From Apr 9 to 20, “A Kite That Follows Dreams: The Art and Culture Exhibition of Traditional Kites,” initiated and organized by Jiang Cheng Linkuan, was successfully held at the Art Gallery of the Canadian International School of Beijing (CISB). This student-led cultural event featuring independent curation, exhibition setup, and engaging presentations not only showcased the profound heritage of China’s millennia-old kite culture but also displayed large-scale kites from countries including Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, the US, Switzerland, and Germany.
Festival-goers could purchase cultural merchandise, including traditional-style kites, fridge magnets, DIY kite-making kits, kite ornaments, souvenir gift boxes, and handcrafted gifts.
All proceeds from the event – totaling RMB 10,800 – were donated to the Beijing Tongxinyuan Charity Foundation’s “Zhi’ai” Special Fund to aid victims of the Myanmar earthquake. Through innovative approaches, the festival bridged cultural exchanges between China and the world, becoming a hot topic both on and off campus.
The event revolved around cultural exploration, blending knowledge with hands-on experience. Jiang Cheng Linkuan and his peers studied records of wooden kites in “Mozi·Lu Questions” and analyzed Cao Xueqin’s Feiyi Zhai Manuscripts and A Study of Southern Kites and Northern Kites, exploring kites’ evolution from folk art to military tools. CISB’s physics class was transformed into an aerodynamics lab, where students and teachers dissected the scientific principles behind kite flight. And in art class, Dunhuang flying apsaras patterns, traditional ink painting, and pop art styles merged in kite designs, showcasing a fusion of cross-cultural aesthetics.
At the opening ceremony, CISB headmaster James McCory delivered a keynote speech, praising the festival as an outstanding achievement. Secondary school principal David Bremner also emphasized the event’s significance and far-reaching impact. The festival allowed over 1,200 students and faculty from 50+ nationalities, as well as numerous parents, to experience China’s intangible cultural heritage and the global history of kites.
Jiang Cheng Linkuan, the festival’s organizer, shared his three-month journey of meticulous preparation, from researching historical texts on kite origins, styles, and applications in science, military, and the arts to three visits with Mr. Miao Bogang, the fourth-generation inheritor of Cao-style kites, to learn about Beijing’s “Swallow Kite” craftsmanship. He also traveled to Tianjin Yangliuqing Kite Co. to study soft-wing kite-making techniques and collaborated with Shandong Weifang Kite Co. to design kites representing participating nations.
Guo Hongli, a national intangible cultural heritage inheritor of Weifang kites, demonstrated traditional crafting techniques, emphasizing precision and unveiled a breathtaking 30-meter “Dragon Soaring” kite, the festival’s centerpiece.
On Apr 10, the students launched their DIY creations on the CISB lawn. As CISB teacher Charles Wu noted, “These kites carry Gen-Z’s reinterpretation of heritage.”
Aligned with the IB’s hands-on learning philosophy, the project integrated economics (charity sales), media (documentary filming), and literature (kite-themed poetry, e.g. “Reeling strings, we are all dream chasers”).
Mentor Liu Bing remarked, “Education transcends textbooks – this festival taught cultural stewardship and project leadership.” Plans are underway to adapt the event into a curriculum module, with future exhibitions at Beijing’s 798 Art Zone and CISB’s sister schools in Shenyang, Shenzhen, and Hefei.
As the sun began to set, the kites descended onto CISB’s lawn. Yet for these students, the journey of cultural innovation had just begun – their dreams, like the kites, now soaring to new heights.
Images: CISB Visual Arts Club
