Largest dragon-headed centipede kite flown

The largest dragon-headed centipede kite flown measured 280 metres (918 feet 7 inches) long, with the head section being 4.2 metres (13 feet 9 inches) tall and 3.6 metres (11 feet 9 inches) wide. Created by 26 artisan kite-makers over just over seven weeks, the kite made its debut at the 38th Weifang International Kite Festival (by whom it was commissioned) in Weifang, Shandong, China, on 17 April 2021. It took 55 people to operate the giant kite.

The dragon-headed centipede kite is one of the most iconic designs of Chinese kites, long associated with this region. The structure consists of an elaborate dragon's head at the start, followed by a series of repeating segments that form the dragon's body.

The city of Weifang, has a long and illustrious connection with kites, traditionally thought to have been a birthplace of early kites in the 5th century BCE. Philosopher Mozi (c. 470–c. 391 BCE) is credited to have been the first to create what were known as "flying birds" out of wood; these were then refined by one of his protégés, craftsman/engineer Lu Ban (c. 507–444 BCE), who used more lightweight bamboo to create a "flying magpie" that could stay aloft for several days.

Each year, the city (widely referred to as the "Kite Capital of the World") hosts the International Weifang Kite Festival, which draws thousands of enthusiasts from all over the world. It is also home to the Weifang World Kite Museum, the largest kite museum, with a floor space pf 8,100 m2 (87,190 sq ft) and some 1,300 exhibits related to kite history and culture.

Although China has been the long-accepted birthplace of kites, it's worth highlighting that there is another school of thought (though yet to be proven) that the earliest kites may have originated from islands in south-east Asia, such as Sulawesi in Indonesia, where leaves from certain rainforest plants such as orchids were used to make kites that could be used by fishermen to extend their range or to fish in potentially treacherous waters.