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Occasionally I see children flying kites on the street, dragging a cotton string and running all over the street. They play for fun and are even happy. The so-called kite is just a little paper stuck on a bamboo strip frame, one foot square, with some paper tassels hanging low at most. As a result, it often ends up hanging on the wires next to the street.
This often reminds me of flying kites in Peiping when I was a child. I have a special hobby for flying kites. From childhood until I was thirty or forty years old, I never gave up this interesting game when I had the opportunity. In Peiping, there are certain seasons for kite flying, and it is always appropriate to fly kites at the beginning of spring after the New Year. At this time of year, the wind is strong and steady. In the severe winter, the wind is very strong and too fierce, but after the Spring Festival, the wind becomes too weak. At the beginning of spring, with blue sky and constant wind, it is best to fly a kite.
Beiping’s kites are the most exquisite. This is because there are many people in the leisure class in Peiping, such as the Eight Banners disciples, and all things that are for the entertainment of the ears, eyes, sounds and sex are particularly developed. My family lives in Dongcheng, on Dongsi South Street. There is an Erlang Temple between the Ministry of Internal Affairs Street and Shijia Hutong. There is a kite shop next to the temple. The owner of the shop is named Yu, and he is known as "Kite Yu". The kites he makes are quite famous in the city. My home is close to him, so it is very convenient to buy a kite. He made many kinds of kites, such as Fat Sand Goose, Skinny Sand Goose, Longjing Fish, Butterfly, Dragonfly, Catfish, Lantern, Cabbage, Centipede, Beauty, Bagua, Toad, and many others. The fish's eyes are movable, and it spins around when it is released. Its tail is very long and fluctuates in the wind. The wings of butterflies and dragonflies are also soft, and they look beautiful when they wave. The frame of the kite is made of bamboo, with Korean paper stretched on it, especially silk. The drawing is very delicate and colorful. The best thing about Yu's kite is that the "string" is tied at an accurate angle, so it doesn't "wrap" when it is flown, and it is smooth and stable. The smaller kites are three feet, and the larger ones are more than one foot. Usually three to seven feet is enough for playing at home. The factory is open during the New Year, and there are many kite vendors, and the quality is pretty good.
As for kite flying thread, small kites can use cotton thread. For kites above three feet tall, you need to use "small threads" made of several strands of cotton thread. Small threads also have different thicknesses, depending on the needs. It is important to use an "old string": one that is strong and light in weight, so that it can be twisted into a straight line, unlike small strings that often come out of a circle. The thread is usually wound around a rotatable "thread stick" made of bamboo. What's important is the hardwood thread stick, which is particularly flexible and fast to rotate. Hit it with your index finger, and the string will turn more than ten times, and the thread will naturally wind up.
Some people fly kites, especially larger kites, often to Chenggen or other open places, because the wind there is strong and they will fly up when they flutter. Especially that kind of special giant kite, called "beat", which is rectangular, square and without any patterns, and the largest one does not exceed nine feet. Every house in Peiping has a yard. When flying a kite, you first determine the wind direction. Someone needs to bring a big bamboo pole with an iron or copper fork on top (the kind of fork used to hang paintings) to lift the kite. , raised high above the eaves, waiting for the wind to come and flutter, the kite will fly into the sky, and the bamboo pole can be removed. Sometimes the wind is not strong enough, and the person holding the bamboo pole has to climb up to the house and sit on it. Above the ridge. Sometimes, after a lot of effort and effort, Aunt Feng doesn't show up, so we have to give up. However, there are not many opportunities for such disappointment.
Kites, like airplanes, are most likely to crash when taking off and landing. Electric wires and trees are the most obstructive and need to be avoided. Once the kite is in the sky, nothing will happen. Sometimes when it enters the realm of the strong wind, you don't need to hold it with your hands. You can tie the string to the pillar of the house and go into the house to rest by yourself. You can even tie it for one night and take it back tomorrow. The spring is very cold, and if you stay in the yard for a long time, you will be so cold that you will cry. The string strings will sometimes pinch your fingers until they are bruised and painful, and they may even bleed. You need to go indoors to rest and warm up.
The word "Zheng" for kite is originally a musical instrument, which looks like a harp and has thirteen strings. As the name suggests, kites also have to make sounds. "Xuncu Lu" says: "In the Five Dynasties, Li Ye made paper kites in the palace, leading the strings to ride the wind for play, and then used bamboo as a flute on the head of the kite to let the wind enter the bamboo, and the sound was like Zheng Ming." This record is correct. However, the kites we fly in Peiping are not "bamboo flutes". There are two types of kites with sound, one with gongs and drums, and the other with strings and bows. Of course, there are some that have both. The so-called gongs and drums use the principle of windmills to beat small paper drums, which are crisp and audible. The sound of the stringed bow is more pleasant. There are high-parallel kite poems as evidence:
The sound of strings is still in the blue sky at night,
Industry and commerce trust the wind,
It is vaguely like listening to music,
I was blown away by the wind again.
I thought flying a kite was a fun thing. In this world, life is confined to a small circle, and there is probably no one who would not want to fly far away by chance. Traveling and sightseeing around mountains and rivers is one way, but it is not always available. When flying a kite, you hold a string in your hand and watch the kite rise slowly and then stop at high altitude. At this time, you feel as if you are flying with the kite, overlooking the world, and you are contented. I think this may be because I want to fly but can't, a kind of self-satisfaction in disguise. In the spring afternoon, watching the kites flown by other people floating in the sky, although it is also very fun, after all, if I hold the string in my own hand, it is more intimate, and the kite seems to be carrying my own mood into the sky.
Really, when I took the kite back, I had a strange feeling in my heart, as if I was coming back from a trip. Although it was not a disappointment, at least I was in the tired state after having a good time. I was lazy and had nothing to say. Heaven has returned to earth. Soaring from the sky and back to crawling on the ground.
Flying a kite can also "send flags" (commonly known as "sending rice"). Put an iron wire loop on the kite line, and attach a long paper strip to the loop. When the line is released, the iron wire loop and the long paper strip are blown by the wind and slowly slide up to the sky. The paper flags fly in the sky until they reach the feet of the kite. until. At night, you can also send up small red lanterns one by one. In the darkness, no kites can be seen, only red lanterns are seen swimming around in the sky.
Kite flying sometimes requires a little skill. The most important thing is to control the slack between release lines. The wind is too strong, and the kite suddenly jumps up, swaying from side to side, pulling the string tautly. If you are not careful at this time, the kite will fall down. Don’t panic if it falls. Loosen the string quickly and it will float again. Sometimes the kite has fallen out of sight, but you can still save it. Don’t be too hasty in everything. Just relax and you can often save the day. The same goes for kites. People with poor skills will rush to retrieve the kite when they see it about to somersault, which can increase the risk and make it impossible to control. It doesn't matter if the kite falls on the treetops. At this time, the string should be loosened. If the wind picks up the kite, it will rise with a slight tug. If an impatient person pulls harder, the kite will become more and more unclear until it is torn to pieces. When the wind is weak, the kite will naturally fall, and the string will form a pocket shape, so it must be pulled and shaken frequently. Try to let the string out as much as possible, and then retract it in time. By loosening and tightening, the kite can be kept from falling.
Being aggressive is a human instinct. Flying a kite can also show fighting spirit. If you find a kite flying nearby, you can fight it if the location is suitable. The trick is to try to put your own kite under the opponent's line pocket, and then suddenly reel in the line. The kite rises steeply in a straight line and is bound to get entangled with the opponent's line pocket. Both kites are teetering on the edge, and both sides are eager to pull back. Line, at this time it depends on whose line is thicker, whose hands are faster, and whose terrain is superior. The winner can pull back his own kite, plus a captive, and possibly a length of string. I often catch four or five kites in a season. I feel very happy when I fly the captured kite, as if I am showing off my victory. But sometimes I lose the battle and my kite is captured. After a day or two, I see my kite floating in the sky, which is another feeling. It's a taste. This kind of struggle does not harm the principle of good neighborliness. It is a game and the issue of airspace violations does not occur. Moreover, kites can only be played for one season, and no one is willing to fly kites from the next year. Superstition says that kites flying in the next year are unlucky. This may be a rumor created by kite sellers.