The history, sources and inspirations of kites and Kongming lanterns?

The origin and legend of kites

China is the hometown of kites. It is called "Harrier" in the south and "Kite" in the north. The word "kite" first appeared in the Five Dynasties. Chen Yi's "Xuncu Lu" of the Ming Dynasty recorded: "In the early days, Li Ye of the Han Dynasty in the Five Dynasties made paper kites in the palace and used strings to ride the wind for play. Later, he used bamboo as a flute on the head of the kite to make the wind The sound is like a kite, and the common name is kite. According to historical records, the inventor of the kite was Han Xin of the Han Dynasty. Legend has it that in 190 BC, when Chu and Han were fighting, the Han general Han Xin attacked Weiyang Palace and used kites to measure the distance of the tunnels under Weiyang Palace. In the Battle of Gaixia, Xiang Yu's army was besieged by Liu Bang's army. Han Xin sent people to make kites out of cowhide and put bamboo flutes on them. The story of "Besieged on All Sides".

Early kites in China were mostly related to military, communications and meteorology. Around the Tang and Five Dynasties, kites entered the folk culture and became a toy for people's entertainment and games. At the same time, it was also a good physical exercise. Yuan Zhen, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, once wrote a poem: "There are birds and flocks of paper kites, which are held by children because of the wind." This vividly describes the scene of children flying kites. The poem "Paper flowers flying all over the sky like snow" in Zheng Banqiao's "Huaiwei County" in the Qing Dynasty truly records the grand occasion of kite flying at that time. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, kite flying during the Qingming Festival has become a seasonal folk activity. When spring returns to the earth, people fly kites and dreams.

About 500 years ago in the Ming Dynasty, kites were introduced to Korea, and later to Japan, Southeast Asia, Europe and the Americas. In the southeast and northwest of China, there are kites with unique local characteristics everywhere. They have been passed down from generation to generation and have different styles. Some are rough and bold, some are lively and exquisite, some are colorful, and some are light and elegant. Famous kite producing areas such as Beijing, Tianjin, Weifang in Shandong, and Nantong in Jiangsu all have masterpieces from important schools. (Source: "People's Daily" Overseas Edition reporter Zhang Dongwei)

The origin of kites

Chinese kites have a long history. It is said that Han Xin, the general of the Han Dynasty, once used kites for measurement. Emperor Wu of Liang used kites to send messages, but failed. In the Northern and Southern Dynasties, some people jumped from high places with kites on their backs and did not fall to their death. When Zhang Pi of the Tang Dynasty was besieged, he used kites to send messages to ask for help, and he was successful. These show that the history of Chinese kites is at least more than 2,000 years old.

Starting from the Tang Dynasty in China, kites gradually became toys. By the late Tang Dynasty, kites had sounding instruments made of silk strips or bamboo flutes, which made sounds when the wind blew, hence the name "kite". Some people also say that the name "kite" originated from the Five Dynasties, when Li Ye made a kite out of paper and put a bamboo flute on it.

By the Song Dynasty in China, kites had developed greatly, with more varieties and improved performance, and they were closely related to people's lives. For example, it is recorded in "Wulin; Japanese Affairs" that /Young men compete to release paper ducks to seduce each other, pull each other to cut them off, and the one who loses the thread will be the loser/"Along the River During the Qingming Festival" by Zhang Zeduan in the Northern Song Dynasty and "A Hundred Sons Picture" by Su Hanchen There are also scenes of kite flying in the movie. Xu Wei, a painter of the Ming Dynasty, wrote many poems related to kites, such as "The wicker threads are rubbed with cotton, and Qianxun is able to fly the paper ducks. How much force the spring breeze can dissipate will bring all the children to spring." Another example: "I also I used to fly harriers, but this year I can't do this anymore. I can hang out with the spring horses and watch the children break their lines. "In the Qing Dynasty, the popularity of playing kites became more and more popular. Legend has it that Cixi asked the eunuch to go to Tianjin to find "Kite Wei" to tie a "Birthday Star Old Riding Crane" kite for him to play with. There are still three large kites that Fu Yi played with hidden in the Forbidden City.

In Chapter 70 of "A Dream of Red Mansions", China's Cao Xueqin vividly describes the scene of sisters flying crabs, beauties, big fish, bats, phoenixes, sand swallows and other kites in the Grand View Garden. It can be said that China's toy kites have developed to a very high level at this time.

Starting from the Tang and Song Dynasties in China, Chinese kites spread to the world, first to North Korea, Japan, Malaya and other Southeast Asian countries, and then to Europe, America and other places. Under the influence of the industrial revolution in Europe, China's toy kites developed towards aircraft there, passing through the British Kelly, Australia's Hargrave and Germany's Lilinda and others, and finally the earliest energy-carrying kite was created in the United States by the Wright brothers. Man successfully flies the plane.

China Therefore, a Chinese kite hangs in the hall of the Aerospace Museum in Washington, USA. Next to it is written: "The earliest human aircraft are Chinese kites and rockets." (Source: Weifang, China Net)

Three legends about the origin of kites

There are generally three legends about the origin of kites. The first is the bamboo hat and leaf theory; the second is the sailboat and tent theory; and the third is the bird theory. However, the conclusion that kites originated in China is currently unanimously recognized by the world's kite community.

The theory of bamboo hats and leaves

The bamboo hat is an ancient rainproof and heatproof device. It began to be used when humans switched from fishing and hunting to farming. It is especially indispensable in tropical and subtropical regions. , the hats were very simple to make at that time, and the ropes were made from local materials, mostly soft bark fibers. It is said that a farmer was farming when a strong wind suddenly blew up his bamboo hat. The farmer hurried after him and grabbed the rope. It happened that the tether was very long, and the bamboo hat flew in the air like a kite. The farmer found it very interesting, and he often flew bamboo hats to the villagers, which later evolved into flying kites. The leaves are said to come from southern China.

It is said that in ancient times, people admired the phenomenon of leaves flying all over the sky in the wind, so they tied the leaves with hemp threads and played with them, which gradually evolved into kite flying activities. The Gaoshan people in Taiwan and the Li people in Hainan Island used the leaves of the bread tree to make kites in the early days.

Sailboat and tent theory

Human beings have used wooden boats for a long time, and they were used in production as early as 2000 BC. Later there were sailing ships. Legend has it that sails were already on the ship during the Yu Dynasty. Sail is a machine that uses wind power, so people imitated the principle of sail and set up kites to fly. Others say that kites originated from tents in the north. The earliest kites were made by people to imitate the phenomenon of tents flying in the air due to strong winds, and then gradually evolved into a recreational activity.

The Theory of Flying Birds

Judging from the current historical records and the discovered ancient kites, their structure, shape, tie-painting technology, etc., a prominent symbol is that they are mostly in the shape of birds. Therefore, it is concluded that the first kites were inspired by flying birds, made in imitation of flying birds and named after flying birds. People admire and love flying birds, and making kites by imitating flying birds is their pursuit of a better life. It is only natural that kites were born because of this.

Kites originated in China. This is a conclusion unanimously recognized by the world's kite community. The earliest kite in China was made by the ancient scientist Mo Zhai. According to the Chinese historical material "Han Feizi·Wai Chu Shuo", Mo Zhai lived in Lushan (today's Qingzhou area of ??Shandong Province) and "the wood is used as a harrier, which takes three years to grow and flies in one day to defeat." This means that Mozi studied for three years and finally finally A wooden bird was made out of wood, but it only flew for one day before it broke down. The "Wooden Harrier" made by Mozi was China's earliest kite

The Story of Kite

Kite originated during the Warring States Period. Gongshu Pan is what later generations call the Seven Skills Craftsman Lu Ban or "Master Lu Ban". The raw materials for his "magpie" or "kite" are extremely thin wood or bamboo chips. After the Han Dynasty, due to the invention and application of paper, paper was gradually used instead of wood when making kites. It's called a "paper kite". In the Five Dynasties, bamboo whistles were tied to paper kites. The wind blew the bamboo whistles, and the sound was like a kite, so it was later called "kite." During the Tang and Song Dynasties, it was very common to fly kites in various places in Weifang. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the kites in Weifang reached their peak. Every year around the Qingming Festival, when the weather is beautiful and the weather is beautiful, every family takes the old and the young to go on an outing and send their favorite works to the blue sky. The Qing Dynasty poet Zheng Banqiao said in his poem "Huaiwei County": " Paper flowers are flying all over the sky like snow, and charming girls are swinging around. The five-color skirt swings in the wind, so that the butterflies will return in spring. "Vividly describes the scene of Weifang kite-making during the Qingming Festival. This spring-filled folk activity is not only an opportunity for mutual observation and evaluation, but also a good time to breathe the early spring air, enjoy the gifts of nature, and exercise. Weifang Kite Making It is exquisite, with unique painting techniques, novel shapes and reasonable composition. It also absorbs some characteristics of woodblock New Year paintings, drawing on the painting skills of Beijing and Tianjin, with beautiful lines and bright colors, and is good at exaggerating the style to highlight the theme. The most representative large-scale dragon-headed centipede kite is more than a hundred feet long. When flying, the tail and body are gradually raised, and the head is connected to the sky by the lifting force generated by dozens of "kidneys". The knots are tied according to the principles of mechanics, and the tethers must have strict angles and distances. The "Dragon Head Centipede" soars into the blue sky with great momentum and has won widespread praise at home and abroad since the first Weifang International Kite Festival in 1984. After the meeting. The annual International Kite Festival is held in mid-April every year. In 1988, the Fifth International Kite Festival designated Weifang as the "Kite Capital of the World." Nineteen Kite Festivals have been successfully held, attracting dozens of countries and regions from around the world every year. It has also made outstanding contributions to Weifang's economic development. Kongming lanterns, also called sky lanterns, are said to have been invented by Zhuge Kongming during the Three Kingdoms period. At that time, Zhuge Kongming was besieged by Sima Yi in Pingyang and was unable to send troops out of the city to ask for help. Kong Ming accurately calculated the direction of the wind, made a floating paper lantern, and attached a message for help. He was indeed out of danger, so later generations called this kind of lantern Kongming Lantern. Another theory is that the shape of this lantern is like the hat worn by Zhuge Kongming, hence its name. Modern people often put up Kongming lanterns to pray for blessings. Men, women, old and young, hand-written blessing wishes, symbolizing a successful harvest and happiness every year. The structure of the Kongming Lantern can be divided into two parts: the main body and the bracket. The main body is mostly made of bamboo grates, and the second part is made of tissue paper or paper to form a lampshade. The bottom bracket is composed of bamboo grates. Kongming lanterns can be large or small, round or rectangular. The general Kongming lantern is made of bamboo pieces framed into a barrel shape, and the outside is densely surrounded by thin white paper with the opening facing downwards. When you want to light the lantern and lift it off, tie a piece of coarse cloth or gold paper soaked in kerosene or peanut oil in the middle of the bottom bracket. Light the oil before letting it fly. After the fire in the lantern burns for a while, hot air will be generated, and the Kongming Lantern will expand. After you let go, the entire lantern will appear. As it slowly takes off, if the weather is good, the Kongming Lantern will automatically descend after the kerosene at the bottom is burned out. Hainan Kongming Lantern, also known as literary lantern and sky lantern, is made of white knotted square paper. It is lifted into the air based on the principle of a hot air balloon. The heat generated by the thermal expansion of the air is lifted into the air. The fuel it carries can be lifted into the air and float for about 1 hour. , it looks like a UFO at first, and after rising to a certain height, it looks like a star. According to legend, it spread to Hainan from the mainland and has evolved into a very distinctive local folk custom. On every happy day or grand festival, people light up lanterns to express their best wishes.

Before lighting the lanterns, people have to write their wishes on the lanterns, and they will rise up to the sky together with the sky lanterns to pray that their wishes will come true. In villages in Wenchang, Wanning, and Danzhou, there is still a folk custom of setting up sky lanterns and setting off sky lanterns. Since the word "sky lantern" in the Wenchang accent is homophonic to the word "tidding", the boy's family spontaneously formed a "sending gift" with various lanterns with auspicious words written on them, such as male lanterns, human lanterns, first-brand lanterns, flower basket lanterns, carp lanterns, and rare ancient lanterns. The procession of "lanterns", beating gongs and drums, marched around the village to the temple in the village, conveying the meaning of "prosperous people and prosperous family". When putting out sky lanterns, pour oil on the rags, with the mouth of the bucket facing down. After lighting the oil cloth, the entire paper bucket will be filled with hot air. Every sky lantern will rise like a hot air balloon, bringing your blessings and wishes with you. , floating in the night sky.

Homemade Kongming Lantern (1) Use tissue paper to cut into pieces of paper with the specifications as shown in the picture. Glue one side of the first piece of paper to one side of the second piece, and then glue the third and fourth pieces.... Glue them on in the same way until it forms a ball with a diameter of about 60 cm with both ends open. Cut another round piece of tissue paper and cover the top hole. After it dries, inflate the balloon and find a strip. Thin and narrow bamboo strips are bent into a bamboo ring the same size as the hole below. Two thin iron wires perpendicular to each other are crossed inside the bamboo ring and fastened to the bamboo ring. The bamboo ring is then glued to the hole below. On the edge of the paper, the balloon made of paste cannot leak. (2) Light the alcohol cotton ball and tie it in the center of the wire. After the air inside the balloon is heated, the balloon will rise straight from the ground to the sky. As shown in the picture. (3) ) This is because the air inside the balloon expands when heated and partially moves outward, causing the buoyancy force of the balloon to be greater than the weight of the balloon (including the hot air inside the balloon), so the balloon will rise