The first Global Harbor Kite Festival kicked off on April 4 at Global Harbor mall. The festival features the stunning Nantong Banyao kite, a national-level intangible cultural heritage item, displaying the traditional craftsmanship of frame making, painting, and whistling device design.

A number of classic Nantong Banyao kites, a traditional whistling kite, are on show, each a masterpiece. Some kites use carbon-fiber frames that fold, with whistles made from naturally carved gourds and blue-and-white porcelain-style dragon patterns. Others feature auspicious figures such as Fu, Lu, Shou (fortune, prosperity, longevity) and delicate Peking opera mask motifs, blending traditional culture into kite artistry.

Visitors can also admire a large phoenix kite with a wingspan of 5.8 meters, as well as miniature kites.

Wang Zhiqing, a provincial-level inheritor of Nantong Banyao kite craftsmanship, was on site to explain the techniques and cultural meaning behind the kites. He noted that the making of the kites integrates multiple skills — even the whistles alone require natural materials such as gourds, nutshells, and silkworm cocoons. The bamboo frames undergo multiple treatments to withstand strong winds. 

“The kite can fly at 200 meters at minimum and reach up to 500 meters in open areas,” Wang said. “The whistles produce harmonious sounds, earning the kite the title of ‘symphony in the air.’”

Starting in April, Global Harbor has also launched a nighttime consumption season, with dozens of merchants extending opening hours and offering group-buying promotions. The mall is offering free parking from 10pm to 2am the next day.