Global EditionASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
    Culture
    Home / Culture / Heritage

    Enthusiasts chase sky-high thrills of wind power

    By CHENG YUEZHU | China Daily Global | Updated: 2024-04-30 08:58
    Share
    Share - WeChat
    Chinese cultural elements like Peking Opera masks are popular patterns on kites. CHINA DAILY

    Until you see it with your own eyes, it might be difficult to envision the surreal scenes at a kite festival, which to kite lovers are ordinary encounters.

    Often on a vast expanse of grassland or beach, myriad fantastic and sublime creatures — birds, Chinese dragons, whales, octopuses, and iconic cartoon characters — command the sky and look down upon the attendees. It seems there's nothing human imagination can conjure that cannot take flight.

    Many kite festivals also include contests, which are must-see events. Under the skillful maneuvering of virtuosi, different kinds of kites ascend into the heavens and perform jaw-dropping stunts.

    There is never a lack of pulse-pounding moments, when sudden wind shifts cause two rival kites to cross paths. But most of the time, thanks to the swift yet elegant control of the flyers, the kites come to terms and return to their own tracks.

    While conventionally considered a spring activity in China, for veterans, flying kites is a year-round endeavor.

    Gao Zhenying (left), 66, and her husband, Zhao Shiming, 68, have grown from kite enthusiasts into professional athletes. CHINA DAILY

    Gao Zhenying, 66, a kite athlete with Beijing Kite Association, says that she goes to a park near her home almost every morning and flies her kite for two hours, usually a simple, single-line eagle kite that can circle in the sky as long as there's a gentle breeze.

    When she retired in 2005, Gao began accompanying her husband, Zhao Shiming, 68, also a veteran athlete, and other kite lovers to take photos for them.

    "I quite liked the kites, so after a while, taking photos was not enough, and I was tempted to try my hand at flying one. I began with dual-line triangle kites and immediately liked the feeling," she says.

    Usually one person controls one kite, but she soon learned to handle a kite in each hand and draw circles or squares in the sky with them. Later, mastering quad-line stunt kites and traditional kites came equally naturally to her.

    Gao's mantra on her social media account, "Fly with joy every day", encapsulates her passion for the sport. Whether it's to a nearby park or a distant holiday destination, the couple often gather with fellow enthusiasts and practice flying in formation, undeterred by chilly weather or strong winds.

    One of these experienced flyers, Huang He, 52, has a similar experience to Gao — initially spurred by seeing other kite flyers and wanting to have a try, and then driven to persevere out of genuine passion.

    "I first got involved in the late 1990s. Our group of flyers has gained recognition in domestic competitions, but I believe that what truly matters is not technique but persistence," Huang says.

    "We're a tight-knit group. We spend more than 300 days flying kites outdoors every year; that's nearly every day, except during adverse weather conditions. It shares similarities with all sports. When you practice enough over a sufficiently long period of time, your skills naturally improve."

    1 2 3 Next   >>|
    Most Popular
    Top
    BACK TO THE TOP
    English
    Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
    License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

    Registration Number: 130349
    FOLLOW US
    玖玖资源站无码专区| 亚洲欧美成人久久综合中文网| 色综合久久中文字幕综合网 | 中文字幕一区二区人妻性色| 无码少妇精品一区二区免费动态| 日本精品久久久久中文字幕8| 国产成人AV一区二区三区无码| 亚洲中文字幕无码一区| 免费无码中文字幕A级毛片| 国产成A人亚洲精V品无码性色 | 寂寞少妇做spa按摩无码| 中文字幕久久波多野结衣av| 成在人线av无码免费高潮水| 亚洲AV无码一区二区三区DV| 中文无码熟妇人妻AV在线 | 99久久超碰中文字幕伊人| 国产成人无码精品一区在线观看| 亚洲欧洲日产国码无码网站| 玖玖资源站中文字幕在线| 久久精品aⅴ无码中文字字幕不卡 久久精品aⅴ无码中文字字幕重口 | 色综合久久久久无码专区| 最近2019中文字幕大全第二页| 熟妇人妻不卡中文字幕| 亚洲AV无码之日韩精品| 国产爆乳无码视频在线观看| 免费看又黄又无码的网站| 亚洲av无码专区在线播放| 中文字幕无码第1页| 精品无码成人片一区二区98| 日韩人妻无码一区二区三区久久99| 国产在线无码视频一区二区三区| 亚洲gv猛男gv无码男同短文 | 日韩人妻无码中文字幕视频| 亚洲AV无码国产精品色午友在线| 伊人久久无码中文字幕| 亚洲国产精品无码中文字| 亚洲爆乳精品无码一区二区三区 | 精品欧洲AV无码一区二区男男| 日韩精品无码一区二区三区不卡 | 无码人妻精品一区二区在线视频| 中文字幕乱偷无码AV先锋|