The Chinese name feng cheng (kite) appeared almost 1,500 years ago, as a replacement for chih yuan (paper bird). In the West, the device was named after the kite, a graceful hawk.
The ancients often fastened a perforated section of bamboo stalk to the head of a kite. When the kite drifted on the breezes (feng) far above, a sound as if from the stringed musical instrument cheng came forth. That is how the kite came to be called the feng cheng.
Although the Chinese are the historical inventors of kites, and still love them in the 1980's, this outdoor activity has become even more popular in Western countries and Japan.
"To my surprise, the Americans and Europeans are crazy about kite flying," said Hsieh Chin-chien, chairman of the Taipei Kite Association, who just returned from the United States. When the topic of kites is brought up, Hsieh, 57, is beyond himself, showing the joy of a child.
Traveling with him to America were his daughter and an entourage of more than 40 kites, each unique in color and shape. In two months, Hsieh gave numerous demonstrations and took part in many contests. He came back with 12 big awards, and friendships with members of kite associations in more than a dozen states.
"During a contest in Washington D.C., as soon as I assembled my kites, I knew I was the winner, because the onlookers were obviously stunned. They stared, eyes wide open, when they saw the kites—my dragon, phoenix, tiger, centipede, monkey king, giant whale, God of wealth, and the others."
When the dragon—107 sections, 200 feet long, 25 kg. in weight—rose suddenly from the ground in front of the Washington Memorial, maneuvered with the assistance of four strong men, the crowd became delirious with visible joy. Hsieh was elated. The three-dimensional kite—with moving eyes and mouth—won an easy victory over more than 200 competitors.
At the closing ceremony, responding to the requests of the crowd, staff members of the sponsoring organization asked Hsieh if he would fly the dragon again. He did, along with a long centipede. As the two danced in the sky, all grace and grandeur, the audience stood spellbound. And the demonstration won Hsieh another award.
"After more than 30 years in the world of kites," conceded Hsieh, "my successes and failures are both many." Yet, his zest for kiting and his characteristic spirit—never a thought of defeat—assure a future in kiting as filled with joy as the past.
Hsieh's interest in kiting is a matter of heritage.
Almost 15 centuries ago, Chienkang (the present Nanking) was surrounded by ring upon ring of Houching's tumultuous troops. Emperor Wu of the Later Liang Dynasty (555-587), inside the city, was at his wit's end. A man named Yang-kan rushed forward and presented a subtle scheme: Why not imitate the birds in the sky—use a paper bird with a letter attached to call for rescue forces.
After busy and flurried preparations, the first kite to be noted in Chinese history was born. The Emperor waited anxiously for the northwest winds to blow again; his crown prince stood ready to send the paper bird aloft from in front of the Taichi Hall.
Unfortunately, the kite was shot down by the enemy. But though Chienkang fell, the kite prospered. Later generations made kites by the thousands. They wandered free and easy in clear skies over all of China, living on to witness the rise and fall of the dynasties and the onset of modern times.
Chinese history actually includes many reports on the origin of the kite. Lu Tien of the Sung Dynasty (960-1276) mentions a kite made by Mo Tzu (actually, it could have been Kung Shu-pan) during the Warring States Period (403-222 B.C.). The kite was said to be able to fly for three days without falling.
Assembling a major kite—Hsieh's dragon kite is in 107 sections; assembled, it is 200 ft. long and weighs 25 kg. The kite is maneuvered by Hsieh with the help of four strong men and features movable eyes and mouth in addition to its flexible body
Tseng Min-hsing, a scholar of the Sung Dynasty, wrote" that in the early years of the Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-24 A.D.), General Han Hsin, the Marquis of Huai Yin, used a kite to signal Chen Hsi to start a planned rebellion.
Lin Kun of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) wrote in Cheng Chai Tsa Chi: "Han Hsin made a kite to measure the distance to Weiyang Palace so that he could plan a tunnel to reach it."
Ching Dynasty (1644-1911) scholars wrote that "General Han Hsin led a force of one hundred thousand to bottle up Hsiang Yu and his troops at Kaihsia in Anhwei Province....He ordered a kite to be made of cowhide to carry two flutists good at playing nostalgic music...."
Pai Kung Liu Tieh, authored by Kung Chuang of the Sung Dynasty, and Chu Hsun Lu of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) both defer the invention of kites to the time of Emperor Yin of the Late Han Dynasty (of the Five Dynasties, 947-950). They name Li Yieh as the kite's inventor. Ming Dynasty scholar Lang Ying supported the argument in two of his writings.
All of the above judgments were made, however, after the passing of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), and as late as the Ching Dynasty. The report that "kites originated during the Houching Revolt in the time of Emperor WU of the Late Liang Dynasty" is first seen in Tu Yi Chih, authored by Li Jung of the Tang Dynasty, and Yi Yu Fa Tan. The report was repeated in Tung Chien and Nan Shih.
Emperor Wu's plan to use a paper kite to call for rescue failed. More lucky than the Emperor was General Chang Hsuan of the Tang Dynasty. Tang Shu says: "Once Chang Hsuan flew a kite from more than 300 meters away over Tien Yueh's troops. It carried a message to Ma Sui's troops stationed on the east bank of the river, asking their help. And the siege was finally lifted."
Such feats as forwarding letters by kite are often mentioned in historical records. Once Li Chia-ming of the Southern Tang Dynasty wrote verses of condolence on a kite and let it fly to the residence of Chi Chiu, whose son had just died. Chuan Tang Shih Hua mentions a poem of four lines, each containing seven characters, written on a kite by Kao Pien, a frustrated general who was assigned to command garrison troops in Szechwan, a place considered unimportant and secluded at the time.
In times past, it was a Chinese custom to fly kites on Tomb Sweeping Day (April 5 or 6). Misfortunes and sufferings were listed on the kites and left to hover in the air. Finally, the kite strings were cut, and the kites carried all their bad luck far away. Those who had recovered after a year of severe illness, would also fly kites, cutting the strings to signal their gratitude to Heaven.
Farmers, felt that kites—like flying scarecrows—would scare the vermin from the fields.
Lu Tien of the Sung Dynasty once wrote, "Nowadays, when the wind starts to blow, people fly kites with bells. They ask their children to watch the flying kites with their mouths wide open: by so doing, they allow fevers inside their bodies to be dissipated."
How could Mo Tzu, Yang Kan, and Han Hsin ever foresee that kites would one day be used as teaching materials for mechanical design and architectural aesthetics. But, perhaps, it is even more astonishing to look back to the moment almost 1,500 years ago when the first kite in Chinese history was let fly in front of the Taichi Hall.
Wu Lin Chiu Shih wrote, "During the Sung Dynasty, when people went on spring excursions, they would often see on the bridge over the West Lake, youngsters compete at flying kites...." In northern China, people started this outdoor activity as early as the New Year holidays, and ended it on Tomb Sweeping Day. Chang Shou Hsien Chih records: "Tomb Sweeping Day is the last day for children to fly kites and is called the day of broken kite strings."
Besides forestalling calamities, a kite cut free on Tomb Sweeping Day also signals that the weather from that day forward will not be suitable for the activity—too windy and rainy. Chien Hu Chi comments: "In spring, since the winds blow from ground level, it is easy for a kite to rise and fly. In summer, because the winds blow in no particular direction, it is said that on Tomb Sweeping Day, people fly untethered kites."
When summer is over—and especially after the rice harvest in autumn—the island's clear blue skies are again dotted with kites of various colors and designs. The Taiwanese have a saying: "On the Mountain Climbing Festival (the 9th day of the 9th lunar month), the wind blows and the sky is full of roaring sounds"—it is a comment on kites wandering in the autumnal sky.
Also, on autumn eves, after sunset, people fasten lanterns of colored papers to strings and fly them in skies dotted with stars and fireflies. The flying lanterns are called "light birds."
Kite contests were numerous in ancient China. The competition could be for beauty, size, height, or flying skills. Hsi Hu Lao Jen of the Sung Dynasty once described, in his Fan Sheng Lu, a scene during a gathering held regularly at intervals for bartering purposes, in which people were gambling on kite flying.
In some areas of Fukien Province, contests were held during Mountain Climbing Festival among families and communities. The people of Kwangtung Province used to be fascinated with the game, "Cutting-off Flying Kites." They applied ground glass to the kite strings and endeavored to cut the strings of their opponents. The object was to cut the tail off the opponent's kite or tangle with the enemy kite and cut his string—and especially to cut him down in a surprise attack. For people of Huaian (now Honan Province), strategy involved the liao tan: They first fastened a piece of broken brick to either end of a long string, then threw the weighted string into the air to tangle with the opponent's kite or string. Thus, his kite was either brought down or flew away after its string was cut. If the former, the one who shot it down could take it. If a defeated kite fell on someone's roof, it was considered an ill omen. Such a kite was either thrown away or put under a wooden night-soil bucket. After a few days, when the omen of misfortune dissipated, the kite was again taken out for flying.
In Chen Chou Feng Tu Chi by Li Hsiu-fan, the kite-cutting sport is recorded: "The people of Yi Cheng, Kiangsu Province, even paste up written notices of a desired kite contest on the wall of the South City Gate; information about the size and kind of the kite is well stated therein. The one who pastes it up asks anyone who is willing to take the glove to meet him on the Northern Mountain, there to kite-fight for several rounds."
Of all the kite games, the most colorful are Chieh Chieh Kao, once favored by people south of the Yangtze River, and Liu Hsing Kan Yueh, formerly favored by the people of Kwangtung and Kwangsi Provinces. Chieh Chieh Kao begins by fastening a kite to one end of a string and letting fly. When the kite is steady in the sky, several paper birds are threaded on the kite string some distance from the kite. An old hand was able to fly as many as 36 paper birds on one kite.
When playing a game of Liu Hsing Kan Yueh, the kite flier would first fly a big kite, and when its flight became steady, slip a colorful paper butterfly (its two wings tightly together) along the kite string. In the wind, the butterfly would climb to a wooden stick tied just below the kite. Then, colorful paper strips hidden under the pressed wings of the butterfly would spread out and fly below the kite.
With all this, how can Chinese children not be in love with the kite?