foreign kites. It is a kite with local customs and characteristics made by foreign kite lovers in recent years. The collected and displayed kites exaggerate, sublimate, cut and process all kinds of images in nature from the aspects of material selection, color and art, and then apply them to the creation of kites, so as to coordinate the main contents with the shape of kites, the life breath with local characteristics, and show the unique folk customs of Weifang kites.