The fun of flying with your feet on the ground
Source: Shanghai Daily |
January 1, 2011, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
ON a sunny day in the Meilong and Lingyun areas of Minhang, look skyward and see a splash of colorful birds, fish and insects flying overhead.
Just off the Lianhua Road Bridge, in a grassy park area, members of the Meiling kite-flying club are there most mornings, guiding octopus, fish, centipede, eagle and even parachute shapes through the upper air currents.
Li Tieshuang, 60, is founder of the club. He turns up in the park every day, weather permitting. His pride is a giant red kite in the shape of a carp.
"My kite is very big and eye-catching," he said. "When it shows up in the sky, it's a signal to other club members that it's a fine day for kite-flying."
Usually, within 10 minutes, his kite mates are on the scene. The club has about 30 members, all from the nearby community.
"The Meiling kite-flying club was named after the first syllables of Meilong and Lingyun, where most members live," he said.
Kites look so effortless as they bob through the skies, but making them and flying them are arts unto themselves.
When it comes to both, the Chinese are the masters. Kites have been part of the nation's cultural history for more than 2,000 years. Some accounts say that Chinese kites inspired the design of the first manned airplane built by the Wright Brothers in 1904.
Keeping tradition alive, most members of the Meiling club make their own kites.
Some are very elaborate, like one fashioned on the Concubine Yang - a mistress of Emperor Xuanzong in the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) and one of the four ancient beauties of China.
"When 'Yang' is flying high, we joke that beauty is coming'," Li said with a big smile.
One team member was creative enough to turn discarded umbrellas into kites. Li himself prefers plastic bags as a base material instead.
"It's amazing how waste materials can be turned into kites," Li said. "And recycling them is environmentally friendly."
About 20 expats are included among his followers. One morning several of his "students" were fretting over the failure of their kites to fly. Li stepped in and strung their creations into one kits. It soared.
"That's the power of solidarity," Li joked.
Indeed, the club is like one big family.
One of its members is autistic. He joined the group a kite lodged on the window of his room and he went out to the park to return it to its owner. The warmth of the group and the fun of flying kites have brought him out of his shell, the boy's grateful father said.
Another member suffering from cancer happened to see the club flying kites on the way to the hospital one day. Fascinated by what he saw, he went to the park and joined the group.
He still suffers from cancer, but the pain and suffering have been greatly reduced by the club's camaraderie.
Just off the Lianhua Road Bridge, in a grassy park area, members of the Meiling kite-flying club are there most mornings, guiding octopus, fish, centipede, eagle and even parachute shapes through the upper air currents.
Li Tieshuang, 60, is founder of the club. He turns up in the park every day, weather permitting. His pride is a giant red kite in the shape of a carp.
"My kite is very big and eye-catching," he said. "When it shows up in the sky, it's a signal to other club members that it's a fine day for kite-flying."
Usually, within 10 minutes, his kite mates are on the scene. The club has about 30 members, all from the nearby community.
"The Meiling kite-flying club was named after the first syllables of Meilong and Lingyun, where most members live," he said.
Kites look so effortless as they bob through the skies, but making them and flying them are arts unto themselves.
When it comes to both, the Chinese are the masters. Kites have been part of the nation's cultural history for more than 2,000 years. Some accounts say that Chinese kites inspired the design of the first manned airplane built by the Wright Brothers in 1904.
Keeping tradition alive, most members of the Meiling club make their own kites.
Some are very elaborate, like one fashioned on the Concubine Yang - a mistress of Emperor Xuanzong in the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) and one of the four ancient beauties of China.
"When 'Yang' is flying high, we joke that beauty is coming'," Li said with a big smile.
One team member was creative enough to turn discarded umbrellas into kites. Li himself prefers plastic bags as a base material instead.
"It's amazing how waste materials can be turned into kites," Li said. "And recycling them is environmentally friendly."
About 20 expats are included among his followers. One morning several of his "students" were fretting over the failure of their kites to fly. Li stepped in and strung their creations into one kits. It soared.
"That's the power of solidarity," Li joked.
Indeed, the club is like one big family.
One of its members is autistic. He joined the group a kite lodged on the window of his room and he went out to the park to return it to its owner. The warmth of the group and the fun of flying kites have brought him out of his shell, the boy's grateful father said.
Another member suffering from cancer happened to see the club flying kites on the way to the hospital one day. Fascinated by what he saw, he went to the park and joined the group.
He still suffers from cancer, but the pain and suffering have been greatly reduced by the club's camaraderie.
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