Interesting stories of kites

Names of kites are different in different countries, different period of time, different areas. It's called "yuan" from ancient Spring and Autumn period to Tang Dynasty. Up to Qing Dynasty, "paper-yuan" and paper-snipe are the main appellation of the kites all along. Nowadays, kite, as a name, substitutes for all the ones used before.
In English, kite is Cyta originated from the ancient Teutonic word "Kuze" (night owl) and "Kyta"( diamond ); in French, Ceyf-Volant, means "Flying deer" in Germany, Drache, means the same to "dragon" in Spain, Cometa, means comet. Like "paper-yuan" in China, these names all bases on the image describing.
Many countries have their own stories of kites regarding the folk custom. It was from China that the kites were introduced to Japan. Japanese kites originated from "phoenix-cloth" a Chinese cloth-made kite. Most of the areas around the east of Hangu pass in ancient China calls kite as "Cuttlefish Banner " There were some other names ,such as "sky-flag" "swaying-paper" "eagle" and "dragon" and so on in some other places. In Japanese-Chinese Dictionary (and some other copies ) of the Safety period of Japan, kites are called "Age Paper ", "Paper-yuan" In the 16th century, Jamepatis Dela Potta , an European scientist, called kite as "Wind-sail"in the book named "Magic Power of the Nature" The earliest pilot in America would like to call plane kite.

Kite and Military
Kite is used in military once it is invented. It has showed the importance, limitation sometimes though, on reconnaissance, propaganda, communication, etc. Ancient militarists used it for hundreds of years.
"Be besieged on all sides" In 202 B.C., Liu Bang, Han Emperor, led on 300,000 soldiers surrounded Xiang Yu, Chu Emperor, which broke out the war between them. When Xiang Yu was worried about being lack of food and reinforcements, General Han Xin , under Emperor Liu Bang, made a kite and let a light soldier sit on it and flew up to sky and sang songs. The favorable wind brought the singing down to the Chu army on the ground. Xiang Yu was shocked and the soldier's minds was disturbed. He failed to break through and committed suicide.


"Magic Fire and Flying Duck" The application of powder was common in Ming Dynasty. With one end Connected with the lit ten incense, the fuse and the powder were put on the kite. When the kite was flown up and reached the sky above the enemy camp, the fuse was lit ten and exploded, and it devastated the enemy tremendously.

　

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