The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-10-07
ORIENTAL KITE FLYING.
Why the Japanese Kite Is Limited in
area to That Of Barn Door.
From the WASHINGTON Post.

From the Washington Post.
Yesterday. which to the naturalized citi-
zens of the United States was Sept "a, was
to the children of the Flowery kingdom who
dwell within our borders the ninth day of
the ninth moon, day Of mystic signifi-
canoe, when every good, orthodox China
man who believes in the traditions of his
fathers goes forth from his house to escape
whatever misfortune the fates have in store
for him, and spends the time as pleasantly
as he may in the flying of kites, which is to
him the national game, and furnishes its
quota of cranks TO the population as does
base ball in the United States
But the cloudless skies of the Chinese aus
tumn and the damp, moist mugginess of the
middle states equinox are two different
Things altogether. Quong Lee, who has a
laundry over in Georgetown and is one of
the chief opponents Of the art in this part
Of the country, was visited day or two
ago by Post reporter to inquire how the
festival in this city would be Observer. He
pulled his American ready-made coat
about him with shrug and said: "Tloo
much wet foots makes go 'schoor ~ initial
ing good American sueeze. 'Stay lite
here, make hot tittin, an talke kite dry
foot5 like. Seem
SO pulling up an empty soap box along
side a small, hot, and, considering the
weather, entirely unnecessary stove, he de-
livered himself of the following account,
which was translated into the kings Eng
hsh, and afterward verified by consultation
with Mr.. Sou and some other authorities
of the national museum:
1t is said that in the dawn Of time. when
the world was still young, mortals walked
nearer to the gods. It happened that in
Canton there was a man who was warned
by the devas that on certain day some
great ill would befall his house, and to
escape the threatened calamity, he, with all
his family, retired for the day to the hills
and spent the time as pleasantly as they
might in flying their kites, which even at
that day was an established pastime of the
nation. Returning in the evening the man
found that during his absence his house had
been visited by some disaster that had car
ried off every living thing about it.
This was on the ninth day of the ninth
month, and since then on the same day of
each succeeding year the people leave their
houses to escape any similar evil that fates
may have in store for them. IL is estimated
that on this day each year there assemble
upon the black hills near Canton, from So
600 to 40, 900 people who indulge in the sport
Of kite lying. There is always large force
of special police upon duty to preserve
order, and several days before the event
the mandarin of the district reads to the
peape 6 special imperial edict en- Joining
quiet and order on that day.
1t would be small wonder If there were
indeed need OF special precaution to preserve
order among thu crowd of holiday makers,
for one of the practices of the day is fight
ing the kites or trying to see which flyer
can cut the others string. This is done by
the use Of war kites, armed at the corners
with glass or steel knives and a section of
the string which has been dipped in glue
covered with broken bits Of glass. The
object OF the flyer is either to cut his opDo-
nent's string by the knives on his kite, max
ing it rise for the purpose under his oppo-
rents string, which is the most skillful way
of doing the business, or else to cut by
flying across his opponents string and drop
ping on IL his own glass shod string by let
ting out cord and rapidly hauling it in
again. The flyers are very skilful in this
sort of warfare, and sometimes a small army
from one section Of the city will pit its kites
against party from another quarter, or
else two OF, the more skillful Of the sportsmen
will engage in a duel TO the ad niration Of
those around.
Kite cutting may develope into a very
expensive business, as some Of the kites are
very elaborate aud costly. They are made
in all forms and shapes, men and women,
birds, beasts and fishes, aad all manner of
flying and creeping things. The only won
der is how some of the shapes can be Kept
in the air at all, but they all fly, and to add
TO the 2ayety of the scene nearly all of the
flyers send up messengers to their kites.
These are often fireworks fastened to a
bamboo frame with wings to catch the
breeze, ard when high in the air the mes
sengers explode, while the frame folds up
and comes back down the string. Other of
the messengers are bundles Of bright paper
finely cut and which are released on reach
ing the kite by a skillful jerk of the string,
starting shower of bright bits Of paper
through the air.
Many Of the kites also carry sirens or
bows Of thin whalebone or light whistles
that sing in the wind, and sometimes a
single kite is a whole orchestra in itself,
while crowd of them will make more
noise than hive of swarmiDg bees.
But, however skilful the Chinese may be
In the management of their airy playthinRs,
the Koreans, SO sage Mr. Sou OF the Ma.
tional museum, can give them clubs and
SPADES and then beat them. The Korean
kite is not so fantastic in design as that Of
their southern neighbors, but it is built on
racing lines, and the object OF the flyers is
TO see who can send his kite the farthest
into the clouds. These sky scrapers are Of
rectangular form, with hole in the centre
to steady its flight. 1t carries no tail or
bobs. aud it is claimed that the flying of it
is quite as much a scientific accomplish
msnt as the Dlayipg Of good game OF bills