Kite show takes off

Up to 1,000 handcrafted kites are now on display at Solana Shopping Mall in Beijing as part of a campaign to promote China's kite-making heritage.

Visitors can also enjoy a rare opportunity to speak face-to-face with three of Beijing's best kite craftsmen - Ha Yiqi, Hao Deli and Kong Lingmin.

Organizers hope the event will enable more people - especially youths - to know more about kite flying, which is fading amid ongoing urbanization.

"It's important for young people to know more about kites," Ha says.

Ha is a fourth-generation craftsman of Ha's Kites, which is listed as a national-level intangible heritage. "The kite has a history of 2,300 years in China, and I hope to pass on this precious craftsmanship to the next generation," Ha says.

The event will close on May 13 with a kite-flying gala in the shopping mall's square.