QUESTION:
The kite, a Chinese invention, has been praised
as the forerunner of the modern airplane.
In the pavilion of aircraft of the National
Aeronautics and Space Museum in Washington
a plaque says, "the earliest aircraft
are the kites and missiles of China".
The
kite is mainly, but not only, a plaything.
It has contributed to science and production.
The first planes were shaped after the kite.
What
were the earliest Chinese kites made from:
A.
Paper;
B. Carbon Fiber;
C. Wood;
D. Silk.
ANSWERS:
If you said A, you are wrong but on
the right path. The first kites from the Warring
States Period (475-221 BC) were made from
wood, as paper had not yet been invented.
The
kites were called muyuan (wooden kites) and
once paper had been invented, kites began
to be made of this new material called zhiyuan
(paper kites).
Instead
of being playthings, early kites were used
for military purposes. Historical records
say they were large in size; some were powerful
enough to carry men up in the air to observe
enemy movements, and others were used to scatter
propaganda leaflets over hostile forces.
