Kite making and flying in Hongze Lake area, a traditional sports, recreation and acrobatics project in the second batch of representative projects of Huai'an City's intangible cultural heritage. Historical evolution and distribution Hongze Lake area kite making and flying have a long history, and are distributed in the surrounding areas of Hongze Lake, mainly concentrated in the Laozi Mountain area. During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty (1573-1620), Hongze Lake had the reputation of "sunrise and gold", and the fishermen and merchants in Laozi Mountain Town "exceeded 100,000 per year" and were one of the 23 important towns in Huai'an Prefecture. In the 25th year of Daoguang (1845 AD), salt merchants raised funds to build the Great King Temple in Beishan. Since then, Laozi Mountain has become the worship center for fishermen in Huaihe River and Hongze Lake. Every September 17th of the lunar calendar, a grand ceremony is held, with kite flying and dragon dance performances as essential items. In the early years of the Republic of China, Liu Julan, the leader of fishermen and the battalion commander of Hongze Lake Water Patrol Camp, held boat rowing competitions with kites instead of sails more than once. In order to promote the culture of the Great Lakes and improve the level of kite making and flying skills, the Laozishan Town Government has held an annual Fishermen's Kite Art Festival every Qingming Festival since 1991. Basic content and production process Kites in the Hongze Lake area are mainly made of bamboo, which is made into different frames according to needs and pasted with paper on the outside. The kite is released by using the pressure difference between the resistance of the kite against the wind and the smooth air on the back of the kite, as well as the traction of the traction line to generate the lift to fly. Kite production process: Material selection: Select green bamboo with a diameter of six or seven centimeters, cut it into sections according to needs, split the bamboo strips, submerge it in water to soften it, then break the bamboo strips and remove two-thirds of the bamboo yellow for later use. In addition, reeds, sorghum stalks, etc. are used as needed. Connection: That is, connect the various parts to form the overall skeleton of the kite. The main method is binding, and the material is mainly thread, and strips of hemp skin, paper and textiles can also be used. There are three connection methods: vertical, parallel and inclined. Paste: Glue and mask. Masking is mainly made of paper and silk, and now also uses new materials such as artificial fiber textiles or non-woven fabrics, plastic films, etc. In the process of masking, the correct position of the kite skeleton should be constantly checked and corrected at any time. Painting: According to your own preferences, choose the corresponding color and paint the color on the kite surface to make the picture full and beautiful. Kite works include flat kites, semi-three-dimensional kites and three-dimensional kites. Representative works of flat kites include goldfish, butterflies, plum blossoms, dragonflies, etc.; semi-three-dimensional kites include eagles, Zhu Bajie carrying his wife, etc.; three-dimensional kites include dragons, centipedes, two dragons playing with pearls, etc. Kite flying: When flying a kite, the first thing to do is to adjust the lifting line angle and the length of the tail line according to the wind force. Generally, at least two people are required to cooperate, one person leads the line, and the other person holds the kite. After hearing the command of "release", release the kite and let it rise into the air under the action of wind. The skill of flying a kite is generally to pull and release. When pulling, because the kite's lifting line is usually placed at the upper part of the kite, increasing the pulling force can control the kite's angle to become smaller, increase the upward force, and the kite rises steadily; when letting go, that is, the traction of the balanced kite becomes smaller, and under the combined force of wind and lift, the kite will fly high and far, but the line must be pulled again quickly to keep the kite's angle stable again. When the wind is strong, you can let out more line, and when the wind drops slightly, you can take in some line. (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.) (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.)