Yang Hongwei
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Yang Hongwei, Female, Han, from Weifang, Shandong, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Kite Making Craftsmanship (Ⅷ-88). The tradition is documented in Weifang, Shandong. Within the regional tradition and school record of Kite Making Craftsmanship in Weifang, Shandong: Weifang City lies in the middle of the Shandong Peninsula, bordering Bohai Bay to the north and facing the Yellow Sea to the south. In spring there is much wind and little rain, the wind direction is uniform, instantaneous fluctuations are small, and the wind force is essentially normally distributed. By the Qianlong reign (1736–1795), kite-making had become an important local handicraft. In the Ming dynasty, Weifang kites were mainly plank kites; later it gradually formed a modeling series centered on rigid-wing kites, with the long string of centipede kites being the most spectacular (reaching over 360 meters at longest), flexible-wing kites being the clever ones, and tube kites being the unusual ones. The subjects include figure stories, birds and beasts, fish and insects, and so on.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Yang Hongwei is anchored in the documented technical standards of Kite Making Craftsmanship in Weifang, Shandong. Within the documented technical tradition of Kite Making Craftsmanship in Weifang, Shandong: It was precisely this special geographical environment that gave birth to Weifang kites; their production and making are concentrated in the Yangjiabu area of Hanting District and in Kuiwen District and Weicheng District. Weifang kites flourished in Yangjiabu Village in the early Ming dynasty. At that time, villagers already had the engraving and printing techniques of woodblock New Year pictures, and in their spare time each spring they used the paper and pigments for printing New Year pictures to draw various patterns and frame kites. At first they were only for self-amusement or for giving to relatives and friends, but later gradually developed into a commodity. Weifang kites are characterized by stable takeoff and high flight. Whether flexible-wing, rigid-wing, string-type, or three-dimensional kites, apart from plank kites which need a weight, all others rise smoothly into the blue sky without any auxiliary object. Although the framing method is simple—using as few as three bamboo strips and no more than seven—it stresses even bamboo strips, a regular and proper frame, left-right symmetry, and tying the line at the center of gravity; the imagery is concise, the colors bright, and the contrast strong. But in recent years, because of concern for production cost, the traditional cultural connotation has been neglected; materials have been changed to nylon cloth and carbon-steel tubes, losing the traditional craft and also the local character of Weifang kites. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Building the bamboo frame": A Weifang kite uses only three to seven bamboo splints; the frame must be even, square and symmetrical with its centre of gravity on the bridle point. "Papering the face": The face is made of the surplus paper of local woodblock new-year prints; the thickness of the paste decides whether the kite stays flat in the wind. "Setting the bridle": The bridle point trims the lift: too high and the kite stalls, too low and it noses into the ground; the Weifang makers fix it once by feel. "Stringing the centipede kites": Centipede kites are built section by section and linked in order along the spine, so the whole chain leans forward and rises as a row.
Building the bamboo frame
A Weifang kite uses only three to seven bamboo splints; the frame must be even, square and symmetrical with its centre of gravity on the bridle point.
Papering the face
The face is made of the surplus paper of local woodblock new-year prints; the thickness of the paste decides whether the kite stays flat in the wind.
Setting the bridle
The bridle point trims the lift: too high and the kite stalls, too low and it noses into the ground; the Weifang makers fix it once by feel.
Stringing the centipede kites
Centipede kites are built section by section and linked in order along the spine, so the whole chain leans forward and rises as a row.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Yang Hongwei was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Kite Making Craftsmanship, with Weifang, Shandong as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Kite Making Craftsmanship in Weifang, Shandong: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2006 (batch 1), with Weifang, Shandong as its declared area, and Weifang Hanting District Cultural Center as its safeguarding unit. Since the project was inscribed in the national inventory, its declared area and safeguarding unit have carried out documentation, transmission and presentation within the national safeguarding framework. Together, the inventory record and the project archive form the public documentary basis for the bearer’s transmission practice.
04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier
Historical origin
In the Ming dynasty, Weifang kites were mainly plank kites; later it gradually formed a modeling series centered on rigid-wing kites, with the long string of centipede kites being the most spectacular (reaching over 360 meters at longest), flexible-wing kites being the clever ones, and tube kites being the unusual ones. The subjects include figure stories, birds and beasts, fish and insects, and so on.
05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage
National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.
| Bearer | Declared area | Roster code | Relation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guo Chengyi | Nantong, Jiangsu | 01-0197 | Other regional school |
| Han Fuling | Weifang, Shandong | 03-1345 | Same declared area |
| Wei Yongzhen | Nankai, Tianjin | 03-1346 | Other regional school |
| Hayiqi | Haidian, Beijing | 04-1867 | Other regional school |
| Fei Baoling | Dongcheng, Beijing | 04-1868 | Other regional school |
| Wei Guoqiu | Nankai, Tianjin | 04-1869 | Other regional school |
| Kong Lingmin | Haidian, Beijing | 05-2781 | Other regional school |
| Zhang Xiaodong | Weifang, Shandong | 05-2782 | Same declared area |
| Yang Hongwei | Weifang, Shandong | — | This page |
06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography
This static English edition is rendered at the edge for search engines, AI crawlers and readers without JavaScript. Compiled from official national representative bearer archival records and the associated project dossier, organized by topic and translated into English. 阅读中文版。