Weifang of Shandong Province is a city famous for its traditional handicrafts and also for its kites. In 1984, the First International Kite Festival was held here. In 1988, Weifang was elected "the Capital of Kites of the World." Then, in 1989, the headquarters of the International Federation of Kites was set up here. Every April, Weifang holds an international kite festival.

Since Weifang has the tradition and history of kite, it is famous for its kite making. The kite making in Weifang is exquisite in style, beautiful in painting and good in quality. Craftsmen usually make the kite according to the different animals, traditional mythologies and famous novel characters. The masterpiece of Weifang kite is giant centipedes kite with Chinese dragon head.

Giant centipedes kite with Chinese dragon head

Kite making

To make a kite, you need to make the frames first with thin bamboo strips, then paste paper or silk to the frames, and finally tie a long thread. Thus a kite is born. It flies into the sky under wind force.

Subjects for kites

The animals, including eagles, doves, tigers, goldfish, frogs, butterflies, dragonflies and legendary figures such as Sun Wukong (the monkey king), Chang'e (the moon fairy); Chinese characters like fu (fortune), lu (rank), shou (longevity) and xi (happiness) and various kinds of houses and utensils can be the subjects for kites.

Sun Wukong (the monkey king)

Chang'e (the moon fairy)