The City of Kites: Flying High

                I was so excited to research the city of kites when I found out that we could do a topic of our choice from things mentioned in our letters from our friends in China. Two of the girls whose papers I had mentioned they were born in Weifang, which was known for the festival of flying kites. I found a great online resource that was straight from the source. This person was originally from Weifang (born and raised) and talked in depth on their traditions. The article was posted in Chinese and then translated into English. The article says that the tradition of kite flying is over one thousand years old but has lasted up until now.

                The first descriptions of these kites were recorded and originate from the Tang Dynasty. The kites were made first from bamboo and into frame and then covered in paper and silk. The records say that they were made into birds to honor the great birds of the skies. Now days, there is a huge ceremony that takes place the night before the actual day. They host it in the soccer stadium and it is broadcasted onto tv so everyone can be a part of this big day. There are all sorts of different performers like singers, acrobats and stage shows.

                Then comes the kite flying! There are competitions in which the kites are flown and rated by judges. Tons of people come and watch this. Just think of how cool it would be to have something like this in Springfield where everyone comes together to participate in this! Afterwards, there are awards and the closing ceremony. Then an hour long fireworks display choreographed to popular music. Then, a museum takes the best kites and puts them in a showcase so anyone can get a taste of what the kite festival is like, even if they weren’t there.

                All in all, it sounds like the kite festival is very neat. It is such a big piece of China’s history, I would have loved to hear more about it from the Chinese students themselves. I love seeing what is important to others across the world.  It is interesting how even their simple traditions can still impact us all the way in America.