Kite, also known as paper eagle, is made up of bamboo split as its frame covered with paper or silk. Generally, artistic designs will be drawn on such paper or silk. Production skill of traditional Chinese kite involve making, pasting, painting and flying, which are also referred to as “four arts” (frame making, paper pasting, festoon painting and kite flying).
Usually, kites can be divided into soft-winged kites, hard-winged kites and board kites. As for soft-winged kites, their frames are normally in a pattern of relief and in single layer, double layers or multiple layers and their lifting pieces (wings) are made up of a major swing strip, with soft-rear wings and without any major strip that can be attached to. In terms of hard-winged kites, their frames are made up of two bamboo strips up and down, with higher edges on both sides and hollow center. Ends of their wings are dropped forward so that wind can flow through such ends. With regard to board kites, also known as flat kites, lifting piece makes up the main shape and are supported by bamboo strips in all sides, without any bulge.
Now, six major traditional places of origin of kites include Weifang of Shandong, Beijing, Tianjin, Yangjiang of Guangdong, Kaifeng of Henan, and Nantong of Jiangsu. Master Fei Baoling from Beijing is a national master who is good at kite collection, design and manufacturing.
