濰坊風箏：放飛想象 Weifang Kites: Setting Imagination Alight

張蓓 Zhang Bei

風箏被稱為“人類最早的飛行器”。山東濰坊是世界風箏的發源地，素有“世界風箏之都”的美譽，全球85% 以上的風箏都產自這里。

Kites are often celebrated as “theearliest flying machines created by humans.”Weifang， located in Shandong， holds thedistinction of being the global birthplace ofkites and is widely recognized as the “KiteCapital of the World.” More than 85% of allkites worldwide are manufactured here.

“紙花如雪滿天飛，嬌女秋千打四圍。五色羅裙風擺動，好將蝴蝶斗春歸?！鼻宕嵃鍢虻摹稇褳H縣》一詩，描寫了清明時節濰坊一帶放風箏的景象。風箏又稱“紙鳶”，濰坊也被稱作“鳶都”。濰坊風箏自宋代開始流行于民間，明代普及，清代盛行。但與當時不少地方清明時節放風箏寄思先人不同，濰坊居民清明放風箏主要是為了春游踏青。

Weifang’s tradition of kite-flying duringthe Qingming Festival is immortalized in aQing Dynasty poem “Thoughts of WeifangCounty” by Zheng Banqiao， “Against theazure sky， paper flowers drift like fallingsnow， and girls on swings fill the air withlaughter. Their colorful silk dresses ripple inthe breeze， vying with the spring’s butterfliesfor charm.” Kites were referred to as “papereagles，” and Weifang was known as the“kite city.” The practice of kite flying datesto the Song Dynasty， gaining widespreadpopularity during the Ming Dynasty， and reaching its zenith during the Qing Dynasty.However， in contrast to many other regions wherekite flying is primarily done to honor ancestors，the residents of Weifang fly kites during the festivalmainly for leisure in spring outings.

風箏已經上升為濰坊的地域文化符號。濰坊風箏制作歷史悠久、造型優美、工藝精湛、色彩艷麗，是中國風箏的重要流派之一。濰坊市于1984年舉辦了首屆國際風箏會，這是國內第一個以“國際”冠名的重大風箏盛會，此后每年一屆，至今已舉辦40屆。1988年，濰坊市被推舉為“世界風箏之都”。2006年，濰坊風箏制作技藝被列入第一批國家級非物質文化遺產名錄，“國際風箏聯合會”總部也設在了濰坊。

Kites is a significantcultural symbol of Weifang.Renowned for their richhistory of craftsmanship，intricate designs， and vibrantcolors， Weifang kites holda special place in Chinesekite-making tradition. In1984， Wei fang hosted thefirst International Kite Festival，marking the first major kite eventin China to bear the “international”distinction. This festival has been heldannually for nearly four decades. In 1988，Weifang earned the title of the “Kite Capitalof the World.” In 2006， Weifang’s kite-makingtechniques were among the first to be inscribed onChina’s national list of intangible cultural heritage，and the headquarters of the International KiteFederation were established in Weifang.

說起中國風箏的代表作品，濰坊的龍頭蜈蚣風箏必須占有一席之地。龍頭蜈蚣風箏取龍頭為首，以蜈蚣作腰節，集合立體和串式特色于一體，其制作工藝極為繁雜。其中，龍是中華民族的圖騰，象征風調雨順；蜈蚣在濰坊的民間傳說中是龍的子孫，其多腳的特點寓意著多子多孫，多福多祥，龍頭蜈蚣象征五谷豐登、歲歲平安。

Among the notable Chinese kite designs， the“dragon-head centipede kite” from Weifang standsout. This unique kite features a dragon’s head atthe front and a centipede-like body， blendingthree-dimensional and stringed characteristics. Itsproduction involves a highly intricate process. Thedragon holds a special place in Chinese culture，symbolizing favorable weather， while local folklorein Weifang considers the centipede as a descendantof the dragon， with its numerous legs symbolizingabundant offspring and blessings. Therefore， thedragon-head centipede kite embodies the concepts ofabundant harvest and year-round peace.

在每年風箏會“放飛場”的上空，除了有龍頭蜈蚣風箏，還有《西游記》里的唐僧師徒、秦始皇、蝙蝠俠等各色人物，《山海經》里的各種神獸，巨型鯨魚、章魚等各種海洋動物，以及衛星、火箭、汽車和“復興號”列車等。有人說，給濰坊人一根線，什么都能飛上天。他們放的不僅僅是風箏，更是人類的想象力。

On the day of the International Kite Festival，you’ll encounter an array of designs in the sky，ranging from dragon-headedcent ipe d e s to b el ovedcharacters such as MonkTang and his disciples fromthe classical novel ， Qin Shi Huang，Batman， and even mythicalcreatures from the .You’ll also spot enormouswhales， octopuses， as well assatellites， rockets， cars， andthe iconic “Fuxing” highspeedtrains. It is often saidthat in Weifang， all it takesis a string in the hands ofthe locals to send anythingsoaring into the sky. Whatadorns the sky is not justkites but also the boundlessimagination of humanity.

2023年，中國神話史詩電影《封神》熱映，影片中巨大的“玄鳥”就出自濰坊的國家級非遺項目風箏制作技藝代表性傳承人張效東老師之手。玄鳥的獨特造型與濰坊風箏的精湛工藝十分契合，張效東老師將濰坊風箏的扎制技藝融入影視道具制作，使用竹條3 000多米，歷時兩個多月，最終營造出恢宏浩大的登基大典場景。

In 2023， the Chinese mythological film achieved great success. It features aspectacular “Xuanniao” bird in one scene， which ismeticulously crafted by Zhang Xiaodong， a nationalkite-making custodian from Weifang. Xuanniao’sdesign captures the exquisite artistry of Weifangkites. To fully incorporate Weifang’s kite-makingtechniques into this film prop， Zhang used over 3，000 meters of bamboo strips and dedicated more thantwo months to crafting the magnificent coronationscene.

張效東所在的濰坊市寒亭區，是濰坊風箏的重要產地，入選“中國風箏文化之鄉”。當地的風箏藝人在傳統風箏的基礎上，相繼開發出3D風箏、動態風箏、夜光風箏等新產品，其中還有多款入選外事禮品，參展世博會、進博會等。他們還將風箏與影視、游戲、生活融合，讓傳統手藝煥發出青春活力。此外，他們還與多家國際品牌合作，在產品設計、專柜美陳和專題活動中融入風箏元素，將濰坊風箏文化和制作技藝傳播到世界各地。

Weifang’s Hanting District， where Zhangresides， stands as a significant hub for Weifang kitesand is renowned as the “hometown of Chinesekite culture.” Local kite artisans have not onlypreserved traditional kite craftsmanship but have alsoinnovated by introducing new products such as 3Dkites， stunt kites， and glow kites. Several of these kiteshave been chosen as diplomatic gifts and featured atprestigious events like the World Expo and the ChinaInternational Import Expo （CIIE）. Here， kites areseamlessly integrated into various aspects of modernlife， including film， gaming， and everyday leisure，injecting youthful energy into this time-honored craft.Moreover， these artisans collaborate with numerousinternational brands， infusing kite elements into theirproduct designs， store displays， and special events，thereby spreading Weifang’s kite culture and artistryto a global audience.

濰坊市還建立了中國首座大型風箏藝術類專業博物館。風箏，作為濰坊甚至中國的文化符號，還是聯結四海之誼、打開開放之窗的紐帶。寒亭區的省級非遺項目風箏制作技藝代表性傳承人郭洪利曾先后到歐洲、北美洲、東南亞等的30多個國家和地區進行風箏文化藝術交流。每到一處，他都要帶上濰坊的傳統龍頭蜈蚣風箏，大的數百米，最小的僅錢幣大小。在馬來西亞小學，郭洪利還上了一堂別開生面的線上非遺課，他教學生們扎制風箏，讓他們對中國的風箏文化有了更深入的了解，也促進了中馬兩國的文化交流和民心相親。濰坊風箏不僅走向了世界，還飛向了太空。它曾作為特殊的搭載紀念物，伴隨天宮二號和神舟十一號飛船順利從太空返回。

Weifang has also established China’s first museumdedicated exclusively to the art of kites. As a culturalsymbol not only in Weifang but also throughout China，kites serve as a bridge that connects people worldwideand provides a window into cultural openness. GuoHongli， the provincial-level intangible cultural heritagecustodian of kite-making in Hanting District，has engaged in cultural and artistic exchangesrelated to kites in over 30 countries and regions，spanning Europe， North America， SoutheastAsia， and beyond. Wherever he travels， hebrings along traditional Weifang dragon-headcentipede kites， varying in size from hundreds ofmeters to ones as small as a coin. In a Malaysianelementary school， Guo even conducted aninnovative online class on intangible culturalheritage， teaching students the art of kite-making.This experience enhanced their appreciationfor Chinese kite culture while fostering culturalexchange and mutual understanding betweenChina and Malaysia. Notably， Weifang kites havenot only earned global recognition but havealso ventured into space， serving as a distinctivecommemorative item that accompanied thesuccessful return of the Tiangong-2 and theShenzhou-11 spacecraft from outer space.

這種傳承還延續到了年輕人身上。在2023年9—10月舉行的濰坊國際風箏嘉年華現場，可以看到很多大學生穿著精美的漢服放風箏，他們希望借此機會，結合傳承并發揚這兩種中華優秀傳統文化。

This rich heritage continues to be passeddown to younger generations. During the WeifangInternational Kite Carnival held in September andOctober of 2023， numerous college students wereobserved wearing Hanfu while participating in kiteflying. They aimed to seize the opportunity to bothpreserve and promote these two remarkable aspectsof traditional Chinese culture.

小風箏，支撐起大產業。隨著濰坊國際風箏嘉年華的舉辦，濰坊風箏走向世界，風箏產業逐步壯大。目前，濰坊有風箏企業717家、風箏產業鏈從業人員8萬余人，風箏及相關產業年產值超20億元，產品遠銷歐美、東南亞等的50 多個國家和地區。近幾年，濰坊風箏出口貨值以平均10%左右的速度穩步增長，風箏出口量位居全球第一，風箏制造產業、風箏旅游產業和風箏文化創意產業全面開拓發展，成為濰坊極具特色的文化產業，也使濰坊成為名副其實的世界風箏文化和產業中心。

Small kites have played a pivotal role insupporting a thriving industry. Thanks to thecarnival， Weifang’s kites have garnered internationalrecognition， fueling the steady expansion of the kiteindustry. Currently， Weifang is home to 717 kitebusinesses， employing over 80，000 professionals inthe field. The annual production of kites and relatedindustries exceeds two billion RMB， with productsexported to more than 50 countries and regions，including Europe， America， and Southeast Asia. Inrecent years， Weifang’s kite exports have maintainedthe world’s top position with consistent annual growthaveraging 10%. The kite manufacturing， kite tourism，and kite cultural and creative industries have all seencomprehensive growth. This has solidified Weifang’sstatus as a distinctive cultural hub and earned it thewell-deserved reputation as a true global center forkite culture and industry.

供圖/ 袁明國 孫秀芳 張景國 宋永波 黃燕蘭新華社- 孫樹寶