History, Technology And Ideas

The paper is to write and explain the ethnography of the history, technique and idea of the kite in the Village Yang from the view of anthropology, to be used to understand the local social structure, the way of thinking and the pattern of culture. With relevant studies in recent several decades, the studies of the kite have mainly concentrated on the origin and history of the kite, the making skill, how to fly kite and the categorization, which are merely presentation of facts and information without academic analysis.This paper connects the kite with social historical materials and the methods of the ethnographic study. And the paper discusses several issues:first of all, whether the origin of the kite, which now has been recognized, is trustworthy? Secondly, how can the skill of making kites create the connection of the kite and local society in the Spatio-temporal bounds? Thirdly, as a symbol and metaphor in the development of history, how has the the imagination of the kite in the Port Yang changed? Aiming at these questions, the paper carries out discussion and analysis from the following several aspects:First of all, in term of the whole history, the origin of the kites could be dated from the "cold society" before the prehistory.archaeology, etymology and mythodlogy, in which all the materials and theories can prove the original image of the kite, a "heavenly ladder", a communication pathway between human being and the god. Secondly, from the perspective of anthropology, technology appeared as a method of study in handicraft. The extent of technology of the kites includes the tools, technologic knowlege, materials, way of spreading, social division of labor, social change, interpersonal relationship and social market, which are related to thinking, society and culture.Thirdly, in the Village Yang, both the kite and the new year pictures as twin sisters have the systematicness and integrity. As a symbol, the kite encompasses peoples’ imagination. From the imagination of the heavenly ladder to the imagination of the economic value, the imagination of the kite and the metaphor study actually are the construction of the subjection.The paper mainly discusses the mythical origin of the kite, technique and the structure behind the kite:firstly, analyzing the material of historic anthropology, archaeology, and the etymology, the Chinese kite originated from the imagination of the Heaven in the Shang and Zhou dynasties, which is a revolution in epistemology. Secondly, in Village Yang, a so-called kite circle is formed, which is beyond the local limit with a very important role in understanding the local society. Thirdly, as an object, all the imagination and metaphor about the kites are not inherent. Actually, the change of the symbol of the kites itself means nothing but an intellectual history and a history of ideas.