She Spread Weifang Kite-Making Around the World她讓濰坊的風箏飛向了世界

Known as the birthplace of kites， Weifang in Shandong Province has a long history of making kites.

According to local artisans， Weifang kite-making can be traced back to 2，000 years ago. At first， they were often used by the military for measuring distance and communication purposes. During the Ming Dynasty （1368—1644）， kites started to be popular among ordinary people as entertainment.

Made from bamboo and featuring traditional Chinese paintings， Weifang kite-making was included in the national-level intangible cultural heritage lists in 2006. Initiated in 1984， the International Kite Festival has been held in Weifang every year.

Yang Hongwei， 56， is an inheritor of the Weifang kite-making technique. Born into a kite-making family， Yang often saw kites with bright colors and different shapes in her grandfathers workshop.

“Every time I see these beautiful kites， my boredom and negative feelings go away，” said Yang.

Having a special connection with kites， Yang learned the technique from her grandfather at the age of 16. After practicing the technique for 10 years， she started her own workshop in 1992.

作為風箏的發源地，山東省濰坊市有著悠久的風箏制作歷史。

根據當地風箏傳承人的說法，濰坊風箏的制作歷史可以追溯到2000年前。起初，風箏常由軍方用于測量距離和通信等目的。在明朝（1368—1644），放風箏開始作為一種娛樂方式，在普通百姓中流行起來。

濰坊風箏以竹子為原料，以中國畫為特色。2006年，濰坊風箏被列入國家級非物質文化遺產名錄。國際風箏節創辦于1984年，每年都在濰坊舉辦。

56歲的楊紅衛是濰坊風箏技藝傳承人。楊紅衛出生在一個風箏世家，在祖父的作坊里，她經常看到色彩鮮艷、形狀各異的風箏。

楊紅衛說：“每當我看到這些美麗的風箏，就不覺得無聊了，負面情緒也消失了。”

楊紅衛和風箏有著特殊的淵源，16歲時，她從祖父那里學會風箏制作技藝。經過10年的創作實踐，楊紅衛于1992年成立了自己的作坊。

“Many places around the world have a tradition of flying kites，” Yang said. “But I think the cultural context behind our kites is unique.”

On Yangs kites， people can see not only common patterns like butterflies and swallows， but also some prints telling Chinese myths， legends and history. For example， she once made a kite showing a phoenix head lined with portraits of 50 famous women in Chinese history on each side.

Though the idea was cool， the process was not easy.

Yang said that each woman has different characteristics in look， attire and make-up style. To create their portraits， she spent much effort and time checking historical records or discussing the details with professionals.

“Its time-consuming，” Yang added， “but when I explain the stories on the kites to foreign customers， I feel a sense of great achievement.”

In her spare time， she also travels to different countries including Germany， Australia， the US and New Zealand to tell people about Chinese stories seen on kites and the traditional ways of making kites.

“Im an inheritor of the culture. It is also an important job of mine to spread the heritage around the world and onto the next generation，” she said.

“世界上很多地方都有放風箏的傳統。”楊紅衛說，“但我認為我們風箏背后的文化背景是獨一無二的。”

在楊紅衛的風箏上，人們不僅可以看到蝴蝶和燕子等常見的圖案，還可以看到講述中國神話、傳說和歷史的圖案。例如，楊紅衛曾經制作過一個繪有鳳凰頭的風箏，兩邊分別畫著中國歷史上50位著名女性的肖像。

雖然這個創意很酷，但制作過程并不容易。

楊紅衛說，每位女性在外表、服裝和妝容風格上都各具特色。為了創作她們的肖像，楊紅衛花費了大量的精力和時間，去查閱歷史記錄或與專業人士討論細節。

“這非常耗費時間。”楊紅衛補充說，“但我向外國客人解釋風箏上的故事時，有一種很強的成就感。”

在業余時間，楊紅衛也去往包括德國、澳大利亞、美國和新西蘭等不同的國家，她會給人們講述風箏上所繪的中國故事，教授制作風箏的傳統方法。

“我是濰坊風箏技藝的傳承人，我的一項重要工作就是將這項文化遺產傳播到世界各地，傳遞給下一代。”她說。

Word Bank

artisan /'ɑ?t?'z?n/ n. 工匠;手藝人

initiate /?'n??ie?t/ v. 發起;開始

They wanted to initiate a discussion on environment.

inheritor /?n'her?t?/ n. 繼承者

attire /?'ta??/ n. 服裝;衣服