After a long, cold and dry winter, life and color are starting to return. Flowers are blooming, birds are singing and people are flying kites. In China, flying kites symbolizes the pursuit of good luck.
Known as the birthplace of kites, Weifang has a long history of making kites which can be traced back to 2,000 years ago. At first, they were often used by the army for secret communication. During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), kites started to be popular among common people. Weifang kite-making was included in the national-level culture lists in 2006. Starting from 1984, the International Kite Festival has been held in Weifang every year.
Yang Hongwei, 56, is a Weifang kite-maker. Bom in a kite-making family, Yang often saw kites with bright colors and different shapes in her grandfather's workshop. "Every time I see these beautiful patterns of kites, my boredom go away," said Yang. "But I think the different stories behind our kites are the most special." On Yang's kites，people can see not only patterns like butterflies and swallows, but also some prints telling Chinese legends and stories.
In her spare time, she also travels all over the world to teach the foreigners how to make kites. But behind the kite-making，she hopes to spread (传播）Chinese stories seen on kites. "I'm a spreader of the traditional culture. It is also an important job of mine to tell Chinese stories around the world，" she said.
