Weifang in Shandong province has a long history of making kites. It is known as the birthplace of kites.
According to local artisans (工匠), Weifang kite-making appeared 2000 years ago. At first, they were often used by the army for measuring distance and communication purposes. During the Ming Dynasty (1368 －1644), kites started to be popular among ordinary people as entertainment.
Made from bamboo and decorated with traditional Chinese paintings, Weifang kite-making was included in the national-level intangible cultural heritage (非物质文化遗产) lists in 2006. The International Kite Festival has been held in Weifang every year since 1984.
Yang Hongwei, 56, is an inheritor (传承人) of the Weifang kite-making skills. She was born in a kite-making family. Yang often saw kites with bright colors and different shapes in her grandfather's workshop.
Having a special connection with kites, Yang learned the skills from her grandfather at the age of 16. After she had practiced the skills for 10 years, she started her own shop in 1992.
On Yang's kites, people can see not only common shapes like butterflies and swallows (燕子), but also some prints telling ancient Chinese tales and history. For example, she once made a kite showing a phoenix (凤凰) head lined with pictures of 50 famous women in Chinese history on each side.
In her spare time, she also travels to different countries including Germany, Australia, the US and New Zealand to tell people about Chinese stories seen on kites and the traditional ways of making kites.
"I'm an inheritor of the culture. It is also an important job of mine to spread the heritage around the world and onto the next generation," she said.
