SINGAPORE: An old hobby is once again being picked up in Singapore. Its soaring popularity can be seen dotting the country's skyline, especially at weekends, as more and more people come out to fly kites.
At the Marina Barrage Green Roof in downtown Singapore, people do not seem to mind the heat as they wrestle to keep their kites in the sky.
On weekends, hundreds of kite flyers head there, as interest in the activity grows in Singapore.
Wing Lee, president of Singapore Kite Association said: "Definitely, kite-flying is getting more and more popular in Singapore, especially if you come around to Marina Barrage on the weekend, you'll see tons of people flying kites. If you look at the crowd around you, you'll find (people of all ages), from babies to grandfathers. So basically, kite flying is for every generation."
Kite enthusiast Brahmawan Riyadi has joined many kite competitions as a kite flyer, and conducted kite workshops for young children and adults.
The 19-year-old prefers outdoor activities to the Internet and computer games.
Mr Riyadi said: "I fly kites because... in the sky, they look so free, while we're all down here... we have a lot of things to do."
Mr Riyadi first held a kite string at the age of three and he has been hooked on kite-flying ever since.
For him, this hobby can be relaxing as well as challenging at the same time.
He said: "You put so much effort into making it fly. And if it doesn't fly, you know you are going to be be sad. But if it does fly, you feel like you have achieved something, especially if it's a big kite and it looks very nice in the sky... It's more of competing with yourself."
According to Mr Lee, kites were first invented for military purposes.
But nowadays, kites are used for enjoyment, and the kite market has grown along with the interest.
Wendy Goh, the co-owner of Passion Kites said: "We have more walk-in customers as well as online orders. Previously we were home-based. And now, because of the inventory and lots of customers, we can't possibly accommodate lots of customers in the house."
- CNA/xq
Kite-flying regaining popularity in Singapore
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Kite-flying regaining popularity in Singapore
