Philip the Dragon Runner

Sunday, 22.04.2018

The summer sent its heralds. It was 30 degrees Celsius and no wind was blowing! Perfect weather to fly kites, Philip decided. And now try to explain the connection between relative air - kite speed and a maximum achievable kite flying height to a child, answer: 'but I want to fly my kite...'. Well, alright. We set off to give it a try. We crossed the street and went to the lakeside promenade. It is really beautifully designed, inviting for a stroll or to linger.

A couple has set up a tent. On inquiry with my colleagues, I learned that the Chinese practice it as a new hobby. They don't sleep overnight, but simply spend the day outdoors - in a tent

Since there are some expats living in Suzhou, the city administration apparently thought it would be a good idea to put up some symbols of European fairy tales to alleviate homesickness. So there are bronze statues of 'Don Quixote' and the 'Wizard of Os'. Actually a pity, because the Chinese have enough of their own culture that they could show.

So despite the heat, we strolled from one shady spot to another, helped by a few scoops of ice cream. The so-called 'Wind Park' was beautiful, but there was no wind here either.

We walked to the square in front of the 'Chinese Gateway Arch' (anyone who has read every entry so far knows what I mean). A beautiful square between Jinji Lake and the beginning of the downtown area. There was already a lot going on here. People were skating, playing badminton, and flying kites. Kite flying is really a popular sport, just as we sometimes imagine it in the West.

So how did the Chinese kite handlers get the kite in the air, completely without wind? Well, they generated the relative speed through the muscle power of their legs. Okay, now there were no more excuses. The super lightweight kite purchased at Auchan supermarket was upgraded, connected with string and reel, and then it started. Copying the Chinese masters, Philip held the kite high and the dad started running. It now depended a bit, but not too much, on giving enough string so that at the end of the possible running distance, there was still enough to reel in to keep the string taut and land the kite under control. Philip then tried to catch the kite and greeted it with the words 'well landed, kite!'

After two or three launches, Philip took over the role. That actually worked well. He zoomed off with the reel in his hand and started reeling. Of course, soon I had to untie the whole thing with a clean cut, but never mind.

Philip flew around the square all afternoon and had fun, until - yes, when the wind picked up. 'the kite should land again, dad!' Well, that's what we have the reel for 😉