November 2015

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our own. We always had a Chinese government tourist guide. The faces of the people in my photos show it all. It was still a country with rules and regimentation. DAVID AND DOROTHEA CHECKLEY These two individuals were the reason I was visiting China. Credited with opening the western door to the traditional kitemakers of Japan, it was natural for David and Dorothea to investigate and open the doors to the traditional kitemakers of China. David loved kites, and when he wasn’t working as a professional architect, he was passionately involved in kiting. He did it all, making his own kites and starting a cottage industry of kite designs and products which he marketed to small kite companies throughout the United States. The Checkleys quickly became the royalty of American kiting, hosting the first Japanese kitefliers in the United States, as well as visiting these kite friends in Japan. It was natural for them to do the same in China. They developed the tour for those who were interested in learning more about Chinese kites and visiting the “birthplace of kites,” Weifang, China. SCOTT SKINNER AND ALI FUJINO Scott was lured from Colorado Springs, Colorado to learn more about the kites of China. This was his first trip, and he signed up to go with the Checkleys. Others from around the world did the same thing. There were representatives from Germany, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Italy, just to name a few countries. We all wanted to experience Chinese kites. It all seemed very simple: you paid the Checkleys the designated amount for the tour and showed up at the Beijing Airport on the designated day. The Checkleys would take it from there. Welcome to China! The tour was a gloriously long train trip to the interior of China. Over the days of living on a slow-moving steam train, this group of international kitemakers bonded together and attempted to make sense of the nonsensical. As the photos show, we experienced working China. No matter if it was a job in government or at the Weifang Kite Factory, this was a country that knew how to work hard with a goal of supporting the greater good. We saw a working and transitioning China. The magic of experiencing a new approach to kiting began to take hold. Lively and late-into-thenight conversations about Chinese kites ensued throughout the trip. I was entertained by the expertise and personal kites of each international kitemaker on the tour. Traveling afforded the opportunity to learn more about each kitemaker and what they were passionate about. Scott was working on his American patchwork quilting of ripstop. Tom Casselman of Boston, Massachusetts gave us lessons on besting the Chinese in haggling for their kites. He wanted to collect Chinese kites to study them. Simon Winchester from Australia kept a very detailed journal and took many photos. Ken Conrad of Seattle, Washington sourced kites for his popular kite store in downtown Seattle. The Chinese wowed us with their spectacular presentations of kites and festivals. They were large and wellorchestrated extravaganzas featuring thousands of local artists, residents, and school children, celebrating the excitement of kites and the westerners there to share in it! AND WHAT WAS THE RESULT OF THIS 14 DAY TOUR? Scott Skinner and I returned and started continued on page 20 16
Ali Fujino The 1988 Weifang Kite Festival. 17
Page 1 and 2: 1 November 2015
Page 3 and 4: FROM THE EDITORS EDITORS Scott Skin
Page 5 and 6: CORRESPONDENCE I think that kite [i
Page 7 and 8: AKA CONVENTION Scott Skinner I have
Page 9 and 10: Scott Skinner The city of Enid is r
Page 11 and 12: designs, and skill to fly in any wi
Page 13 and 14: Ali Fujino 1988 new generation Chin
Page 15: Ali Fujino TOP: Kitemakers with sma
Page 19 and 20: Ali Fujino TOP: Scott Skinner with
Page 21 and 22: WHY KITES? Stephanie Rauchwarter Co
Page 23 and 24: Collaction From a paper stencil cut
Page 25 and 26: Collaction Monsterheads and sewing
Page 27 and 28: Collaction Pyjamargot jumping over
Page 29 and 30: Collaction Schetch kites: A bride n
Page 31 and 32: John Browning Diptera: Open spaces
Page 33 and 34: John Browning LEFT: Indo 1: A strai
Page 35 and 36: THE EXPERIMENTS OF 1899: WILBUR AND
Page 37 and 38: Rathbun for the pamphlets and enclo
Page 39 and 40: Library of Congress Side view of gl
Page 41 and 42: tests because he had to mind the st
Page 43 and 44: Library of Congress Wilbur Wright
Page 45 and 46: ENDNOTES 1. Wilbur Wright testimony
Page 47 and 48: Scott Skinner Like a kitemaker of 1
Page 49 and 50: Mikio Toki Examples of Toki-san’s
Page 51 and 52: Toki-san travels extensively to fes

November 2015

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