It is probable that the discovery of kite flying inspired humans to envision flying themselves. However kites have been used in a variety of ways from fishing and children's toys to spying during times of war.
South Pacific Kites
Some say that the people in the South Sea Islands used them first for fishing. Fishermen attached bait to the kite's tail along with a web to catch the fish. Soloman Island residents in the Pacific still use kites in this manner today. The Maori in New Zealand thought the kites could carry messages to the gods and kite flying became a sacred ritual.
Colorful hawks, dragons, fish and turtles made of paper or silk first flew in the skies of eastern Asia about three thousand years ago. The Chinese probably invented the kite since the earliest known record of kites as well as all the necessary kite-making materials came from there. Light-weight but strong with its hollow stems, bamboo made excellent kite frames for the silk or paper sails. Kite makers often painted these sails with brilliant designs so that they looked like air-borne animals darting around against the brilliant blue Chinese skies.
Chinese Kites
The moonless sky over China in 202 BCE presented an excellent opportunity for General Huan Theng to try out a new military strategy. General Hsiang Yu had ordered his army to make camp in a wooded valley and they settled down to sleep while sentries patrolled the area.
Theng ordered his army to build large kites with whistles installed on them. Then the army took the kites and crept through the forest and surrounded the resting troops. Shortly after midnight they flew the screaming kites over the campsite. The unearthly, shrill whistling sounds coming from the dark skies awoke and terrified the sleeping troops. They fled into the forest thinking that evil night demons were attacking their camp, only to find Theng's army waiting for them.
Another story describes how General Han Hsin used a kite to establish the Western Han Dynasty in 206 BCE. He flew a kite over the walls of the palace and marked the line and reeled in the kite. The length of the string told him how wide the protective wall was so that his soldiers dug a tunnel under the wall into the palace courtyard and attacked the residents. This was the first mention of kites in recorded history.
Kites in Crime
A Japanese thief, Kakinoki Kinsuke, once rode a kite to the top of Nagoya Castle where he stole golden scales from the ornamental fish on the roof as his kite passed over. He then rode the kite into the woods and escaped. But his freedom was short-lived for he was soon captured and boiled in oil for his punishment.
Kites in Thailand
There is a Thai legend that describes how the military found a way to use kites. The story tells how a revolution occurred there in the 17th century. The king tied barrels filled with gunpowder to large kites. After lighting the fuses, he flew the kites over the rebel army where they exploded.
Marco Polo
This explorer brought the first kites to Europe during the 13th century. At first the Westerner's regarded kites only as children's toys, but by the 1700's, scientists found various ways to use kites in their experiments. Alexander Wilson tested the temperatures in the sky at various altitudes by tying thermometers to kites, and in America, Benjamin Franklin used a kite to prove that lightening was a form of electricity.
Kites in World War II
In more recent times during World War II, the German Navy used spy kites to carry observers high in the air. Merchant ships also flew kites in order to confuse enemy pilots and prevent dive bombers from attacking their fleets.
Chinese Kites Today
The Chinese have always flown decorated kites at religious festivals to represent mythological creatures which would keep evil spirits away and attract good luck. Paper hawks and silk dragons seem almost alive as they soar high in the sky and anyone who flew a kite on "Kite Day" can expect to find good fortune for the year.
The citizens of one Chinese city still hold a three-day festival of kite battles today. This 400-year-old tradition started when a servant flew a kite to celebrate the birth of his master's first son. Now the festival is held every year in honor of the birth of all the first-born sons in the city.
Source:
Imperial China by Cole, Joanna, and Degen, Bruce; Scholastic Press, 2005
Diane Evans - I am a retired civil engineer as well as a member of Sisters in Crime and the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.
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