CHIANG RAI – Kite enthusiasts from China and Thailand joined the first-ever Mekong Riverside Kite Festival held in Chiang Khong District, Chiang Rai. Local tourism leaders and Chinese partners teamed up to revive a cultural activity and turn it into a fresh travel highlight.
Nopparat Satarat, Chiang Rai’s Director of Tourism and Sports, said the festival marks a new start for tourism activities in Chiang Khong. The event also came together with support from the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Chiang Mai.
Just as important, kite artisans from Weifang, Shandong Province, joined Thai kite makers to run hands-on workshops. As a result, more than 100 Thai youths learned how to make kites, then flew them with residents and visitors.
The province plans to grow the festival into a yearly event, so it can support culture and tourism between Thailand and China.
Weifang Brings Its Kite Heritage to Chiang Khong
Mr. Lyu Sheng, Commercial Consul at the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Chiang Mai, said the Weifang kite artisan team traveled to Chiang Rai for this festival with a clear goal: to share their craftsmanship and build friendship through kite culture.
He added that Weifang and Chiang Rai have been sister cities since 2014. Because Weifang is widely known as a global kite city with a long kite-making tradition, the team hopes this exchange helps strengthen bonds between Chinese and Thai people.
Mr. Wang Weili, Deputy Head of the Publicity Department of the Weicheng District Party Committee in Weifang, said Weifang is seen as the birthplace of kite flying and has hosted an international kite festival for 42 consecutive years. The event draws participants from more than 55 countries.
He also shared economic figures tied to Weifang’s kite industry. In 2025 (2568), the city’s full supply chain kite industry generated more than 100 billion baht in revenue, exporting kite products to over 70 countries and holding about 85% of the global market share.
During the 50th anniversary of Thai-Chinese diplomatic relations in 2025 (2568), Thailand and China also flew kites together at the Weifang kite festival. Mr. Wang described it as a sign of friendship in the sky.
For Chiang Khong, this first festival between Weifang and the district focuses on sharing kite-making knowledge, kite-flying culture, and job creation through kite crafts. It also supports travel and cultural exchange between Thailand and China, with plans to continue backing kite-related activities in the future.
More Than 2,000 Years of Kite History
Mr. Xing Shunjian, a kite artisan from the Weifang Arts and Crafts Research Institute, said Weifang’s kite-making history stretches back more than 2,000 years. Today, the city has over 80,000 kite artisans.
Education plays a role, too. Schools in Weifang include kite-making in their curriculum, from elementary level through university. The city also runs what he described as the world’s largest full-cycle kite production center, covering fully handmade kites, mixed hand-and-machine production, and fully machine-made products.
Some pieces reach high prices, with the most valuable kites costing up to 2.5 million baht per kite.
Each year, Weifang’s international kite festival takes place around mid-April and draws at least 20,000 kite flyers from around the world. The city is also known for record-setting giant kites, including one that measured 7 kilometers long and weighed 6 tons. It required vehicles to pull it, and it took more than five hours to launch.
On this trip to Thailand, Mr. Xing said the team is ready to support kite-making learning opportunities for Thai communities.
Chiang Khong’s Location Helps Cultural Exchange
On the Thai side, Thanwa Liampan, Vice President of the Chiang Rai Provincial Cultural Council, said Chiang Khong is a border district along the Mekong River, with Laos across the water. The area also connects to China through Mekong River routes and by road via the R3A route through Laos.
Because of this, he sees the Thai-Chinese partnership behind the kite festival as a strong step toward closer relations.
This cooperation also helps bring back kite flying in Chiang Khong, a tradition that had started to fade. At the same time, it gives families and young people a cultural activity they can pass down to future generations.
Looking ahead, the festival may also support local jobs. Communities can use local bamboo as a key material for kite-making, then turn that work into household income. Organizers expect the next festival to take place around December 2026.
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