1. International Kite Flying Performance Local and foreign traditional, creative and stunt kite flying teams are invited to get together in Shihmen Kites Park to give kite flying performances and exchange their kite flying techniques. The activities include Kite Navigation, Pinwheel Dancing Party, Stunt Kite Flying Performance, Creative Kite Flying Show, Night Kite Flying, and so on. Everybody is invited to appreciate the wondrous kite flying performances and fly kites in person.
2. Kite Cultural Lecture Kite makers are invited to demonstrate and teach people how to make kites and instruct the special skills of making kites. Apart from the instruction of the kite making methods, they introduce the special features of different kites from different countries. Through the explanation and demonstration by the kite teachers, people are able to enter the funny world of kites happily and pleasantly.
3. Kite Game Booths From some designed games, people are able to learn the principles and knowledge of kite making, and experience the sense of achievement from the DIY making of kites. The kind mothers from Shihmen community are invited to run different booths, including puzzle booth (complete the puzzle of a kite shape), tying booth (tie the bamboo frame of a kite), pasting booth (painting, writing words and pasting pictures on kite), and flying booth (complete the trial flying of a kite). Visitors are suggested to attend the booths one by one.
4. Shihmen Local Product Sales Market Shihmen has different kinds of delicious snacks, such as glutinous rice tamale stuffed with pork, gelidium amansii jelly and seafood. By the time the activities of Kites Festival are held, there are also some booths selling local snacks and agricultural and fishing products. People joining the festival can also experience the making of gelidium amansii jelly.
5. Shihmen In-depth Travel For visitors, Shihmen travel packages are arranged, with tour guides introducing the famous scenery of Shihmen and leading visitors to take part in different wonderful activities of the Kites Festival. Visitors are able to see the local natural scenes, appreciate the cultural features, and feel the unique charm and pleasant atmosphere in Shihmen.
Charming Attractions
Baisha Bay is a natural bay in a half-moon shape. The sand of the bay is white, and the water is clear. Long time ago, the sea waves were broken at the shallow coast, bringing up to the coast the coral reeves and shells, which were accumulated on the beach. After the continuous scrubbing by seawater, the coral reeves and shells became the beautiful snow-white "shell sand."
Located at Jianlu Village, Shihmen Cave, or called the Wave Erosion Arch, is a scenic wonder of marine abrasion cave formed after millions of years. Since the Arch is just by the side of the seacoast highway, it looks like a majestically impressive gate of a stonewall city. That is why this township was named Shihmen (meaning stone gate in Chinese).
At Fuji Fishing Pier, people can buy the newly caught fresh fish. By the side of the pier, it can be found many seafood restaurants. Visitors can buy their desirable seafood and ask the restaurants to cook for them immediately. Among the various seafood of Shihmen, the most famous ones are the spotted crabs, three-point crabs and stone crabs, attracting numerous gourmet lovers to enjoy their crab feasts all year round.
Eighteen Lords Temple always meets the needs of worshippers, so plenty of joss sticks are found burning here. Even when it is late at night, many worshippers still can be seen inside the temple, forming a unique "night legend" among the temples of Taiwan. The famous bronze statue of Loyal Dog outside the temple is the God being worshipped. There are booths outside the temple selling glutinous rice tamales and natural gelidium amansii jelly, which are the favorite snacks of worshippers.
Secret Tips of Kite Flying
To let a kite fly high and far, the secret tips are simple. Choose a vast, vacant and plain beach or lawn; fly the kite on a sunny day, and use the most suitable wind speed. If you grasp these three secret tips, you will also become a skillful master of kite flying.
Kites of Every Country
Ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") is a unique painting style of the Japanese kites, which has a entertaining and artistic sense. The Korean yeon kites (rectangular wind-hole kite) belongs to the combat kites that are valiant and good at fighting. The Thai kites are divided into male kites and female kites, The male kites are called bird kites and the female kites fish kites. The Malay kites usually have the shape of a three-quarter moon, so they are also known as moon kites.
With nylon cloth and plastic paper as materials, the Dutch kites mostly do not have any frame. Most of the British and American kites are related to military purposes. The Americans invented the soft kites, enabling the folding of kites.
The model kites of Taiwan can fly their beautiful actions in the sky. The local kite flying masters even design creative kites, winning fame on the international kite flying stage.
Surfing Kites
It is not rare to fly kites on the ground. However, there is a new way of kite flying, flying on the sea. It challenges the skills and courage of kite fliers. Similarly, it still uses the kite flying principles, only that the hands for pulling the thread are replaced by the canvas. The kite fliers have their feet stepped on a surfboard by using the wind power, surf on sea surface and simultaneously fly their kites, enjoying the delightful feeling to sail through wind and breaking through the waves.
