(Ecns.cn)--A man named Song Zhufeng, 59, from Changsha in Hunan Province has made a massive 170-meter-long dragon kite which will soon be tested to see if it can carry a person aloft.
The kite weighs 36 kilograms and took Song two years to finish. It consists of a 164-centimeter dragon head and a body of 100 bamboo chips. Each chip is about 50 centimeters in diameter.
Song said he came up with the idea for creating a manned kite in 2003 and spent 3,000 yuan on related materials, including bamboo, cloth and paint.
"I have made four dragon kites. Trial flights of the first three were successful," said Song, noting that he made the fourth kite in tribute to 2012, which is the Year of the Dragon according to the Chinese Zodiac. He added that he was born in 1952, also a dragon year.
Song said he plans to carry a woman during the trial flight of his latest work, which will take place by the end of this year.
"The woman has to be within 50 kg, and will be lifted about 1 meter above the ground," explained Song.
Wang Chaoying, professor of physics at Central South University, believes that Song's idea is practical if weather permits.
Wang added that the round bamboo chips in the kite's body will create an elevating force as the kite flies, making it possible to carry a person.
