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The kite master
By Tan Weiyun |
June 6, 2011, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
KITE master Mao Xueguan makes a dragon kite that's 210 meters long and weighs 50 kilograms - he also makes a sparrow kite weighing less than 1 gram. Tan Weiyun tells the tale.
Mao Xueguan never competes in any kite contest, because it's never a fair fight - he knows he will always win.
"I can beat them all easily," says the 65-year-old craftsman who makes kites for professionals, including the Shanghai Kite Team. "I am crystal clear about every kite's weak points."
He's a godsend for competitors - he can take a quick look at a kite, spot any problems and improve it swiftly with a few simple adjustments.
Kites are defined as tethered aircraft and the Fengxian District native in Shanghai, a retired fisherman, has learned about aerodynamics.
For 20 years, he has been making kites. They are meticulously fashioned with clever hinges and latches. They can not only fly high but also fly smooth and remain stable, withstanding high winds. Mao paints them beautifully.
They are works of art, whether a 210-meter-long dragon that weighs 50 kilograms and requires 60 people to fly it, or a simple sparrow kite that weighs less than a gram but is aerodynamically perfect.
"Don't look down upon this little thing. It flies very well," says Mao.
During the "cultural revolution" (1966-76), no one made or flew kites - it was too frivolous. But afterward, kites took off again and Mao was one of the earliest to make and fly old-fashioned kites after the tumult ended.
Stepping inside Mao's workshop near Fengxian beach is like stepping into a fairy tale world. Kites of all kinds, of various shapes and forms are hung on walls, piled on the floor and tied to window frames. They are animals, animated figures, heroes from mythology and history.
In the center is large work desk loaded with half-finished kites, bamboo sticks, various lines and tethers, knives and paint brushes.
"It's a little messy here," Mao says, quickly tiding up, acknowledging his freestyle work habits.
"I'm as free as a kite flying in the sky," he says.
He started 25 years ago when his son, then in third grade at a primary school, came home from school, begging for a kite. All the other boys had them and he wanted one too.
Mao, then a shrimp farmer, had never made a kite. "But I liked handwork and didn't think it would be a difficult job," he recalls.
The following day Mao pedaled on his creaky old bike to Shihua area in nearby Jinshan District and bought two books on kite making. He made his son a flat swallow-shaped kite that flew high and far.
"My son loved it very much and that kit was the beginning of my kite career," he says.
He immediately quit shrimp farming and dedicated all his time and energy to kite making. "I was with kites every day. Even at midnight when I was struck by some new ideas, I would jump from bed and rush to my work studio," he says.
Mao makes kites the old-fashioned way, with carefully split bamboo. He uses a variety of materials, such as silk, cotton, various fabrics, nylon and polyester. All have their advantages - he prefers silk, noting that it's best for painting. All kites are hand-painted.
He makes them with hard wings, soft wings, with or without spars; he makes kites that are flat and kites that are three-dimensional, kites with multiple lines. He makes kites with little LED bulbs that shine at night, kites containing bamboo whistles that sing in the wind. Of course he makes dragon kites.
One of his specialties he calls the gliding eagle kite that soars and hovers, unlike other kites that remain stable. "It can glide freely and keep from falling by struggling with the wind," Mao says.
Kite lines are carefully chosen. Lines usually should be a little thick and nonelastic, so they aren't blown about too much by the wind. But for the flying eagle, lines should be thin to reduce wind drag but spars should be firm so the kite can "fight the winds" as it glides.
In 2007 Mao made his biggest kite, the dragon with a 3.5-meter-high head. His wife Xue Jianyu helped make it over two months. Now his son Mao Yong also makes kites.
Mao shares some secrets about recognizing a good kite. "Its line tells you all," he says. When the kite is in the air, the straighter the line, the better the kite. What's more important, the line should remain motionless. The gliding eagle should hover smoothly with a constant speed, not too fast, not too slow.
"Not everyone can make a kite well, but they can fly a kite well," Mao says. Spring and autumn are the best times for kite flying because the winds are steady. Force 3 and Force 4 winds are ideal with the wind speed at 3.4-7.9 meters per second.
The seashore is a good place for kite flying because there are no buildings and other obstacles.
All of his clients are professional kite flyers and 80 percent of his kites are made for competition. The Shanghai Kite Team is a loyal patron every year.
"I just love kites," says Mao.
"It's my destiny."
Mao Xueguan never competes in any kite contest, because it's never a fair fight - he knows he will always win.
"I can beat them all easily," says the 65-year-old craftsman who makes kites for professionals, including the Shanghai Kite Team. "I am crystal clear about every kite's weak points."
He's a godsend for competitors - he can take a quick look at a kite, spot any problems and improve it swiftly with a few simple adjustments.
Kites are defined as tethered aircraft and the Fengxian District native in Shanghai, a retired fisherman, has learned about aerodynamics.
For 20 years, he has been making kites. They are meticulously fashioned with clever hinges and latches. They can not only fly high but also fly smooth and remain stable, withstanding high winds. Mao paints them beautifully.
They are works of art, whether a 210-meter-long dragon that weighs 50 kilograms and requires 60 people to fly it, or a simple sparrow kite that weighs less than a gram but is aerodynamically perfect.
"Don't look down upon this little thing. It flies very well," says Mao.
During the "cultural revolution" (1966-76), no one made or flew kites - it was too frivolous. But afterward, kites took off again and Mao was one of the earliest to make and fly old-fashioned kites after the tumult ended.
Stepping inside Mao's workshop near Fengxian beach is like stepping into a fairy tale world. Kites of all kinds, of various shapes and forms are hung on walls, piled on the floor and tied to window frames. They are animals, animated figures, heroes from mythology and history.
In the center is large work desk loaded with half-finished kites, bamboo sticks, various lines and tethers, knives and paint brushes.
"It's a little messy here," Mao says, quickly tiding up, acknowledging his freestyle work habits.
"I'm as free as a kite flying in the sky," he says.
He started 25 years ago when his son, then in third grade at a primary school, came home from school, begging for a kite. All the other boys had them and he wanted one too.
Mao, then a shrimp farmer, had never made a kite. "But I liked handwork and didn't think it would be a difficult job," he recalls.
The following day Mao pedaled on his creaky old bike to Shihua area in nearby Jinshan District and bought two books on kite making. He made his son a flat swallow-shaped kite that flew high and far.
"My son loved it very much and that kit was the beginning of my kite career," he says.
He immediately quit shrimp farming and dedicated all his time and energy to kite making. "I was with kites every day. Even at midnight when I was struck by some new ideas, I would jump from bed and rush to my work studio," he says.
Mao makes kites the old-fashioned way, with carefully split bamboo. He uses a variety of materials, such as silk, cotton, various fabrics, nylon and polyester. All have their advantages - he prefers silk, noting that it's best for painting. All kites are hand-painted.
He makes them with hard wings, soft wings, with or without spars; he makes kites that are flat and kites that are three-dimensional, kites with multiple lines. He makes kites with little LED bulbs that shine at night, kites containing bamboo whistles that sing in the wind. Of course he makes dragon kites.
One of his specialties he calls the gliding eagle kite that soars and hovers, unlike other kites that remain stable. "It can glide freely and keep from falling by struggling with the wind," Mao says.
Kite lines are carefully chosen. Lines usually should be a little thick and nonelastic, so they aren't blown about too much by the wind. But for the flying eagle, lines should be thin to reduce wind drag but spars should be firm so the kite can "fight the winds" as it glides.
In 2007 Mao made his biggest kite, the dragon with a 3.5-meter-high head. His wife Xue Jianyu helped make it over two months. Now his son Mao Yong also makes kites.
Mao shares some secrets about recognizing a good kite. "Its line tells you all," he says. When the kite is in the air, the straighter the line, the better the kite. What's more important, the line should remain motionless. The gliding eagle should hover smoothly with a constant speed, not too fast, not too slow.
"Not everyone can make a kite well, but they can fly a kite well," Mao says. Spring and autumn are the best times for kite flying because the winds are steady. Force 3 and Force 4 winds are ideal with the wind speed at 3.4-7.9 meters per second.
The seashore is a good place for kite flying because there are no buildings and other obstacles.
All of his clients are professional kite flyers and 80 percent of his kites are made for competition. The Shanghai Kite Team is a loyal patron every year.
"I just love kites," says Mao.
"It's my destiny."
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