The Wild Kite Festival丨Go Where the Wind Blows, and Dream an Unhurried Dream in the Wild

The Wild Kite Festival丨Go Where the Wind Blows, and Dream an Unhurried Dream in the Wild
How long has it been since you truly looked up at the sky?

It is not a hurried glance at the forecast, nor a fragment of sky glimpsed between towers.
It is a decision to pause—to watch the wind in motion, to witness clouds being slowly ushered forward by time.

City life so often trains us to draw inward.
Alarms ring with precision, calendars align in neat succession, rhythms are endlessly calibrated. We learn efficiency, we perfect composure, we move seamlessly from one obligation to the next. And somewhere along the way, we forget another way of being—an untamed, unmeasured state that does not rush toward what comes next.

In the Sichuan Basin, winter sunlight is rare. Perhaps that is why the winds of March are remembered so vividly. They do not hurry to announce themselves but to move gently across the open fields along the Yangma River in Chongzhou, setting the grasses into quiet waves, brushing against the edges of the body, and awakening memories we did not know we still carried.

The story of the wind has been unfolding for three hundred years.

The people of Chongzhou know the rhythm of the wind and freedom so well.

Three hundred years ago, Lu You wrote of “forty miles of rivers and lakes.”

Three hundred years later, the elders of Yangma still remember the sky filled with kites on the “Third of March.”

This is not a staged festival, but a long-practiced ritual: bending bamboo, stretching color paper, letting the string out inch by inch.The moment the kite rises, a subtle, fleeting accord forms between human and wind. 

This so-called “intangible heritage” is never just a craft. It is an ancestral question posed to the sky: how far are we willing to surrender ourselves to nature?

This time, we return three centuries of collective memory to the wild.

Cradled by the original waterways of YuanYe· LiuZhou, its six natural lakes gleam like polished mirrors of time. Here, there are no walls—only rolling grasslands. Across 2,800 acres of open fields, no paths are prescribed, no directions urged.

This is more than a collaboration between Re: Museum and Zeji Cultural Tourism; it is a field practice in the aesthetics of roaming freely.

From the visual language we sketch, to the spatial reimagining of 2,800 acres, to capturing every playful detail in the market—we seek to break down the walls of the museum. Along the Yangma River, we bring our relentless pursuit of aesthetics, creating an art space ready to take flight at any moment. The wind is invisible, until it takes hold of you.

In a world where entertainment is abundant, people often ask: Why do we still need a Kite Season?

Perhaps it is precisely because a kite is not  a “project,” but a state of being. One end of the string is in your hand, the other completely beyond your control. It teaches us a kind of freedom shaped by restraint.

As the kite rises again between lakes and fields, it does more than fly. It rehearses how to resist, how to yield, and how to find balance in the pull and tug.

The Re: Museum does not place kites in display cases. Instead, they are woven into the rhythms of the wild—into markets, performances, camping, and the flow of people.

Thus, "wildness" is no longer an adjective, but a state that can be physically practiced.

 At Yuanye· Liuzhou,"wildness"  takes no four different forms.

【Sit and Have a Full Cup of Tea】
At this moment, nothing happens.

You don’t need to do anything right away.
Walk along the lakeshore. The fire is ready, water gently humming in the kettle. Some brew tea, some simply sit. Leaves float and sink in boiling water, and time seems to be set aside.

Here, there is no rush. Your only task is to sit and have a full cup of tea, letting your body relearn the art of slowness.

At YuanYe · LiuZhou, “nothing happening” is never emptiness—it is a state honored with care.

Art, an improvisation.

If you are willing to move, it will find you.

Through gaps in gardens and groves, an NPC may call you, or a sound may pull you off your path. Art markets, kite salons, food stalls, and reading nooks intertwine—there is no prescribed order.

You may pause to read, or be drawn into an impromptu performance. Often, it is only while walking that you realize you are already part of the story.

Here, the line between observer and performer blurs.

Art is not placed on a pedestal—it happens with you.

【Everything is Fun】

Here, surprises happen.

Some things cannot be announced in advance: an impromptu performance on the grass, pets making friends faster than people around the corner.

Art is never grandiose—it appears like a small, natural moment: a flower blooming, needing no explanation, only a pause.
You may exchange a few words with strangers, or spend an afternoon with furry friends.
Everything is fun—not because it’s planned, but because this spring, we choose to join in.

“Lie Back Here”

To lie down is also an accomplishment.

If you don’t want to do anything, simply spread out your body.

Rainbow-colored beanbags scatter across the lawn, the sky a vast canvas above.

Clouds drift slowly, kites float like unfinished sentences. The aroma of hand-brewed coffee reminds you: idling in the wild is not laziness—it is returning time to yourself.

Here, you need not prove today was “worth it.” Wasting time is its own kind of purpose.

【 Kite Stamps Hunt】

Play and collect rewards across the entire site. To make the four themed areas more engaging, we’ve designed an in-depth exploration system for visitors to earn vouchers and stamps as they visit the market and interactive zones. Points can be redeemed for limited-edition merchandise and custom gifts—every step you take in the wild comes with a delightful surprise.

A joyful parade with no schedule.

At YuanYe LiuZhou, time is never fragmented.

A vibrant program of performances unfolds throughout the day. Encounter the depth of intangible heritage up close, delight in lively puppet shows and powerful theatrical acts, and watch as surprise art parades weave through the crowd. In short: this is a moving open-air theater.

In the afternoon, live music unfolds gently through the market, awakening the senses. Puppetry and face-changing performances emerge on the lawn, where tradition and contemporaneity meet side by side.

Step into the intangible heritage workshop to bend bamboo and feel the tension of a kite taking shape. Put on MR gear and slip briefly through time in a digital wilderness. Or simply join a carefree interaction with your pet.

As night falls, folk songs rise beneath the moon. Voices blend with the wind, and for a moment, 2,800 acres of open field become a living cultural community.

Kite Performances

Special Exhibition of MR Space

There is no “must-see” list here.

All you need to do is wander, as if on a treasure hunt—each hour, each stretch of grass holding a surprise yet to be unwrapped.

Go to where the wind blows and sign this "Pact with the Wilderness".

If a kite remains only in history, it loses its bond with the wind.

If the wild is only temporarily occupied, it can never become a habit.

What  Re: Museum and Zeji Cultural Tourism care about is not the completion of an event, but whether a way of living can endure.

This is a rehearsal.
We hope that “If you long for freedom, go to YuanYe · LiuZhou” becomes not a slogan, but a natural choice.

March 21 — March 29
Come to the wild and untamely play.

Years from now, you may not remember a particular kite,
but that afternoon—
when you stood in the wind, thinking of nothing,
yet felt yourself quietly lifting off.

This spring, the sky takes center stage.
We claim it as our canvas, searching for ideas still bright with wonder, painting the season as we imagine it. Join us on this open field, and leave a note that is entirely your own.

Bring a heart ready to rise.
Leave the rest to the wind.