Kites or Feng Zheng in China have a long history. Kites were once called Zhiyuan in North China and Yaozi in South China. Interestingly, they were frequently used in military in the begining. In Han Dynasty, General Han Xin used a kite as a tool for surveying. It was used to send messages to each other by Liang Wudi Emperor's army though it didn’t work well. In South and North Dynasties, someone who jumped off a high place survived because of the kite carried on his back. Surrounded by the enemy, Mr. Zhang in Tang Dynasty successfully sent signals for help using a kite.

Since Tang Dynasty, kites gradually became people's toys. Wire or bamboo flutes were put into kites so that they whistle when there is wind. Therefore, the kite was named, in Chinese, “Feng Zheng". “Feng" means wind in Chinese. By Song Dynasty, kites were developed greatly in terms of variety and capability and entered normal people’s lives. In Qing Dynasty, flying kites were getting more popular. Even the emperors liked to fly kites.

Chinese kites were introduced to the whole world in Song and Tang Dynasties. They initially travelled to Japan, Korea, Malaysia, and the countries of the Southeast Asia. Afterwards, kites were popularized in Europe and America. A Chinese kite, on which “The earliest spacecrafts made by human is China’s kite and rocket" was painted, was hung in the hall of Washington Space Navigation Museum in the United States. These days, in April of each year, the Weifang International Kite Festival is held in Shandong Province. Kite lovers from all over the world come to Weifang with their specially made kites to compete and take part in the festivity.

A folding kite has a flexible tenon bamboo frame-work secured with glue instead of thread, and reinforced by a copper ring at every joint. Kites, one to three metres long, in the forms of aeroplanes, birds, animals or human figures can be folded up and packed in a 30 cm box in a large envelope for easy carrying or mailing. The art of Chinese kites have a strong affinity with each historical periods and various zone and are firmly related to the music, dance, drama, folk-custom and religion of individual folk. There are various art systems and genres. Based on their production zones, Chinese kites are classified to six types: Beijing kites, Weifang kites, Tianjin kites, Nantong kites, Jiangnan kites, and Taiwan kites. Kites from Tianjin, Beijing, and Weifang are superior to the others. With large variety in shape, Beijing kites, which are made of paper or silk and painted totally by hand, have a good market reputation in China and abroad. Mr. Baolin Fei, the most experienced craftsman in Beijing, has developed several hundred types of kites in different shapes and sizes. It can be as small as the palm of your hand. Weifang in Shandong province is also famous for its kite making and flying customs.