Weifang Kite [Shandong Weifang Specialty]

What is Weifang Kite? Authentic Shandong Weifang Specialty: Weifang Kite

Summary:Do you want to know what Weifang Kite is? This article is a detailed introduction to Weifang Kite, a specialty of Shandong Province. It was compiled and edited by the editorial team of China Specialty Network after reviewing and collecting relevant information about Weifang Kite. The full text takes about 7 minutes to read, mainly including the basic introduction of Weifang Kite and the product features of Weifang Kite? How did the history of Weifang kites come about? The production methods of Weifang kites, etc

Basic Introduction of Weifang Kite

Weifang Kite is a traditional handicraft treasure of the Han ethnic group in Weifang, Shandong Province, and a cultural custom of folk traditional festivals. It is one of the intangible cultural heritages. Weifang, also known as Weidu or Yuandu, has a long history of kite making and exquisite craftsmanship. Weifang kites, Beijing style kites, Tianjin style kites, and others complement each other and stand tall. Weifang kites, like many other folk art forms in China, originated from people's entertainment activities and are entertainment products that embody people's ideals and wishes, and are closely related to people's lives

The artistic characteristics and style of Weifang kites: exquisite selection of materials, beautiful shape, exquisite binding, vivid image, gorgeous painting, diverse varieties, and flexible takeoff. Among the kite families in China, Weifang kites have a long history, rich and diverse themes. With its unique selection of materials, exaggerated deformations in design, the artist's New Year painting techniques, and the skillful use of mechanical principles, it has formed a strong local atmosphere and unique charm, renowned throughout history and at home and abroad

Kite, formerly known as "Yuan", Weifang is also known as Weidu or Yuandu, hence the name, indicating the long history of kite making in Weifang

The production method of Weifang kites

Tie

The skeleton of Weifang kites is generally made of bamboo, and the process of tying the skeleton includes: selecting bamboo, breaking bamboo, cutting bamboo strips (there are various methods such as "pulling" and "pushing"), repairing bamboo strips, bending bamboo strips, tying bamboo strips, etc. There are various types of kite stands, each with its own unique tying method. Generally speaking, after mastering the basic tying methods of hard winged kites, soft winged kites, and beat kite stands, one can freely change and make various kites

Paste

Paste kite paper, using alum silk, thin silk, etc., can be determined according to the kite form. For example, silk is used for pasting dragonfly kites because it has better transparency than paper and resembles the wings of living dragonflies. Silk is used for pasting dragon and green fish tails, which shake in the wind like fish tails when flying. Silk cannot be used for pasting eagles because silk does not shake like eagles spinning in the air after being exposed to wind, and must be made of leather paper or wind proof paper that is mounted on it. When pasting kites, first compare the Paper Cuttings on the shelf. The paper is larger than the shelf. Cut some holes on the edge. After applying paste on the edge, paste the cut edges on the paper strip in turn. There are two types of pasting methods; One is to stick the paper package on the four sides of the bamboo strip, which is called "edge wrapping". The other is to stick the paper package on the two sides of the bamboo strip, and after the paste dries, use a knife to cut off the excess paper, which is called "edge cutting". This method involves exposing a portion of the bamboo strips that have been trimmed and processed to showcase the artist's production skills. Kites can be painted first and then pasted, or painted first and then pasted. Because the painted patterns on kites are mostly symmetrical, artists usually paint them first and then paste them in order to make the patterns symmetrical and consistent

Painting

The composition and color scheme of kite painting can best reflect local characteristics. The kites in Weifang draw on the techniques of Weixian woodblock New Year paintings and also draw on the strengths of Beijing Tianjin kite paintings. The lines are rough, and the colors are based on red, yellow, and blue, with heavy strokes and thick strokes. The colors are bright and simple, achieving a strong aesthetic perspective effect in symmetry

Flying

Tools for flying kites include cable winding tools, coiling tools, and various game accessories. The string used for flying kites includes "sewing thread" (suitable for flying small kites), "small thread" (three strand cotton thread, the most commonly used kite string in folk culture), "clothing thread" (silk thread, thin called "silk thread", thick called "silk rope"), "hemp thread" (formerly used by folk people to enlarge kites with this thread), etc. The most common winding tool is "thread rod", which is a hexagonal thread spool worn on the shaft handle and can be freely rotated to fly the kite