They do some things right.

In my humble Kar opinion, there are a lot of things that the Chinese just need some...modernizing on. Some tutorials. Like, for instance, "How sanitation is important." Or, say, "Why we need to install P-traps in every bathroom in China." Or, "Why we need to perforate our toilet paper. And put it on rolls that attach to some kind of device on the wall." Or, "Tubs. Worth looking into." I could go on and on.

But there are lots of ways in which I think China has got it going ON. Customer service. Movie ticket-buying (you select your seat when you buy your tickets by touching a screen). And, as it turns out, kite-building. Those Chinese can really design a kite.

Ben got the kids some kites when he was in Beijing on a little business trip (this was when we were still in Baoding). Since there were really no public places in Baoding where you could safely fly said kites, we opened them when we got home. I can honestly say that the kids have never had kites that, well...fly. They seem to have potential, but it always ends up being a disappointing experience. But not from lack of wind. As you can see from the damage to our city from a 75-mph wind storm last week, Idaho has PLENTY of wind:

I just think that the $1 kites we get at Wal-Mart aren't designed very well. My kids have never had that experience of their kite getting higher and higher and holding onto it and feeling the tug of it against the handle thingey. Which is sad. We rarely can even get them launched half the time.

Which is why I'm a fan of these. They are one-person launchers. I was free to take pictures from the porch while Dylan got his Chinese kite into the air all by his little old self. Success.