Tianzhu: The Record of Foreign Stories in the Republic of China

Chapter 12 Kite (1)
People in Xiulin like to fly kites, which has always been so and is well-known far and near.After the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, as soon as the Lantern Festival "falls", the kites rise into the sky one after another, and reach a climax during the Qingming and Double Ninth Festivals, with pairs of playful swallows, eagles spreading their wings and circling, geese lining up neatly, Flying and chasing butterflies, dragon-headed centipedes flying in the air, soaring Chang'e flying to the moon, kites with beautiful shapes, bright colors, and vivid kites, take the sky as a stage, fly side by side with white clouds, compete to perform, chase each other, It's lively.

Children love to play kite fighting.They coated their own kite strings with natural resin and glued glass shavings to make "glass strings" as sharp as blades.When one's own kite flies high into the sky, he pulls the "glass thread" to cut the line of other people's kites, so that other people's kites will either break and float away, or fall to the ground and shatter.They laughed heartily, as if they had won a big victory.

In Xiulin City, there used to be several kite-making and selling shops, but because kites are easy to make, difficult to make and thin, each kite needs to go through dozens of processes, which takes time and effort, and can only be sold in the end. A few cents, no matter how good the business is, you can't make a lot of money.Gradually, many kite shops were closed.Now, in the huge Xiulin City, there is only one "Zhaoji Kite Shop" left on Yipu Street.

The owner of Zhaoji Kite Shop is Zhao Fengnian. He is over half a century old now, but he is not blind and deaf, and his feet are light and his hands are strong. He is still a good kite maker. "The four arts are omnipotent.What is especially amazing is that the skeletons of the kites he made are mostly "wedge" and "rivet" joints, without the need for strings, which are not only firm but also easy to disassemble.He once made a dragon-headed centipede, which is 80 meters long and weighs one kilogram. After being disassembled and folded, it can be put into a wooden box not much bigger than a dressing box, which is a unique skill.

Master Zhao has a friend who does cloth business in Jiangbei City on the other side of the Yangtze River. He is a few years younger than Master Zhao, but his body is already very fat.One spring, Master Zhao was taken aback when he met his cloth merchant friend at the Yangtze River Wharf.I hadn't seen him for several months, but for some reason, this cloth merchant friend seemed to be a different person. Not only was his face sallow and listless, but his legs were weak, and he found it difficult to even climb the steps of the pier, and he looked sick and out of breath.After questioning, I found out that he was indeed ill. He often felt dizzy, had pain in his waist and knees, blurred vision, and weakness in his hands and feet. Chinese medicine said it was hyperactivity of liver yang, and western medicine said it was high blood pressure. He had taken a lot of traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine. It just doesn't get better.

After hearing this, Master Zhao said that I will give you a prescription to try.Later, I made him a sand swallow kite with a fat head, wide wings and round eyes, and asked him to take it home and fly it.Half a month later, this friend of the cloth merchant brought a letter from a trustee in Jiangbei, saying that he insisted on flying kites in the countryside for half a month. I was full and slept soundly, and my illness was cured unconsciously.In the end, he said that this is the first time he knows that kites can also cure diseases.

Master Zhao read the letter and said with a smile: "flying a kite to welcome the sky and smooth the air, pulling the string to concentrate, sending sickness with the wind, all diseases will not invade, can enjoy the expression and movement of the body, smooth Qi and blood, improve eyesight, improve the spirit and keep the heart healthy, the ancestors early There is a conclusion, but I didn’t invent it.”

When the news spread, people realized that flying kites had such effects. No wonder people in Xiulin live so long. Could it be related to this joy of flying kites?
Zhao Fengnian's kite craftsmanship is passed down from his ancestors.Both his grandfather and father had made kites for the empress dowagers of the Qing Dynasty in the Forbidden City, and his grandfather was awarded as an "eighth grade painter" by Empress Dowager Cixi.Zhao's kite is famous in Beijing.Later, the times changed and the Qing Dynasty collapsed. His father left the capital to avoid war disasters, returned to his hometown in the south of the Yangtze River, and opened this "Zhao Ji Kite Shop".

Zhao Fengnian was obsessed with kite making, never married, had no children, and had only one apprentice by his side.The apprentice is Zhong Ming, from Nankou Town, Xiulin. Because his family is poor, he came out to learn crafts from Master Zhao at the age of 12. It has been eight years now. Because of his diligence and willingness to study, he has basically mastered all the kite skills of Master Zhao. Learned everything.

This year, just after entering the summer, news came that the first national sports meeting jointly organized by Hunan and Hubei provinces would be held in Yueyang on the ninth day of the ninth month of the lunar calendar.Among them is a kite competition, the prize money for the champion is [-] oceans. People from all walks of life are welcome to sign up.

It is the first time to hold a national sports meeting since the fall of the Qing government and the rise of the Nationalist government. Even if it is not for the championship prize of 300 yuan, but just to watch the excitement, this opportunity should not be missed!Besides, as a kite craftsman, you can also take this opportunity to show the world the unique skills passed down from your ancestors, exchange ideas with your peers, and increase your knowledge. Why not do it?Zhao Fengnian went to the education bureau in charge of the city's sports affairs and asked, there was no age limit for participating in the kite competition, so he signed up immediately.

Next, the master and apprentice were busy making kites for the competition.

The kite skills left by the ancestors can be summed up in four words: tying, pasting, painting, and flying, referred to as "four arts", that is, making frames, pasting paper, painting festoons, and flying kites.And "tie" includes selection, chopping, bending, cutting, and connection; "paste" includes selection, cutting, paste, edge, and correction; line, release, adjust, receive, etc.Someone once did statistics, and it usually takes dozens of processes to make a kite.

In making kites, Zhao Fengnian puts more emphasis on design than the "Four Arts".There are so many living beings in the world, there are so many themes for making kites. In addition to historical figures, opera stories, folklore, flowers, birds, insects, fish, poultry and animals, many things in nature can be used as themes for making kites, and even some historical relics can also be used as themes for making kites. manifested in the form of a kite.In order to make the kites he makes both in spirit and form, and ingenious and unique, he must first work hard to design a frame with a reasonable structure, and carefully mark the size of each part before making the kite.After the drawings came out, I was not in a hurry to cut the materials and make them. Instead, I scrutinized the drawings repeatedly. On the premise of not affecting the reasonable structure and beautiful shape, I tried to use as few bamboo strips as possible to reduce the weight.Only through careful conception and design can you get twice the result with half the effort and succeed easily when making kites by hand.

In order to participate in the kite competition in this sports meeting, Zhao Fengnian thought hard for several days, and finally conceived a work, which is a big dragon kite, 100 meters in length, with its mouth open and its head held high. Unique, majestic atmosphere.After drawing the frame according to the size of the skeleton, Master Zhao asked his apprentices to prepare the materials. Bamboo strips, parchment paper, rooster neck feathers and cotton threads are all available.

This big dragon kite mainly includes two parts, one is the dragon head, and the other is the dragon body, which is the waist section.Among them, the most complex structure is naturally the leading part.

The dragon head has a square mouth and a wide nose, about three feet high.Relying on Zhao Fengnian's dexterous hands, it took seven days and more than 100 bamboo strips to form the skeleton of the dragon's head.Then add live eyes, nose, tongue, teeth, horns, lip whiskers, whiskers, ear whiskers, eyebrows, moles on the forehead, etc., and after fastening the lifting thread, mask the dragon head.

Because the faucet is three-dimensional, when pasting the mask, you can't stick it in big pieces, but only in small pieces. The order is first inside and then outside, first up and then down, sticking piece by piece.Be the most careful when sticking, it should be smooth and wrinkle-free, and the elasticity should be moderate.Once the paste is dry, it can be painted. The horns and teeth are painted white, and the mouth and tongue are painted red.

It took another half a month, and the waist joint was finished. How to draw a hundred different Peking Opera masks on the dragon became another problem.Zhao Feng learned Danqing when he was young, he has fine brushwork, he is good at realism, and he can also draw a few freehand brushstrokes.He first used a pencil to lightly draw a hundred facial makeup with different expressions on the leather paper, and then painted them with color.After all the masks are drawn, they are pasted on the dragon piece by piece.Finally, hang up the faucet, take a test flight, and make constant corrections during the test flight.

Zhao Fengnian originally wanted Zhong Ming to be his assistant, and the two masters and apprentices would participate in the kite competition together, but on the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Zhong Ming asked for leave to return to his hometown due to family affairs, and he might not be able to return for a while. At this critical moment, Zhao Fengnian had to decide to take the big dragon kite to participate in the competition by himself.

The ninth day of the ninth month of the lunar calendar is a sports festival set by the national government.At 02:30 this afternoon, the first National Games jointly held by Hunan and Hubei provinces opened in the newly built sports park in Yueyang City.The first thing that was launched was the National Health Parade. The sports performance team, the female nurse team, the cleaner team, the horse team, the slogan team, and ten carriages, all covered with health education slogans, paraded around the city for a week. Those are like tides.

In the morning of the next day, all sports officially started with the sound of the gong.Athletic sports performances in the fitness class of the New Life Movement Model Area, martial arts performances by the Chinese Martial Arts Association, tennis matches between Wuchang Railway Bureau and Zhongnan Bank, college football games, glider skydiving, children's swimming performances, group aerobics performances, women's basketball games, mountain climbing , crossing the river, kicking the shuttlecock, as well as bicycle competitions and shooting competitions, they took turns to play, and each show was wonderful.

The kite competition was arranged to be held on a vast sandbar in front of Yueyang Tower. On the sand, 48 kite flying tracks had already been drawn with white powder.The chief referee sits in the middle, and the eight referees sit on both sides.The cool breeze blowing by the Dongting Lake is just right for kite flying.With a gunshot from the flying commander, the first group of 48 kites flew into the sky with the help of the wind.For a while, butterflies and kites were flying over the sandbar, colorful, "goshawks", "butterflies", "phoenixes", "bats", "yellow birds", "dragonflies" and board gossips were flying in the sky, which was very lively.

According to the regulations of the kite competition of this sports meeting, the scoring of the kite competition includes the craftsmanship score and the flying score, each accounting for half.Craft scoring items include modeling, binding process, papering process, beautification process, etc., while flying scoring items include take-off, blanking time, flying skills, aerial effects, etc.

After the first group of 48 kites flew into the sky, within 5 minutes, they were distinguished. Some swayed left and right and stuck their heads on the sand. Zhuan'er just refused to get higher, and there were even kites that fell apart, broke, and dropped their hands, which aroused good-natured laughter from the onlookers.

Due to the large number of contestants, the kite competition lasted from morning to afternoon.Because this is a national sports meeting, anyone who can make kites and fly kites can sign up to participate, so although there are many contestants, the level is uneven and very limited.The group of referees invited from Beijing were looking bored and drowsy, when suddenly they heard a cheer from the audience on the field, all of them looked intently, and saw a "giant dragon" standing on top of each other on the field. Under the skillful control of an old man, he was shaking his head and tail, slowly rising into the air.

The "giant dragon" is about a hundred meters long, with its mouth open and its head raised, its cheeks flapping, its beard upturned, and its eyes piercing, just like a real dragon spouting clouds and fog, soaring into the blue sky.The dragon head is mighty, the dragon body is ethereal, meticulously drawn, lifelike.In particular, the [-] lively Peking Opera masks drawn on the dragon have produced a double artistic effect, which not only vividly expresses the heroic vigor of the dragon, but also outlines a vibrant, playful and funny artistic image.

This "giant dragon" is exactly Zhao Fengnian's dragon kite, and the old man who flew this "giant dragon" into the sky by himself is naturally Zhao Fengnian.

The eyes of all the referees couldn't help but shine, and the chief referee couldn't help saying hello, saying: "What a majestic dragon, beautiful in shape, strong and vigorous, and superb in making. The hundred Peking Opera pieces on the dragon The facial makeup is especially good at painting, with bright colors and smooth lines, which is really rare." After speaking, he couldn't help but took the lead in applauding.

At this time, Zhao Fengnian suddenly heard a shout from the audience: "Dude, move and show everyone!" With a slight release of the string crook in his hand, the "giant dragon" seemed to come to life suddenly, with a figure like The waves undulate and roll three times in a row in the air.At this moment, the wind turned suddenly, and the "giant dragon" shook a few times in the air, then quickly fell to the ground.The audience on the field couldn't help but let out an exclamation.

Zhao Fengnian did not panic, and smiled confidently. He held the kite string and pulled it back and forth with his forearm and wrist in front of his chest. Pull it quickly and release it slowly. It stayed in the air for a while, and soon rose into the air again, straight into the sky.

Approving smiles appeared on the faces of the referees.One said: "This old man not only makes a good kite, but also has good flying skills." The other nodded and said: "The take-off is fast, the flight is smooth, and a few tumbling movements are also done impeccably." All the referees exchanged glances , all nodded secretly, thinking that as long as he can reel in the line smoothly and land on the ground smoothly, he will be the champion today.After a whole day of racing, everyone was relieved to finally find a kite that could be the champion.

At this moment, the sound of gongs was suddenly heard, which was really lively.The referees followed the prestige, and saw a kite, no, it was a string of kites, and there were one hundred and eight kites on the last runway to the east. The eight generals made kites and flew them into the sky.One hundred and eight heroes not only have different shapes and are lifelike, but after ascending to the sky, they line up in a line, holding weapons in their hands, and all the heroes dance together with the sound of a gong knocked by a flying assistant on the ground. With a weapon in his hand, he rushed forward aggressively, as if he was going to attack the Song court...

Before the referees came back to their senses, the surrounding audience had already cheered.

Hearing the applause, Zhao Fengnian turned his head to look, and saw that the young man flying the kite under the Liangshan Hero kite was his apprentice Zhong Ming.He couldn't help being stunned, his hands froze, the big dragon kite turned somersault in mid-air, and hit the ground straight, the dragon's head was smashed into pieces.

Because the Liangshan hero kite designed and flown by Zhong Ming is realistic in shape, delicate in texture, vivid in image, unique in originality, and full of rhythm, it is not only an entertainment product that can be released, but also a treasure of folk crafts that can be watched, and was finally unanimously voted by all the judges As the champion of the kite competition of this sports meeting, he received a bonus of 300 yuan on the spot.

Zhao Fengnian had mixed feelings in his heart, and as soon as the competition was over, he took a boat from the Dongting Lake Wharf, went up the Yangtze River, and returned to Xiulin overnight.Zhong Ming returned to the kite shop after three days.

The first thing he did after he came back was to kneel down in front of Master with a "plop".

Zhao Fengnian was busy making a unicorn kite in his hand, when he heard the noise, he raised his eyelids a little, glanced halfway at him, and said calmly, "Hey, what are you doing?"

Zhong Ming lowered his head and said: "Master, please forgive me for signing up for the kite competition without your permission. I have studied with you for so long, and I just want to take this opportunity to try my own kite skills. And... And Tu'er really wants to get the 300 yuan bonus... My mother suffers from tuberculosis, because I have no money to see a doctor, so I have been dragging on... I asked for leave to return to my hometown, firstly, to take care of my mother, secondly, I just want to hide at home and secretly make a kite to participate in the competition..."

Zhao Fengnian said: "Congratulations to you for winning the championship. Even the dragon kite carefully made by Master was outmatched by you. This is really better than blue! How could Master blame you if you took credit for Master's face. Get up."

Zhong Ming raised his head and glanced at his master, only to see that his master was just working with his head down, his face was expressionless, he didn't know whether he was happy or unhappy, he always felt something was wrong, but he stood up hesitantly.

Zhao Fengnian waved his hand and said, "You, let's go."

Zhong Ming was taken aback: "Let's go? Where are you going?"

With a sullen face, Zhao Fengnian turned his back and said, "Your kite skill has surpassed that of Master, and you can become a teacher. I am no longer qualified to teach you."

(End of this chapter)