LONG BEACH, Wash. – China is considered the birthplace of the kite, and the World Kite Museum and Hall of Fame is spotlighting Chinese kites and their artistic, colorful history through August.

The dragon kite is one of the focal points of the exhibit. Estimated by some to be as long as a football field, four to five people are needed to launch it. It may look fierce, but in China, dragons are considered kind, wise and lucky.

Nearly all Chinese kites are symbolic, either by the paintings on them or by their shapes. Discover the meaning of other creatures besides the dragon depicted on Chinese kites: bats, carp, swallows, ducks, cicada, deer and cranes. Visitors will also have the chance to see, through pictures, how the artisans use silk and bamboo to craft their exquisite kites.

Pictures from the World Kite Museum’s sister museum in Weifang in the Shandong Province of China line the walls of the two-room exhibit.

A video from China plays at the museum all day, every day for the duration of the exhibit. The video tells the story of the “Journey to the West.” In this tale, a Chinese monk makes his way west in search of Buddhist scriptures, accompanied by a colorful band of characters, both animal and human.

The World Kite Museum and Hall of Fame is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through August. For information, call (360) 642-4020.