Chen Zhaoji on Making Bamboo Kites

“For making large and medium sized kites, I mostly use mao bamboo, which grows in many places in the south [of China]. This bamboo is firm, tensile and elastic. The wall of mao bamboo is very thick, the quality is strong.”

“Ci bamboo is the best for making kites. Ci bamboo’s advantage is that it’s body is not too wide and the wall is thin. Ci bamboo is good for making small to medium sized kites as it is thin walled and long between joints, sometimes up to 70 or 80 inches. It’s elasticity is almost as good as mao bamboo and it’s quality is a little bit softer.”   — Chen Zhaoji