大约在公元前770年到公元前221年之间，被称为“木鸢”的大型木制风筝被发明用于军事目的。这个时期实际上包含了中国历史上两个独立的时期，春秋时期(公元前770-476年)和接下来的战国时期(公元前475-221年)。风筝被视为一种技术，似乎最早的风筝是在山东省发明的。

The prominent ideologist Mo Zi spent three years constructing a wooden kite that failed after one day's flight. One book noted that the master carpenter, Lu Ban, also made some that were flown high to spy on the enemy. The technology evolved further during the historical Chu-Han War of 203 - 202 BC. The general of the Han troops, Zhang Liang, ordered his soldiers to fly kites in the heavy fog around the Chu troops led by Xiang Yu. Children sitting in the large kites played tunes of Chu (the present Hubei Province) on flutes. Hearing the melodies, the Chu soldiers began to miss their homes and scattered without fighting in the war…. Another use was to deliver urgent messages.

著名的思想家墨子花了三年时间制作了一个木制风筝，但飞了一天后失败了。有一本书提到，木匠大师鲁班也做了一些高高飘扬的灯笼，用来监视敌人。这项技术在历史上公元前203 - 202年的楚汉战争中进一步发展。汉朝军队的将军张亮命令他的士兵在项羽率领的楚国军队周围的浓雾中放风筝。孩子们坐在大风筝上，用笛子吹奏楚国(今湖北省)的曲调。听到这些旋律，楚士兵开始想家，在战争中不战而散…另一个用途是传递紧急信息

1 AD to 1000 AD

The first century AD contained the prosperous Tang Dynasty (618–907). During this time, all kinds of people discovered the simple enjoyment of kite flying. The traditional bamboo and paper (or bamboo and silk) style of kite had its origin way back here. It was at this time that kites came to transcend their military functional origins and become an instrument of leisure.

公元一世纪包含了繁荣的唐朝(618-907)。在这段时间里，人们发现了放风筝带来的乐趣。传统的竹子和纸(或竹子和丝绸)风格的风筝起源于此时间段。正是在这个时候，风筝开始超越其军事功能的起源，成为一种休闲工具。

Later in the history of Chinese kites, people came up with more designs and new ideas, such as themusical kite. There's a record of a palace worker in the 900s AD who fixed bamboo pipes to a kite. When flown, the pipes would make a sound in the wind. kite making and flying become an art form. Kites also featured colorful birds, flowers, blossoms and of course, calligraphy. Kites became a vehicle of artistic expression, often with literary overtones.

后来，在中国风筝的历史上，人们提出了更多的设计和新的想法，如音乐风筝。有记载说公元900年，一名宫廷里的人将竹管固定在风筝上。当吹起时，这些管子会在风中发出声音。神话人物，传奇人物和中国十二生肖符号也被用来点缀风筝。风筝制作和飞行成为一种艺术形式。风筝上有色彩鲜艳的鸟、花、花朵，当然还有书法。风筝成为艺术表达的工具，通常带有文学色彩。

Maybe there were some simple kites flown by ordinary people in this period. However,there were also some expensive kites known for the introduction of silk-covered kites with beautiful and detailed hand-painted designs. These kites also carried many ornate accessories such as streamers and ribbons. So much went into these kites that it's likely they were only made and used by the royalty and aristocracy of the time.

也许这个时期有一些普通人放的简单的风筝。然而，也有一些昂贵的风筝以引入丝绸覆盖的风筝而闻名，这些风筝具有美丽而细致的手绘设计。这些风筝还带有许多装饰华丽的附件，如飘带和丝带。这些风筝投入了太多，很可能只有当时的皇室和贵族才能制作和使用。

1000 AD to 2000 AD

The history of Chinese kites after 1000 AD saw kites becoming more popular inall levels of Chinese society. If you couldn't afford silk, you could always use paper! Some time after this, kite flying became a seasonal activity. Most flying was done during and after Chinese New Year and through to March or April. For some areas of China, the winds were better for kite flying at these times.

在公元1000年后的中国风筝历史中，风筝在中国社会的各个层面变得越来越受欢迎。如果你买不起丝绸，你可以用纸！过了一段时间，放风筝成了一项季节性活动。大多数飞行是在中国春节期间和之后进行的，一直持续到3月或4月。对于中国的一些地区来说，这些时候的风更适合放风筝。

Around the time of the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911)，there sprung up a belief that kite flying was good for your health. Other somewhat superstitious ideas were around at this time too. For example, letting go of the kite string might get rid of back luck or illness as the kite drifted away. On the other hand, picking up a kite lost by someone else would bring bad luck!

大约是清朝时期(1644-1911)，人们开始相信放风筝对健康有好处。其他有点迷信的想法也在这个时候出现。例如，当风筝飘走时，放开风筝线可能会摆脱背运或疾病。另一方面，捡起别人丢的风筝会带来厄运！

By the late 1900s, the Chinese had organized largekite-flying festivals where the whole range of kites were on show. The keenest kite makers would show off their best kites. Thia was just like other kite festivals around the world do now.

到了20世纪晚期，中国人已经组织了大型的风筝节，展出各种各样的风筝。最热心的风筝制作人会展示他们最好的风筝。这就像现在世界上其他的风筝节一样。

Since 2000 AD

Although all the traditional forms of Chinese kites can still be seen, some Chinese kite makers are getting more adventurous. New innovative designs, art kites, and novelty designs are appearing.

自2000年以来 虽然仍然可以看到所有传统形式的中国风筝，但一些中国风筝制造商变得越来越有冒险精神。新的创新设计、艺术风筝和新奇设计正在出现。

二

How to make a kite?

怎么制作风筝？

Kite construction consists of three parts: framing, gluing and decoration. Mostly, bamboo is used to create the bones of a kite. It is light, exceptionally strong and pliable. Many frame shapes have been popular over centuries including birds, butterflies, diamonds, dragonflies as well as insects, such as centipedes or mythical animals like dragons.

风筝的制作包括三个部分:框架、粘合和装饰。大多数情况下，竹子被用来制作风筝的骨头。它很轻，非常坚固和柔韧。许多框架形状已经流行了几个世纪，包括鸟类，蝴蝶，钻石，蜻蜓以及昆虫，如蜈蚣或像龙这样的神话动物。

Silk and paper are the materials of choice for the kite's sail. Silk is considered more expensive and fragile, while the paper is cheaper and more practical to work with. The paper type used is generally very thin but fibrous, which reduces its weight and is often treated with a thin layer of oil to preserve it.

丝绸和纸是制作风筝帆的首选材料。丝绸被认为更加昂贵和脆弱，而纸张更便宜和更实用。使用的纸张类型通常非常薄，但具有纤维性，这降低了它的重量，并且通常用一层薄薄的油来保护它。

Once the kite's sail has been glued to the frame, the kite is then decorated. Tassels and sometimes hollow reeds are attached to give the kite movement or produce sound. Modern kite artisans are also producing kites with materials such as plastic, nylon, LED lights and specialized noise-makers. Movement is incorporated into a kite with hinged sections of the frame, suggesting a wing or tail.

一旦风筝的帆被粘在框架上，风筝就被装饰了。流苏和有时空心的簧片被系在风筝上，让风筝移动或发出声音。现代风筝工匠也在用塑料、尼龙、LED灯和专门的噪声发生器等材料制作风筝。运动与风筝框架的铰链部分结合在一起，让人联想到翅膀或尾巴。

The Weifang Kite Tradition

The city ofWeifang, Shandong Peninsula, has a special relationship to the kite. The city is namely home to the International Kite Association, and holds the Weifang International Kite Festival from April 20th to the 25th each year. Kite enthusiasts in the thousands, and from all corners of the globe, descend upon the city of Weifang at this time each year to participate in the kite competitions. Tourists flock just to watch this majestic and colorful spectacle. The climax of the festival is the crowning of the annual "Kite King". Weifang also has a museum dedicated to the history of the kite.

山东半岛的潍坊市与风筝有着特殊的关系。这座城市是国际风筝协会的所在地，每年4月20日至25日举办潍坊国际风筝节。每年这个时候，成千上万的风筝爱好者从世界各地来到潍坊市参加风筝比赛。游客们蜂拥而至，只为观赏这壮丽多彩的奇观。节日的高潮是一年一度的“风筝王”的加冕。潍坊还有一个专门介绍风筝历史的博物馆。

来源 | Sam外语说

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