Weifang Travel Guide - How to Plan a Trip to Weifang

Weifang, renowned as the World Capital of Kites, is a city in East China's Shandong Province. The International Kite Festival is held there every year. It is a relatively clean city with other tourist attractions.

• Chinese 潍坊 Wéifāng Wei is the name of the place. Fang means neighborhood.
• Key features: Kite flying popularity. Transport center in Shandong.
• Location: 183 km east of Jinan (Shandong's capital), 410 km southeast of Beijing, facing the Bohai Sea to the north, and bordering the famous coastal cities Qingdao and Yantai to the east.
• Population: more than ten million.
• Activities: kite flying and seeing historical sites. The locally produced tea is a good buy.

Local Highlights

Weifang, famous for kites, is becoming more of a tourist area.

Places under national government or provincial government protection include Shihu Garden (from the Late Ming and early Qing Dynasties), Fangong Pavilion (from the Song Dynasty, 960–1279), fossil sites (including dinosaur fossils in Shanwang, Linqu), the Yangjiabu Folk Grand Viewing Garden, and the Old Dragon Spring.

• International Kite Festival: The city is the headquarters of the International Kite Federation and hosts the festival every year.
• Kite Museum: Ancient and modern kites, and foreign and Chinese kites makes this an interesting place you could spend an hour.
• Wangjiabu Garden: The area was built to attract visitors and tourists and to highlight arts and crafts and kite making. There are also displays of craft object and museums.
• Shihu Village: This is one of the three best attractions according to TripAdvisor in 2016. The garden dates from the Qing Dynasty (1885), and people say it is a fine example of a southern style garden in northern China. Construction mars the scenery, but a building dating from the Ming era (1368 to 1644) is a highlight.

Weifang Weather

Weifang is located in the north temperate monsoon zone, against Yi Mountain and borders Bohai Sea. It has mild climate and four distinct seasons with an average annual temperature of 12.3℃ and an average annual precipitation of 650mm. The average January temperature of Weifang is -3.2℃ and the average July temperature is 25.6 ℃.

Best time to go: spring and autumn. Weifang hosts International Kite Festival every spring (from April 20 to the end of May holiday), which should not be missed. Weifang World Kite Museum, Yiangjiabu Folk Garden and Shihu Garden are highly recommended. Autumn is also a good time for flying kites. Besides, Yi Mountain, famous for its all-over-mountain red maple leaves in autumn, and Old Dragon Lake, a fascinating scenic spots featuring springs, pools, bridges and many other historic buildings, are both very attractive.

History

Weifang Kite Museum

Weifang has a long history. Human habitation dates back to the Neolithic period. It is the hometown of many well-known figures, including Emperor Shun of the Three Sovereigns and the Five Emperors period, the politician Yan Ying of the Spring and Autumn Period (770 to 476 BC), the Confucian scholar Zheng Xuan of the Eastern Han Dynasty (25 to 220), the agriculturist Jia Simiao of the Northern Wei Dynasty (386 to 534).

The artist Zhang Zeduan of the North Song Dynasty (960 to 1127) made a masterpiece called Along the River During the Qingming Festival that is displayed in the Imperial Palace of Beijing.

The Area Is Famed for Craftsmanship

Weifang's handcraft industry has had equal fame with Suzhou of Zhejiang Province since the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty about 217 years ago. It was China's largest kite and New Year woodcut paintings producing area and distribution center during the dynastic era.

The techniques of kite and New Year woodcut painting are well preserved. The craftsmen and their products have been promoted as a tourist attraction since 1980s, and they city attracts many tourists from other places in China and abroad every year.

Weifang Tours

If you enjoy arts and crafts, our Beijing Handicraft Tour is an option. We can extend it to include seeing the handicraft in Weifang.

All our tours are modifiable. You can tailor make a Weifang tour or have one of our experienced travel advisors assist in designing your tour.