Have you ever heard of Weifang, Shangdong Province? What is it known for? There is an international kite festival every April in Weifang that is a modern city with many traditions. People from all over the world compete in the kite flying. There are also competitions for the best kites. The kites in the competition are all made by hand. Most people have flown a kite. It makes people happy. It's easy to make it. It's made of bamboo and paper. But not so many people know that kites were first made in China thousands of years ago. The ancient Chinese made and flew kites even before they could write. A long time ago, the Chinese made kites to use in wars. They would fly these war kites in the dark. The kites were fixed and they made strange sounds in wind. Men who were at war against them would hear these sounds and run away. They thought those strange sounds were made by gods in the sky. The ancient Chinese also flew kites to bring good luck and to make their crops grow rich and tall. Sometimes they tied long strings and hooks  to their kites. Then they would fly the kites over water, letting the hooks hang down to catch fish. The Chinese use sticks, string and paper for their kites. Some of these kites look like animals or trees and others look like houses. The ancient Chinese used kites in wars because the kites   _  .
could bring good luck looked like animals. could make strange sounds and help them in a war. could brought light in the dark for them.