Description:
In China, early April brings the Qingming Festival where people visit family graves to pay their respects and then celebrate rebirth by sailing kites skyward. The festival is also time for national and international kite flying competitions.
Lan Su brings a kite exhibit from three treasured sources: the Drachen Foundation, the Bob & Charlene Umbowers collection, and the Smithsonian. New this year is a display of kites so small that some could fit into matchboxes. Amazingly, all can fly! Back again are glorious large kites in shapes of butterflies, dragons, peacocks, hawks, sparrows, and a special whistling kite. The common Chinese word for kite is fengzhen, which translates to “wind zither” describing a Chinese love of noise-making kites.
Kite making and coloring, Chinese story time, lectures about kite history, and a scavenger activity will keep individuals and families flurrying through the Garden like kite tails. As an urban setting is not the best place for kite flying, Flying Ribbon Dancers will entertain and encourage all to fly kites at the beach or the park.
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