What is the story of Tianjin Kite Wei?

1. The story of the founder of Kite Wei:

Wei Yuantai, a Tianjin native, was born in the 11th year of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty. At the age of 16, he went to Zha Cai Pu as an apprentice and learned to make kites. Man opened a colorful shop to make kites. Wei Yuantai followed the example of his predecessors and reformed the traditional kite craftsmanship, forming an artistic style with changeable shapes and vivid paintings. At that time, he was the leader in Tianjin's kite-making craftsmanship, and people called it "Kite Wei". In 1912, 11 of Wei Yuantai's works were selected by the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce of the then Beiyang Government to be sent to San Francisco, the United States, to participate in the Pacific World Exposition and win medals, thus enjoying a high reputation at home and abroad.

2. The fourth generation of descendants of Kite Wei: "Kite Wei" has been passed down to this day. This traditional skill is full of vitality in the hands of the fourth generation descendant Wei Guoqiu. Wei Guoqiu, the fourth generation descendant of "Kite Wei", has been influenced by his family environment since he was a child. He has learned kite-making skills from his grandfather Wei Shenxing (the second generation descendant of "Kite Wei") and his father Wei Yongchang (the third generation descendant) since he was a boy. He is currently The representative figure of "Kite Wei". Although he came from a kite-making family, he still went to Tianjin Academy of Arts and Crafts for further studies, striving to develop and innovate on the basis of inheriting traditional crafts. The kite skeletons made by Wei Guoqiu are all perforated, and the tenons are fixed as a whole. They are foldable and foldable, and are hand-painted. The patterns are simple and exaggerated, full of national characteristics. They can be as large as a thousand-meter-long dragon, or as small as only a few centimeters. They can be flown and extremely powerful. It is ornamental, unique in shape and structure, and easy to carry.

Wei Guoqiu's work won first place in the "National Kite Competition" in 1982; in 1983, he won first place in the "International Kite Festival" in Tianjin; at the 11th Asian Games, it was sold within one day There are 800 "Kite Wei" kites, which are collected by tourists from all over the world. In 1993, Wei Guoqiu participated in the Chinese Folk Art Expo and won the first prize in the craft performance; in 2004, he was awarded the title of "Folk Arts and Crafts Artist" by UNESCO; in 2005, he was hired as an art researcher by the China Academy of Arts; in 2007 , was selected into the first batch of representative inheritors of national intangible cultural heritage projects.

At present, "Kite Wei" kites have reached thousands of varieties. Wei Guoqiu has taken his works to the United States, Germany, Canada, Australia and other countries, and participated in various cultural and economic exhibitions. Many of his works have been Museum collection has become a distinctive project of China's foreign cultural exchanges.

"No matter what you do, you must first like it in your heart." Wei Guoqiu said. His great-grandfather Wei Yuantai, the founder of "Kite Wei", made kites because he liked it.

3. Introduction to Wei Guoqiu:

Wei Guoqiu, male, Han nationality, born in 1961, Tianjin native, arts and crafts artist, representative inheritor of the national intangible cultural heritage project, "Kite Wei" "The fourth generation. Member of the Chinese Writers and Artists Association, researcher of the China Academy of Arts, and director of the Tianjin Folk Writers and Artists Association.