Chinese Kites

  Kites are an important part in the art and culture of China.
In the following pages, we will explain the history of Chinese kites,
along with a poem entitled,"Kites at Night."  We will explain a little about how they were
made in the very begining.  Kites are considered to
be very fascinating in China.
So come share the wonders of China with us, this
should be one of the most thrilling experience of your life.  Kites reveal
the true art of Chinese culture.
 

The History of Kites

  Kites are a big part of Chinese art and tradition.  They have been around for 2,500 years, but they are still popular all around China.  The beautifully crafted kites are handmade by talented professionals.  It takes a lot of time and energy to construct a Chinese kite, because of all the detail that they go into.

 Around 500 B.C. residents of China created the first Chinese kites.  They started with communication kites, propaganda leaf lit kites, whistling kites, and Buddhist contemplation object kites.  Emperor Kao Young started to make them.  He fitted them with bamboo mat wins.  When a kite was completed, the Emperor would throw it off a tower to see if it could fly.  Of course, none of them could, even though it was entertaining.  Then he decided to control them from the ground.  He took prisoners, and he made their relatives handle the kites.  The first person who safely reached the ground was Yuan Huang-T'ou.  Even though he made it to the ground, he was sentenced to death by starvation due to being a prisoner.  Therefore he was the first human to fly in a man-flying kite, even though the outcome resulted in death.
 

Kites at Night
from the web site of Paul Jones

The unseen was not unfelt;
it gave rise to our bright
hopes, the steamered kites,
as we shivered and knelt
with our collars pulled high
and saw those sails disappear.
We tugged against our fear
of loosing to the dark eye
in the clouds of giving up
colored paper, light sticks,
of breaking our thin umbilicus,
still the new moon called us up
through the haze of stars where cold
black grows wild and uncontrolled.