The Art of Making Chinese Kites

If you've ever been to a Chinese New Year parade or seen photos from one, you may know that Chinese kites are an entity all their own. The art of making Chinese kites puts equal emphasis on aesthetics as it does on flying high. Try your hand at making a traditional dragon kite.

What You Need:

• Colorful rip-stop nylon
• Masking tape
• 48" bamboo dowel, 1/8" diameter
• Kite string or twine

How to Make Chinese Kites:

1. Bend the bamboo dowel into a circle shape and secure the ends together by wrapping them with masking tape to create a frame.
2. Use the frame as a pattern, drawing around it on the garbage bag, 1" away from the frame. Cut out the circle. Make small (1/4") slits around the edge of the circle, then fold the edges over the frame and secure with tape.
3. Cut the tail from a garbage bag that's 4' x 1' and tape it to the bottom edge of the circular frame.
4. Now you'll need to attach the bridle or string to the head of the dragon kite. Find a spot somewhere around the center of the circle and put two layers of 1" masking tape squares there. Use a pencil to make 2 holes in the tape 1/2" apart.
5. Thread a 16" long piece of string through the holes and tie together in a knot on the other end. Then cut 50 feet of string and attach that to your bridle and you're ready to go! You've got the basics; soon you'll be making your own Chinese dragon kites.