A specailly constructed China Space Station-themed kite flew to welcome home the three Shenzhou-13 taikonauts in Weifang, East China's Shandong Province. The kite, and exceptional work of craftsmanship, attracted wide attention on Chinese social media platforms.
The kite, 3.5 meters wide, 8 meters long with a total body-tail length of 150 meters, was completed by more than 20 kite artists over two months. Pictures of the three taikonauts, Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping, and Ye Guangfu, were also attached to the kite. To welcome the three heroes, the kite enacted the scene of the spaceship docking with the space station and taikonauts leaving the capsule.
This complex design really captures the appearance of the space station and simulates the docking for all observers to see. The celebratory flight took place April 17, 2022 on the date of the astronauts return to earth in China.
The rich history of kites in China, one of the world's foremost kite cultures, has been brought into the modern space age with this realistic tethered creation.
