Kites

风筝

T he earliest Chinese kites were made of wood and called muyuan wooden kites);they date as far back as the Warring States Period (475-221 BC)at least two millennia¹ ago. After the invention of paper，kites began to be made of this new material-paper, and this paper kite is called zhiyuan (paper kites).

中国最早的风筝木制而成，古称“木莺”，至少可以追溯到2000多年前的战国时期.。纸被发明后，改为由纸绢画扎制而成，称为“纸莺”。

Chinese kites fail into two major categories :those with detachable² wings and those with fixed³ wings. The former can be taken apart and packed in boxes. Easy to carry about，they make good presents. The second category refers to those with fixed，non-detachable frames ;they fly better and higher，given a steady wind. Classified by designs and other specifications，there are no less than 300 varieties，including human figures，fish，insects，birds, animals and written characters. In size，they range from 304 metres to only 30 centimetres across.

中国风筝主要分为两大类:飞翼可拆开类和飞翼固定类。第一类风筝的飞翼可以拆下，放入箱内，既便于携带，又用于礼物送人。第二类风筝的飞翼是固定的，龙骨不能拆开，但是飞得更高、更好，更稳。根据设计和用途等分类，中国风筝可以分为300多种，例如:人物、鱼、昆虫、鸟、动物，等等。在尺寸上，直径为30厘米至304米不等。

In about Tang Dynasty，Chinese kites were introduced to Korea，Japan，Malaysia and then to Europe and America.

大约从唐代以后，中国风筝流传到朝鲜、日本、马来西亚等地，然后又流传到欧美等地。

The well-known Weifang(Shandong Province)Kite Festival has become an annual feature in the country，drawing hundreds of participants each April from home and many foreign countries.

著名的“潍坊风筝节”已经成为中国每年一次的大型活动，得年4月吸引着国内外的大批风筝爱好者参加。