Kites have a long history. They may date back(追溯到) long time ago. They were made of bamboo and silk in China. Nobody knows exactly how or when a kite was first flown, but it is said that when a Chinese farmer tied a string(绳子) to his hat to keep it from blowing away in a strong wind, the first kite was born.
Children like playing with kites. Kites for work or play are made of wood, bamboo, paper, or silk. In 478 B.C., a Chinese philosopher(思想家), Mo Zi, spent three years making a kite out of light wood and bamboo. The earliest record of kite flying was in about 200 B.C. when the Chinese General(将军) Han Xin of Han Dynasty flew a kite over the walls of a city. He wanted to know how far his army would have to travel.
In the 13th century, Marco Polo wrote about how the shipping businessmen flew the huge kite in the wind before the ship set sail. They predicted the voyage(航海) in this way. If the kite went high and straight it meant a quick and successful voyage, but if it did not fly well, it was a bad omen(预兆). In the late 1500s, the kite was introduced to Europe by the Italians. Kite flying was first mentioned in England in a popular book in 1589.
