Weifang, the Kite Capital

A Journey to the Weifang World Kite Museum: A Thousand-Year-Old Poem Dancing with the Wind Stepping into the Weifang World Kite Museum on a late spring afternoon is like falling into an oriental scroll unfurled by the wind. This courtyard with gray tiles and white walls holds the secrets of humanity's dialogue with the sky. [Shadows of Kites Past] On the second floor, in the "Qin and Han Dynasties" exhibition area, wooden kite fragments from the Warring States period lie quietly in glass cases. The cracks seem to whisper the rustling sound of Lu Ban splitting bamboo two thousand years ago. The silk surface of a Ming Dynasty swallow kite has faded, but the cinnabar of the hawk's eyes still burns brightly. Gazing at it, one can almost see the ancients running along the banks of the Wei River, their agricultural prayers tied to the heavens. [The Flow of Craftsmanship] In the intangible cultural heritage workshop, a seventy-year-old craftsman taps bamboo with his knuckles, discerning its quality: "This piece of bamboo, harvested in early spring five years ago, is resilient enough!" His knife moves like a bow across strings, splitting bamboo strips as thin as cicada wings. He crafts a 10-meter-long centipede kite with a dragon's head. Each of its 300 scales is hand-painted with gold lacquer. When the wind blows, the dragon's whiskers tremble, as if trying to break free from the strings and soar into the clouds. [Kites Across the World] The third floor's "Boundless Kite Language" is stunning: an Indian Ganesha kite adorned with mirrors reflects the morning light of the Ganges; a Brazilian Carnival kite woven with neon feathers embodies a tropical storm; and a satellite kite specially made by Weifang craftsmen for NASA, its carbon fiber frame supporting a galactic totem. It turns out that the story of chasing the wind has long been written into the star charts of different civilizations. Travel Tips ●📍 Address: No. 66 Xingzheng Street, Kuiwen District, Weifang City (near Bailang River) ●🪁 Experience: Traditional kite-making lessons are available daily at 10:30am/3:00pm (reservations required) ●🌸 Nearby: An 8-minute walk to Shihu Garden. After admiring the kites, enjoy the rhythmic tapping of woodblocks used in Yangjiabu New Year paintings. As I left the museum, the sun was setting, and the square was filled with butterfly kites flown by visitors. In the twilight, those trembling wings seemed to symbolize the city transforming its rich civilization into a light and graceful flight. If you visit in spring, don't forget to bring a youthful heart yearning to ride the wind. (Museum)