Instead of being playthings, early kites were used for military purposes. Historical recor

ds say they were large in size; some were powerful enough to carry men up in the air to observe enemy movements, and others were used to scatter some information over hostile forces.

During the Tang Dynasty(618—907) , people began to fix on kites some bamboo(竹子) strips which, when high in the air, would ring in the wind like a zheng(a traditional Chinese musical instrument). Since then, the popular Chinese name for the kite has become fengzheng. The kites made today in some places are fixed with silk strings or rubber bands to give out pleasant ringing in the wind.

It was also believed, for instance, during the Qing Dynasty(1644—1911) , that flying a kite and then letting it go, apart from the pleasure in itself, might send off one's bad luck and illness. Consequently it would bring him bad luck if one should pick up a kite lost by other people. This may be regarded as superstition (迷信) but may not be altogether without reason: think of the good it will do to a person, ill and depressed all the time, if he or she could go out into the fields and fresh air to fly a kite.

Chinese kites fall into two major types: those with wings that can be taken apart and those with wings that are fixed. The former can be taken apart and packed in boxes. Easy to carry about, they make good presents. The second type refers to those with fixed structure, they fly better and higher, given a steady wind, classified by designs and other standards, there are no less than 300 varieties, including human figures, fish, insects, birds, animals and written Chinese characters. In size, they range from 304 meters to only 30 centimeters across.

What is the use of silk strings or rubber bands fixed to the kites？

A．To make the kites look more pleasant.

B．To make the kites have strong structures.

C．To make the kites produce pleasant sounds.

D．To make the kites fly faster in the wind.