The annual kite festival in Weifang, China, has taken off. Thousands of craftspeople work tirelessly every year to bring their innovative designs to life.
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00:00 As this kite takes to the sky, it carries with it the weight of its creator's vision.
00:05 This 200-meter-long dragon is one of the thousands of eye-catching creations
00:10 featured at China's annual kite festival in Weifang, Shandong Province.
00:14 Many craftspeople behind the kites say that over the years,
00:17 the designs at the festival have gotten increasingly elaborate.
00:21 Over the past 40 years, our traditional kites have become the world's largest.
00:28 Some of our biggest kites weigh hundreds of kilograms.
00:34 They can reach thousands of meters in length.
00:38 This is what we do at the Weifang kite festival.
00:42 We are a team that works together as a whole.
00:50 The unique designs range from dragons to centipedes, from pandas to whales.
00:55 Thanks to the city's craftspeople, Weifang is renowned as the world kite capital.
01:00 According to Chinese state media, around 80% of the world's kites are produced in the region.
01:06 Liu says Weifang's kite makers not only mass-produce kites for the world's enjoyment,
01:11 but they also take the time to create intricate works of art,
01:14 which has caught the attention of kite lovers the world over.
01:17 In the 1970s and 1980s, kite festivals became more popular.
01:25 Weifang kites became a major export product.
01:30 It was a coincidence that attracted kite lovers from all over the world.
01:38 It was also the attention of many big players.
01:41 So they came to Weifang to visit.
01:44 The first Weifang kite festival in 1984 was a joint effort
01:48 between the heads of the Weifang and Seattle kite associations.
01:52 Every year since then, kite makers continue to think of new and genius ways
01:57 to impress event judges and their fellow kite aficionados.
02:00 We used to use paper and silk to make our kites.
02:03 It was easy to fold and crack.
02:06 Now we use nylon and rubber to make them.
02:10 The festival's heightened expectations for kite designs
02:14 have put added pressure on craftspeople and designers.
02:17 An Indonesian kite designer, Liana Wati Lai,
02:20 says the high cost for materials continues to put a financial strain on these projects.
02:25 It takes money to make a kite.
02:28 And it's not cheap.
02:31 It's expensive.
02:32 The ripstop is expensive.
02:34 One meter is US$5.
02:37 One meter.
02:39 This year, Lai's Indonesian folklore-inspired kite
02:42 is flying alongside other creations depicting prominent figures in Chinese culture,
02:47 like dragons and the god of fortune.
02:49 They hope this auspicious imagery will help keep these kites soaring high,
02:53 giving craftspeople in Weifang and around the world
02:56 the opportunity to show off their work on an international stage.
03:00 Klein Wong and Wesley Lewis for Taiwan Plus.
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