Kite, the dream of flying in the sky of the ancients
In ancient times, the mysterious sky was the place where God lived. If mortals want to enter the sky, they must give birth to wings like birds, which is probably the beginning of the dream of flying in the sky of the ancients.
At the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, USA, there is a model of an ancient kite and rocket from China, and a sign next to it says, "The earliest flying machine of mankind was China's kite and rocket".
Everything is done by Han Feizi, which records that Mozi "took three years to build a kite, but failed in one day" in Lushan. Mozi developed for three years, and finally made a wooden bird, which broke down after only one day's flight. This wooden kite made by Mozi is the earliest kite in China and the earliest kite in the world. It's been 2,4 years. It was not until Cai Lun invented papermaking in the Eastern Han Dynasty that kites were made of paper, which was called "paper kite".
It is said that Mozi passed on his kite-making skills to his student public class (Luban). According to the teacher's design, Luban split bamboo and baked it to make it look like a bird, which can fly in the air for several days.
kites were originally made not for fun, but for military purposes. There are several short stories about kites used in military affairs in history:
In the Spring and Autumn Period, there was a story about "public transport companies made wooden kites to see Song Cheng", when kites played the role of spy satellites;
During the struggle between Chu and Han, Han Xin attacked Weiyang Palace and used kites to measure the distance of the tunnel under Weiyang Palace.
During the Southern Dynasties, Liang Wudi was besieged by the waiting scene. Once, a kite with an imperial edict was sent out to ask for help, but unfortunately, the rebels found it and shot it down, and the city was captured.
since the Tang dynasty, flying kites has become a folk entertainment. The real formation of kite genre began with the publication of Cao Xueqin's "Records of Kite Testing in the South and the North".
The Records of Kites Testing in the South and the North summarizes the techniques and atlas of tying, pasting, drawing and flying dozens of kites in China. After being passed on and copied by artists, this skill has been passed down to this day.
Kite making, as an ancient craft, contains many knowledge and skills such as physics, painting, calligraphy, folk customs and crafts. So almost everyone can fly a kite, so it is not easy to make a kite.
There are many kinds of kites, including hard wings, soft wings, boards, strings, three-dimensional, advertising, sports and so on. People use flying kites to fly their ideals and sustenance. Although the ideals are different, the pursuit of beauty is the same. Therefore, kites have always been accepted and loved by ordinary people, literati and even royal nobles, thus forming a unique kite culture.
China kites are usually brightly colored, with strong contrast and large color blocks. No matter the color, background, drawing, dyeing and trimming, it is so full and substantial. Even if it is left blank, it makes people feel white and full of joy. China kites pay attention to "a picture must be intentional, and an intention must be auspicious". That is to say, in addition to the beauty of appearance, there must be auspicious meanings.
there is a folk custom of "lantern in the first month and kite in the second month". That is, watching lanterns in January and kites in February. The poet Gao Ding wrote in "Village Residence": "The grass grows in February, and the willows are drunk with spring smoke. Children come back early from school and are busy flying kites in the east wind. " The poem vividly depicts the bright spring in February of the lunar calendar, the season full of vitality, and the scene of lively children pulling strings to fly kites.
Wellington Yafeng Society
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