Burma/Myanmar is mentioned in Clive Hart’s Kites, an Historical Survey as one of the places where kites first traveled along early trade routes. It is logical that kites would have traveled either from the island nations to mainland Asia, or from China to Southeast Asia.
Historically, Australia plays an important role in modern kite development. It was the home to Lawrence Hargrave, inventor and aeronautical researcher who is credited with the invention of the box kite. Hargrave published and disseminated his kite research and the box kite became the standard for weather research at the turn of the 20th century. Today, Australia is home to a number of world-class kite makers and kite festivals. It is also the center of the hugely popular sport of kite boarding.
Known for its large fighting kites, Afghanistan has a long kite history. The kites probably arrived via trade routes from India and are made in much the same form as the Indian patang, but much larger (almost 1M x 1M) due to the predominately light, mountain winds.
The kite culture of Afghanistan is well described in the bestselling novel, The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini.
Kite flying as a sport has been popular in Thailand for at least the last 700 years. The kite craze of the 1300s reached such a height, that in 1358, a palace decree was issued stating that kites were not to be flown in the vicinity of the royal palace.
Taiwan presents the interesting example of a region where a kite culture – making, collecting, and flying – is being created and supported through the energies of individuals determined to put their own stamp on traditions brought from China.
For more than a thousand years, the Japanese have built and flown a surprising variety of kites, from the miniature to the mammoth. Traditional kites are made of bamboo and washi (handmade mulberry paper), and many are vividly painted with cultural motifs such as kabuki actors. As a result of Japan’s feudal past, each region or locale has its own specific kite, influenced by local materials, weather, and wind.
As in many Asian and Middle Eastern countries, India has an ancient kite fighting tradition. The traditional kite, patang, is a simple-looking two-spar tissue paper and bamboo creation, carefully crafted for maneuverability and responsiveness. The kites are flown at great heights (one mark of the expert flyer) with a long section of glass-coated cutting line, manjha. One-on-one tangles are the normal fighting format, even in skies crowded with thousands of kites.
Perhaps the oldest and certainly the most notable New World kite tradition is that of the Barriletes Gigantes of Guatemala. These kites, flown during the Day of the Dead (more accurately translated for Guatemalans as Day of the Spirits) are direct links to ancestors’ spirits. Kites are flown by families at ancestors’ gravesites and families come together to eat, drink, and reminisce.
Is China the birthplace of kites? Perhaps, perhaps not. Expert opinion has swung toward the island cultures of the Pacific, with their functional leaf kites used for fishing. Nonetheless, the Chinese kite culture is ancient and still extraordinarily vibrant.
Almost eradicated by the Khmer Rouge regime, the two thousand year old Cambodian kite tradition has been revived through the efforts of retired Ministry of Culture Sim Sarak and wife, Cheang Yarin. The most notable traditional design is the Khleng Ek (the musical kite), sometimes called Khleng Por Kaun (the kite carrying its baby), or