Flying Beautiful Kites in the Sky

You An Kite is a shop located at You An Men Wai street, that sells kites of various types, large and small, all unique and beautiful. A large kite can be as large as the dragon kite, 100 feet in length, with hundreds of rings circling its body. A small kite can be as small as a miniature kite with a length of 0.33 feet.

One traditional Beijing kite is "Sha Yan". It is a lovely kite with a swallow's head on its main body, and four wings painted with different animals, like dragon, fish or bat, which respectively represents good luck, wealth and happiness. People believe that “Sha Yan” can bring good luck to any place it flies by. There are a lot of “Sha Yans” in the shop, and according to the shop owner, one such kite is always handmade, with bamboo as it frame and silk as its covering.

There are also kites that are machine-made. One such kite is in the shape of a triangle, and uses iron as its frame and ninon as its covering. You can easily fly it in the sky.

The smallest kites are the miniature kites with a length of only 0.33 feet. They look exactly like "Sha Yan", with their whole body painted with cute animals. They are priced at RMB 20 each.

Other beautiful kites are in the shapes of butterfly, dragonfly, fish or eagle. They are all handmade and with gorgeously painted wings.

What I appreciate:
Handmade kites with gorgeous painting

What customers appreciate:
Traditional technique, modern design