A two-week Kite Festival held by the Confucius Institute at Bangor University, starting from 21 September, came to a successful end on 5 October, 2013. The kite festival included 19 events and drew over 1000 participants in North Wales. Out of these events, 12 activities, with more than 500 participating students, were run in kite-painting workshops set in schools in Bangor, Cowen bay, Caernarfon and Llandudno. The Confucius Institute had established a stable relationship with the 12 local schools through cooperation in activities. Another 4 events were held in arts centers in Holyhead, Bangor, Caernarfon and Llandudno, drawing about 450 kite fans in Wales. There were also kite lectures and indoor kite flying in the workshops and arts centers.
A kite-painting competition was conducted at Bangor University. In a kite-painting activity at a special school, one teacher told us that, it was absolutely unprecedented for a boy, who normally had difficulty in concentration for more than 5 minutes, to keep concentration for over 30 minutes on kite-painting.
With the support from Hanban, and assistance of the Weifang government in China and China University of Political Science and Law (the Chinese partner of the Confucius Institute at Bangor University), the Confucius Institute made contact with Mr. Yongxun Wang, a kite artist from the Land of Kites (Weifang). Mr. Yongxun Wang, an heir of intangible cultural heritage, once won the first prize in the Weifang International Kite Festival, and was given the title of Weifang Arts and Crafts Master. In the Confucius Institute’s event, Mr. Wang addressed about the history and culture of kites to college students, who also participated in the following guessing game about kites and kite-painting competition. During the 2-hour lecture, the audience came up with some truly professional questions, such as what kites’ function was in ancient times, how to fly a giant “Dragon Kite”, what parts of a kite to fly first, how to make a kite and the aerodynamics of indoor kite flying.
The Director and Co-director of the Confucius Institute for Northern Ireland at the University of Ulster were also invited to this event. With concerted efforts of Directors, marketing manager and teachers from the Confucius Institute at Bangor University as well as those of volunteers and student ambassadors, a series of work had been done for the kite festival. These involved activities from marketing, purchasing raw materials, inviting Mr. Yongxun Wang and helping with his visa, to connecting with schools and arts centers, transporting materials and sorts of legal permit procedures, including insurance and permission to take photographs, news services and flight.
In the final kite flying along the Llandudno’s seashore, over 300 people joined the event, some of which even participated several times in the Institute’s kite activities. A young girl, along with her family driving from Caernarfon to Llandudno, took part in events open to the public three times. Undoubtedly, this kite festival played a large role in expanding the Confucius Institute’s influence. After that, there were still concerns and interests on the kite festival. For instance, in a preparatory meeting of World Culture Day where the mayor attended, the kite festival got mentioned and discussed a couple times.
The Confucius Institute at Bangor University, authorized by Hanban / Confucius Institute Headquarters and co-established by China University of Political Sciences and Law and Bangor University in Britain, was launched in September of 2012. The institute, based in Bangor University, offers Chinese language credit courses and "Law and Chinese" LLB degree courses to all Bangor students, and holds Chinese language and cultural activities in primary and middle schools and local communities.
The kite festival included 19 events and drew over 1000 participants in North Wales. There was a kite-painting event held in Cae Top School, Bangor. About 70 students, divided into two groups, joined the activity. In this picture, one group was showing their kites drawn by themselves.
In a kite-painting activity at a special school, one teacher told us that, it was absolutely unprecedented for a boy, who normally had difficulty in concentration for more than 5 minutes, to keep concentration for over 30 minutes on kite-painting.
In the 2-hour lecture given by Mr. Wang at an arts workshop in Caernarfon, local people showed great interests in kites.
In the Confucius Institute’s event, Mr. Wang addressed about the history and culture of kites to college students, who also participated in the following guessing game about kites and kite-painting competition.
The Director and Co-director of the Confucius Institute for Northern Ireland at the University of Ulster were also invited to this event.
In the final kite flying along the Llandudno’s seashore, over 300 people joined the event.
A young girl, along with her family driving from Caernarfon to Llandudno, took part in events open to the public three times.
At Venue Cymru, Llandudno, an kite-painting event which was open to the public, attracted over 60 people to take part in it. Participants took turns painting their kites, with others waiting still.
