Qingming, meaning clear and bright, is the day for mourning the dead. It falls in early April every year. It corresponds with the onset of warmer weather, the start of spring plowing, and of family outings.

             In the 7^th century BC, Duke Xiao was the monarch of the state of Jin (晋). His eldest son, Shen Sheng should have inherited the throne on the death of his father. But Duke Xiao wanted the son of his favorite concubine, Li Ji, to succeed him as the ruler of Jin. He had Shen Sheng murdered and was going to kill the other of his son, Chong’er (重耳) who got wind of this and fled.

             For 19 years, Chong’er and his loyal officials and servants wandered homeless and suffered from cold and hunger. One of his most faithful followers, Jie Zitui (介子推), cut a slice of his fresh from his leg and served his master, saving his life. Then in 636 BC, Chong’er managed to take the throne and decided to reward the officials who had stayed with him through his hard times. But he forgot about Jie Zitui. Jie Zitui was heartbroken and went away. He was found but refused Chong’er’s offer of luxurious life and hit in the mountains and his mother. Someone advised to set a fire to force Jie Zitui out and Zhong’er agreed. The fire raged for three days and Jie Zitui was found with his mother on his back, dead. Zhong’er was deeply saddened by this tragedy. He ordered a temple be built in memory of his loyal follower. He also ordered that no fire was allowed on the anniversary of Jie Zitui’s death. So people had to eat their cold food that day which was called the day of Hanshi (寒食). People began to visit Jie Zitui’s tomb and their respect to his memory.

             It was not until the Qing Dynasty about 300 years ago that the practice of Hanshi or eating cold food was replaced by that of Qingming, which had now become an important occasion for people to offer sacrifice to their ancestors. In ancient China, Qingming was by no means the only time when sacrifices were made to ancestors. In fact such ceremonies were held very frequently, about every two weeks, in additional to other important holidays and festivals, which were in general very elaborate and expensive in terms of time and money.

             In an effort to reduce this expense, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty declared in 732 AD that respects would be formally paid at the tombs of ancestors only on the day of Qingming. People visit their ancestors tombs, tidy up, remove weeds and sweep away leaves. Therefore the day is also called the Grave Sweeping Day.

             It is not only just a day of remembrance, but also a day to celebrate the coming of spring, often by going out for a picnic. Spring time, especially in North China, is the windy season, just right for flying kites, which is popular and invented over 2000 years ago. The earliest Chinese kites were made of wood and called Mu Yuan (木鸢), a type of bird and later it was called Zhi Yuan (纸鸢) for more and more people made kites with paper. In the history (as early as Han Dynasty, 1500 years ago) kites were also used for military purposes, some large enough to carry a man in the air to observe enemy movements.

             In Tang Dynasty, people began to attach thin bamboo strips to kites, which vibrate like that of the Zheng (筝), a Chinese string instrument. So another name is given: Feng Zheng (风筝) which means “wind Zheng”.

             In the Qing Dynasty, people would fly their kites as high as possible away with bad luck and illness. The biggest could be a hundred meters long, made of hundred sections to form a dragon or a centipede. The annual Weifang Kite Festival held every April in Shandong Province has become a major event attracting thousands of tourists and kiteflying competitors all over the world.