Bamboo Frame Chapter:
Take three sections of bamboo: the root section for the body, stiff and unyielding against the wind; the middle section shaved for the wings, flexible to store momentum; the tip section for the tail, fine as a fishing line. Bend it by roasting over a fire, but do not let it turn charred and brittle.
Pasting Formula:
Soak plain, single-thread silk in light glue, stretching it over the frame as taut as a drum. Reinforce the seams secretly with ramie, a technique known as the "Iron Net Locking the Clouds." In summer, switch to mulberry paper, mixing the paste with Sichuan peppercorns to ward off silverfish.
Coloring Chapter:
For the blue sky color, mix Buddha's head indigo with alum; for the crimson twilight, boil sappanwood for its juice. When painting birds of prey, dot the eyes with pine soot; when depicting cranes, dip the feet in gold paste. Once the colors dry, scatter fine porcelain powder over them so they glitter in the sunlight.
Tethering Technique:
Use three lines for a long kite, and a single cord for a short sparrow-hawk kite. The spool must be made of sandalwood. The core of the tether should be wild silk, wrapped in wild hemp to prevent wear. Tie a sounding bow at the knot, so it cuts through the air with a phoenix's whistle.
Flight Manual:
To fly a kite in the North, wait for the first southern winds after the Qingming Festival; to test a kite in Jiangnan, wait for the fresh dew to dry before the Double Ninth Festival. For its maiden flight, tie a stone at thirty paces, and gradually reduce the weight. Only when it glides like a feather drifting over sand can it achieve true freedom.
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