Flying Kites

放风筝

Flying kites is an activity favored by many Chinese during Tomb-Sweeping Day. Kites are not only flown during the day time but also in the evening. Little lanterns are tied to the kite or to the kitestring. And when the kites are flying in the sky, the lanterns look like twinkling stars at night. What makes flying kites during this day special is that people cut the string while the kite is in the sky to let it fly free. It is said this brings good luck and that diseases can be chased away by doing this.

放风筝也是清明时节人们所喜爱的活动。每逢清明时节，人们不仅白天放，夜间也放。夜里在风筝下或风筝拉线上挂上一串串小灯笼，像闪烁的星星。在这一天特别的是，有的人把风筝放上蓝天后，便剪断牵线，任凭清风把它们送往天涯海角。据说这样能除病消灾，给自己带来好运。

Huangzhou Han Shi Tie by Su Shi(part) It is a 34 x 119.5 cm hand scroll kept by the Taipei Palace Museum. It was written in 1082 when Su Shi was relegated to Huangzhou due to the literary inquisition. Impoverished and depressed, he produced this poem on the Cold Food Festival. [Photo/yueyaa.com]

图为苏轼的《寒食帖》的一部分。寒食帖：书法贴，纵: 34厘米 横：119.5厘米，被保存在台北故宫博物馆里。1082年，苏轼被贬黄州，当时他内心惆怅孤独，故在寒食节写下了此诗。