There is nothing that cannot float across the Weifang sky. This is what the residents of this Chinese city say about their main spring festival.
From dragons and pandas to modern cars and mythical creatures. Every year, kite makers and fans gather here for the International Festival. This time almost 50 countries are participating.
Tens of thousands of visitors fill the festival grounds and their eyes turn to the sky.
Kite manufacturers say that manufacturing technology has evolved over the years: traditional materials such as paper and silk are no longer used. Switched to nylon. But thanks to this, it is now possible to create larger structures. For example, a centipede 70 meters long.
Liu Lijian is a long-time competition judge in Weifang. He says more and more designers are switching to inflatable designs to make a bigger impression.
However, at the competition they are trying to preserve long-standing traditions. There is a category here for kites with a dragon head followed by a long body. They are made from bamboo sticks that serve as a frame.
Since the Year of the Dragon has arrived, many designers have tried to make their dragons record-breakingly large. The longest stretched for 200 meters.
A team from Beijing was waiting for the right moment to send their green whale into the sky. Its area is about 80 square meters.
In total, there are about 600 companies producing kites in Weifang. And they account for 80% of global exports of this product.
