New Taipei readies for north coast kite fiesta

2015/09/21

An international kite festival is taking place Sept. 26-27 in New Taipei City, featuring 80 experts and 25 teams showcasing the latest developments connected with the world’s oldest flying contraption.

Staged at Baisha Bay in Shihmen Township, the New Taipei City North Coast International Kite Festival comprises stunt kite flying and artistic kite displays, as well as an expo promoting local arts and crafts. The 16th edition of the annual event also involves the participation of professional kitefliers from Taiwan, Belgium, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan and Malaysia.

Chi Shu-chuan, secretary-general of organizer New Taipei City Government’s Cultural Affairs Department, said the festival will boost the profile of the region as leading venue for outdoor sports and activities. “It is going from strength to strength and now one of the largest of its kind in Asia.”

According to Chi, the event ranks alongside higher-profile contemporaries such as World Kite Festival in Johor, Malaysia, and Weifang International Kite Festival in Shandong, mainland China. “We will continue working to have Shihmen added as a stop on the sport kite world championship tour,” she said.

One of the highlights of this year’s festival is the kite art collections by world-renowned masters like Australian Peter Lynn, Belgian Alain Micquiaux and German Volker Hoberg. Their larger-than-life creations in the shapes of hearts and pumpkins resemble images glimpsed only in dreams.

Equally impressive is a stunning landscape installation by French kinetic artist Jean-Paul Richon, who has turned kites into windsurfing sculptures adorning the pristine wilderness of Taiwan’s north coast.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=236802&ctNode=2194&mp=9)