All information about "Kite Wei"

Kites, formerly known as "paper kites" or "paper kites", have a history of more than 2,000 years in China. The ancients in China used to make large kites out of wood or leather, which could carry people and objects, soar in the sky by the wind and be used for military reconnaissance or information transmission. Later, kites became toys for the nobles of China court. During the Five Dynasties (907-960), Ye Li made a paper kite in the palace, and placed a bamboo flute on the head of the kite, "making the wind enter the bamboo, which sounds like A Zheng". Zheng is an ancient musical instrument in China, hence the name kite. After the Song and Yuan Dynasties, kites gradually spread to the people and were widely circulated in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Wei Yuantai, founder of Kite Wei, was born in Tianjin on June 8th in the 11th year of Tongzhi in Qing Dynasty (1872). His family was poor, so he dropped out of school. 16 years old went to the north gate to be an apprentice to Jiang Ji's "Tianfu Zhai" color shop. After the expiration of four years, he not only learned the skill of tying colorful objects (funerary wares for the dead), but also learned the skill of tying kites. He opened the Wei Ji "Evergreen Mustard Shed" named after his father in Gulou East Street in the city. Besides making and selling tie colors, I spend most of my time learning kite making skills.

Wei Yuantai used mortise and tenon skeleton instead of paper twisting and silk binding; A small iron ring is welded to connect the skeleton, which overcomes the shortcomings that the feather tube is easy to break and moth-eaten, so that the larger kite can be folded freely. The proportion of each part of Wiki Kite is close to the real thing, the center of gravity is reasonable, the flight is stable, and the success rate of flying is usually 100%.

Wei Ji kite has many unique skills. Among them, "delivering rice", "carrying gongs and drums", "changing characters and changing colors", "changing directions" and "distributing leaflets" are deeply loved by people.

"Meal delivery" consists of two kites, one large and one small, commonly known as "mother and child kites". When preventing flying, the big kite flies to the sky first, then the small kite goes straight to the big kite, and the big and small kites fly in the blue sky. Small kites can also return to the ground from the air, and then fly from the ground to the sky, just like children delivering meals to their mothers. Therefore, it is named "delivering food".

"Lifting gongs and drums" means installing gongs and drums on kites. After the kite takes off, it can automatically beat gongs and drums with the wind.

"Color change into words", "color change" refers to the special kite being blown by the wind in the blue sky, showing different colors; "Changing the word" means installing a slogan on the kite. After flying, just pull the wire hard, the kite mechanism opens and a slogan hangs down.

"Changing direction" refers to a group of kites changing their positions in the air under the tension of wind and thread.

"Spreading leaflets" means carrying some leaflets on a kite. When the kite flies in the air, you just need to pull the string hard and the leaflets will fall with the wind.

"Wei Ji" kites are rich in themes and bionic birds and beasts; There are landscapes and figures, all of which are vivid in material selection, fine in workmanship and lifelike in painting, with strong local color and unique artistic style, and have won high praise at home and abroad. At the end of Qing Dynasty, Empress Dowager Cixi sent eunuchs to Tianjin to order kites from Wei Yuantai. Li, former president of the Republic of China, bought his kite himself. When the Qing emperor Puyi lived in Tianjin that night, he also sent someone to buy a kite named Wei Ji. 19 12, his 1 1 kite was exhibited in Hebei Park, Tianjin, and won the gold medal in the National Weaving Exhibition. 19 14, as an exhibit, "Wei Ji" kite was sent to the Panama Pacific World Expo held in the United States, and won the gold medal and certificate.

196 14 May 14, Wei Yuantai died and Wei Shenxing succeeded to the throne. Wei, the son of Wei Yuanzhang and the younger brother of Wei Yuantai, was born in the 29th year of Guangxu in Qing Dynasty (1903) and is the second generation descendant of "Kite Wei". Wei studied in his own workshop with his uncle Wei Yuantai from the age of 12. Because of his biography, he has made unique achievements in the dynamic and static balance of kites.

The third generation of descendants are Wei Yongchang, son of Wei, and Wei Yongzhen, daughter.

The fourth generation of "Kite Wei" is Wei Guoqiu, the son of Wei Yongchang. He was born in 196 1 and studied with his grandfather and father from 18. His works are both traditional and modern, maintaining the characteristics of many shapes, realistic painting, fine stunts, stable flight, emphasis on moral exercise and constant innovation. His "Gong Gu Yan" can knock out beautiful music in the air. The Eagle, the Pearl Fish, the Crab, and the Year of the Pine Crane are his representative works.

The kite made by Wei Yuantai, a famous kite artist in Tianjin, is called "Kite Wei". Wei Yuantai, 1872, from Tianjin. He grew up as an apprentice in a vegetable shop and was interested in making kites. In order to improve the attainments of flying kites, he repeatedly studied the flying posture of birds and insects and the proportional relationship between their various parts, and applied it to kite making. In the past, kites were mainly hard-winged, simple in shape, monotonous in color and integrated. The kite he tied can be unfolded and folded. A big kite more than a foot long can be folded and put in a small envelope for easy collection and carrying.

Kite-making in Tianjin has a long history and exquisite craftsmanship, which can be confirmed by the Qing Dynasty Tianjin Yangliuqing New Year picture "Flying Ten Beautiful Kites". There are 65,438+00 kinds of kites, such as string lanterns, flying eagles, Tang Priest's scriptures and butterflies. Wei Yuantai (1872- 196 1), a famous kite artist, has made great contributions to the kite making technology in Tianjin. He has been engaged in kite making all his life, studying hard and making bold innovations. We have successively developed flat-shooting, three-dimensional, string-rope, integral and combined kites (that is, soft-wing kites), and also created folding kites. He has developed more than 200 kinds of kites in his life and is known as "Kite Wei".

Kites in Wei Ji are characterized by exquisite materials (the surface of kites is mostly silk, which is light and strong; The skeleton is made of fine-grained, long-jointed and elastic bamboo. ), with a variety of forms (shape, structure, size, etc. ), exquisite craftsmanship (tenoning, color change, displacement stunts, etc. ), realistic painting (heavy color, dim, etc. ) and smooth flight. Wei Ji Kite won the gold medal and certificate of 19 14 Panama International Expo, and also ranked among the best in domestic competitions. Wiki Kites are collected and exhibited by museums in China and our city, and sold overseas.

Wei Yuantai's descendants Wei (nephew), Wei Yongchang (grandnephew), Wei Yongzhen (grandnephew) and Wei Guoqiu (the second son of Wei Yongchang) inherited the family business and developed kites, which made Tianjin kite folk crafts represented by "Kite Wei" develop continuously.