HOHHOT, China, May 19 (Xinhua) -- The 2018 Hohhot international kite-flying festival kicked off on Saturday in the capital city Hohhot of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

Nearly 300 participants from 12 countries and regions are in the 2-day kite-flying festival.

The heavy rain in the Saturday morning postponed the outdoor kite-flying competition, but several kite lovers showed the eagle-kites flying techniques in the indoor gymnasium.

The eagle-kite didn't fly quite high into the sky, but hovered in circles, swooped to the ground, landed gently, took off and hovered again in the air, just like a real eagle, except it was managed by the kite flyer through the kite string.

"Flying an eagle-kite demands more techniques than other kinds of kites, and the flying height and hovering circle and angle depend on the eagle-kite flyer's experience and techniques." Said Zhou Zhongqiu, a 65-year-old eagle-kite flyer from Wuhan City.

The committee released that the world's largest "Chinese knot" kite would fly in the sky if the weather permitted. Shaped like a Chinese knot, the kite can exceed 2,600 square meters, equivalent to the size of six basketball courts.