After a long, cold and dry winter, life and color are starting to return. Flowers are blooming, birds are singing and people are flying kites.
漫長(zhǎng)、寒冷又干燥的冬天過后，生命復(fù)蘇，色彩恢復(fù)。鮮花盛開，鳥兒歌唱，人們放起風(fēng)箏。

Known as the birthplace of kites, Weifang in Shandong province has a long history of making kites.
作為風(fēng)箏的發(fā)源地，山東省濰坊市有著悠久的風(fēng)箏制作歷史。

According to local artisans, Weifang kite-making can be traced back to 2,000 years ago. At first, they were often used by the military for measuring distance and communication purposes. During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), kites started to be popular among ordinary people as entertainment.
根據(jù)當(dāng)?shù)毓そ车恼f法，濰坊風(fēng)箏制作的歷史可以追溯到2000年前。起初，風(fēng)箏常由軍方用于測(cè)量距離和通信等目的。明朝（1368-1644年），風(fēng)箏開始作為一種娛樂方式，在普通百姓中流行起來。

Made from bamboo and featuring traditional Chinese paintings, Weifang kite-making was included in the national-level intangible cultural heritage lists in 2006. Initiated in 1984, the International Kite Festival has been held in Weifang every year.
濰坊風(fēng)箏以竹子為原料，以中國(guó)畫為特色。2006年，濰坊風(fēng)箏被列入國(guó)家級(jí)非物質(zhì)文化遺產(chǎn)名錄。國(guó)際風(fēng)箏節(jié)創(chuàng)辦于1984年，每年都會(huì)在濰坊舉辦。

Yang Hongwei, 56, is an inheritor of the Weifang kite-making technique. Born into a kite-making family, Yang often saw kites with bright colors and different shapes in her grandfather’s workshop.
56歲的楊紅衛(wèi)是濰坊風(fēng)箏技藝的傳承人。楊紅衛(wèi)出生在一個(gè)風(fēng)箏世家，在祖父的作坊里，她經(jīng)?？吹缴术r艷、形狀各異的風(fēng)箏。

“Every time I see these beautiful kites, my boredom and negative feelings go away,” said Yang.
楊紅衛(wèi)說：“每當(dāng)我看到這些美麗的風(fēng)箏，就不覺得無聊了，負(fù)面情緒也消失了?！?/span>

Having a special connection with kites, Yang learned the technique from her grandfather at the age of 16. After practicing the technique for 10 years, she started her own shop in 1992.
楊紅衛(wèi)和風(fēng)箏有著特殊的淵源，16歲時(shí)，她從祖父那里學(xué)會(huì)風(fēng)箏制扎技藝。經(jīng)過10年的創(chuàng)作實(shí)踐，楊紅衛(wèi)于1992年成立了自己的作坊。

“Many places around the world have a tradition of flying kites,” Yang said. “But I think the cultural context behind our kites is unique.”
“世界上很多地方都有放風(fēng)箏的傳統(tǒng)，”楊紅衛(wèi)說，“但我認(rèn)為我們風(fēng)箏背后的文化背景是獨(dú)一無二的。”

On Yang’s kites, people can see not only common patterns like butterflies and swallows, but also some prints telling Chinese myths, legends and history. For example, she once made a kite showing a phoenix head lined with portraits of 50 famous women in Chinese history on each side.
在楊家的風(fēng)箏上，人們不僅可以看到常見的蝴蝶和燕子圖案，還可以看到一些講述中國(guó)神話、傳說和歷史的圖案。例如，楊紅衛(wèi)曾經(jīng)制作過一個(gè)繪有鳳凰頭的風(fēng)箏，兩邊分別畫著中國(guó)歷史上50位著名女性的肖像。

Though the idea was cool, the process was not easy.
雖然這個(gè)創(chuàng)意很酷，但制作過程并不容易。

Yang said that each woman has different characteristics in look, attire and makeup style. To create their portraits, she spent much effort and time checking historical records or discussing the details with professionals.
楊紅衛(wèi)說，每位女性在外表、服裝和妝容風(fēng)格上都各具特色。為了創(chuàng)作她們的肖像，楊紅衛(wèi)花費(fèi)了大量的精力和時(shí)間，去查閱歷史記錄或與專業(yè)人士討論細(xì)節(jié)。

“It’s time-consuming,” Yang added, “but when I explain the stories on the kites to foreign customers, I feel a sense of great achievement.”
“這非常耗費(fèi)時(shí)間，”楊紅衛(wèi)補(bǔ)充說，“但我向外國(guó)客人解釋風(fēng)箏的故事時(shí)，有一種很大的成就感。”

In her spare time, she also travels to different countries including Germany, Australia, the US and New Zealand to tell people about Chinese stories seen on kites and the traditional ways of making kites.
在業(yè)余時(shí)間，楊紅衛(wèi)也去往包括德國(guó)、澳大利亞、美國(guó)和新西蘭等不同的國(guó)家，她會(huì)給人們講述與風(fēng)箏有關(guān)的中國(guó)故事，傳授制作風(fēng)箏的傳統(tǒng)方法。

“I’m an inheritor of the culture. It is also an important job of mine to spread the heritage around the world and onto the next generation,” she said.
“我是濰坊風(fēng)箏的傳承人，我的一項(xiàng)重要工作就是將這項(xiàng)文化遺產(chǎn)傳播到世界各地，傳遞給下一代?！?/span>

以上文章內(nèi)容選自《21世紀(jì)學(xué)生英文報(bào)高中版》，詳情請(qǐng)見《21世紀(jì)學(xué)生英文報(bào)高中版》高一861期