Making chinese paper windmill (DIY)- ConfuciusMag

Making chinese paper windmill (DIY)- ConfuciusMag

HANDCRAFT WORKSHOP

Making chinese paper windmill (DIY)

Chinese paper windmills have more than 2000 years of history. An old saying says, “When a paper windmill is rotating, it can bring happiness and luck to people who see it”. We will show you how to make a simple chinese paper windmill.

Chinese paper windmill

Confucius InstituteReporterSun Ying本刊记者 孙颖

Windmills, formally energy-generating devices, have been transformed to toys for kids in China by handicrafts men. Many people still have their cherished childhood memory in which they play with colorful paper windmills in beautiful sunny days.

It’s believed chinsese paper windmills have more than 2000 years of history. Traditional chinese paper windmills are made of bamboos, rounding in a circle with a perimeter of 365 fen (approximately 1.2 meters), representing 365 days in a year, while 12 spokes mean 12 months and its 24 heads refer to 24 solar terms. Chinese paper windmills decorated with four talismans, symbolizing safety throughout the year, is an auspicious symbol. An old saying says, “When a paper windmill is rotating, it can bring happiness and luck to people who see it”.

Later, more colorful and beautiful paper windmills are created, all representing good wishes for freedom and dream. We will show you how to make a simple chinese paper windmill. May this chinese paper windmill bring you good luck!

Instructions:Simple chinese paper windmill

Tools:

• A square colored sheet, scissors, pins, glue, a stick or a big straw.

Steps:

1. Fold the paper diagonally twice as shown in the picture, and then open it up.
2. Cut the paper along two diagonals. Don’t cut the paper in half. Only cut to the points shown in the picture.
3. Fold the four corners to the central point of the paper in the direction of the arrow in the picture (don’t leave creases). Glue the four corners tightly.
4. Fix the paper to a stick or a big straw with a pin. Don’t fix it too tightly. Leave enough space for the windmill to rotate. Then, this simple paper windmill is done and “We have all things going our way except a prevailing wind from the east”.

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Published in Confucius Institute Magazine.Number 26. Volume III. May 2013.