阳春三月：细柳如丝，燕语如歌。我们用什么来衬托这无限春光？对于中国人来说，莫过于风筝了。看到它，仿佛就看到春天在活活泼泼地朝我们走来。但是您知道中华的先人们是如何发明风筝的吗？请同我一起来追寻风筝（纸鸢）的渊源吧……

Fengzheng is a kind of folk toy as well as a handicraft. It is made from slender slips of bamboo as the frame with thin paper plastered and a long thread to fly with. It flies into the sky with wind.

　　风筝也许是最popular的一种folk toy(民间玩具)handicraft(手工艺品)了。它不仅没有随历史的沉积而消亡，而且随时间的推移，更受国人青睐。小小的风筝如何会有这种魔力呢？

However, fengzheng in its earliest stage[1] did not look like what we see today, and it was not invented for amusement. It is said that Lu Ban was the inventor, who lived in the Spring and Autumn Period[2](770-476 B. C.). Enlightened[3] from the sparrow hawk spiraling in the sky, Lu Ban made one with bamboo and called it "bamboo sparrow", which was said to have remained "flying in the air for three days". This was actually the earliest fengzheng. fengzheng in its earliest stage did not look like what we see today

　　早期的风筝并不是如今呈现在我们面前的轻巧样子，而是沉重的竹鹞或木鹞。它的发明者是木工的鼻祖——鲁班。据《鸿书》记载：鲁班曾制作过木鸢，曰：“公输班制木鸢以窥宋城”。聪明的鲁班Enlightened from the sparrow hawk spiraling in the sky以鸟为形，made one with bamboo削竹为料，制造成了"flying in the air for three days"“上天三日而不下”的风筝的雏形。

When paper was invented, It replaced bamboo to make a lighter fengzheng, which was named "paper bird" at that time. According to historical records, emperor Liangwu of the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420-589 A. D.)used a fengzheng to send his message[4] for help when he was besieged in a city.

　　造纸术的发明也带来了风筝的革命，a lighter fengzheng一种更轻的纸风筝被发明出来，称为"paper bird"纸鸢。这期间，还有一段传奇故事：According to historical records据史书记载，在the Northern and Southern Dynasties(南北朝)，emperor Liangwu (梁武帝)was besieged in a city被侯景围困于台城（现南京鸡鸣山南），就是used a fengzheng to send his message for help通过风筝把救援信送出城外。

<待续>