Main categories of Chinese kites
Chinese kites may be differentiated into four main categories:
1. Flat-Kites
Flat kites are constructed within a single plane, and are made of a completely rigid bamboo frame. Spars (longitudinal beams) frame all the four sides of the frame or of the frame segements. Most of these kites, which are very easy to fly, are flown with long tails to grant a stable in-flight behavior. Flat kites are built in many forms and types, very often with pictorial motives from ancient myths and religious ideas, or very often with a picture of the ying-yang sign or the "Eight Diagrams" (a kind of ancient philosophy-related Chinese diagram).
2. Hard-winged kites
This kind of kite is made of two bamboo strips attached to a rectangular framework, which is covered with paper or silk to form a triangle to ensure a good wind-catching effect and good flight performance.