The Yang village is the village of Kite in Weifang. Village maintained its way of life as in the Ming dynasty （1368-1644） with traditional houses carried on hand-making cultural arts of China like paper figure cutting, new year characters painting and kite making. People here lead an original peaceful life as 800 years ago.
The walk way into the village is blooming with cherry flowers in the spring season.
The 4 Chinese character chi kui shi foo 吃亏是福 at the entrance overhead wooden tablet means let others take advantage over you is a merit and blessing. It was indeed a great thought. Give way always is the best solution for all problems and friction but the village philosophy has no position in this modern world.
At a side of garden stand the status of Chinese very famous artist Zheng Ban Qiao (郑板桥 1683-1765)who was also a very knowledgeable literate in Ming Dynasty
Houses were built by hay straw and it usually attracted many birds to build their shelters as well. The harmony scene of birds sharing home with people at thatched cottage inside Yang Village.
By another side of the corner, single pedal white apple cherry tree was fully blooming and the Peony as well.
Purple, pink, white, yellow tiny flowers like a multi-color decorated carpet spreading over every corner of the buildings inside Yang Cultural Village . Next to the kites workshop site was a corridor where audiences observed the kite flying competition at the big field next to it.
Beautiful kites in shape and figure of various animals and insects were so attractive especially the colorful phoenix kite.
The hanged-on dragon was the longest kite and the golden fish is the biggest.
The only difference compared with those self-made kites of 50 yrs ago was their bamboo frames which were made to be bendable to convenient packaging and carriage purposes.
Each and every beautiful kite was hand-made by these young ladies. Starting from its bamboo frame till painting, folding, packing was to be completed under one process one workforce. One lady can only produce 2-3 kites a day and majority of them fingers were injured.
Another tradition is to have a new pair of colorful printed Chinese deities (门神) pasted in front of main door every year to protect from evils and give home peacefulness.
A complicated carved wooden block are required for hand-printing of deities.
In Yang Village offset printing machine still has no chance to replace human handiwork. With 30 yrs experience, the old master used his pair of hands to produce multi colored drawing, piece by piece of equivalent accuracy as machine.
Let me try how it works!
Long time ago, paper cutting art was already a handicraft most women in villages were capable of. Figuring could be as simple as a flower or as complicated as per photo showed but they were equally skillful and fine . Till today no one can ever deny its position in Chinese tradition art history.
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