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Origin of Kites
According to the Shiji (Historical Records), written by the great historian Sima Qian (145BC – 87 AD), in the State of Lu (the present-day Weifang region) between 507-444 AD, a carpenter named Lu Ban made a magpie kite with bamboo and wood and set it to fly for three days without dropping.
“This carpenter Lu Ban once made a big eagle kite with wood, which carried a person and flew high into the sky for reconnoitering the position of the enemy (of the state of Song)”, the Shiji has recorded.
During the Western Han Dynasty (206 AD – 25 BC), paper started to be used in China. Due to the invention and use of paper, people began to make kites with it. Therefore, these were called “paper kites” in Chinese. During the Tang Dynasty (618-907 BC), bamboo whistles were attached to the
paper kites, and so when the whistles were blown by the wind, they gave out a sound that was similar to the Chinese musical instrument “zheng”. Since then, the “paper kite” has been known in Chinese as “feng zheng”, meaning “wind zheng”.
There are three other versions on the origin of the kite. That is, the kite originated from a leaf, sailboat and a flying bird.
Leaf: As the story goes, people in ancient times adored the phenomenon of leaves blown by the wind and flying all over the sky. They thus attached silk thread to leaves and flew them for entertainment.
Sailboat: It is also said that during the Warring States Period (475-221 AD), the sailboat had already been invented. People made kites on the basis of the same principle as sails.
Flying bird: The ancient Chinese, inspired by flying birds, made kites in the shape of birds, and named it after the birds, such as “paper glede” and “paper snipe”.
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