Whatever you may think of recent developments in the world, there is one that is undeniably good news for typewriter historians and anyone interested in the Chinese language.
The long-lost, likely sole prototype of the Mingkwai (“Clear and Quick”) Chinese typewriter, invented by polymath Lin Yutang, has been discovered in a basement. The man who found it asked on Facebook, “Is it even worth anything?” Oh, yes. One of the most intricate and brilliant mechanical inventions in typewriter history, one of a kind, developed over thirty years by a man who is well-known and admired in both the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan, is worth something.
I am no expert on the Mingkwai and know only four Chinese characters, but as a collector, I have been aware of this legendary machine for years. A true expert on the topic is Thomas Mullaney, author of The Chinese Typewriter. He is aware of this amazing find. There is going to be plenty of discussion and research about the Mingkwai in the coming years, I’m sure, by people who understand it far better than I do, so I’ll limit myself to posting a few pictures.
One of the exciting aspects of typewriter collecting is that you never know what is going to turn up in a basement, an attic, or a junk shop.
This is amazing! I am a life time fan of Dr. Lin Yutng and have been studying his works for decades. The significance of this discovery is apparant to me. What does Mr. Flix plan to do with this typewriter? Does anyone know? Sorry I am of the old school and not using Facebook.
Mr. Felix said he had put the typewriter and the other pieces in a safe, climate-controlled storage area. He is aware now of how much interest there is in the typewriter, and I imagine he will take his time deciding where the typewriter belongs.
Thank you, Mr. Polt. Hope he finds a good home for it allowing researchers to study it.
I have the image of Dr. Lin Yutang’s promotional pamphelt for his typewriter. How can I upload and share it with all? I tried to copy and paste to this comment but it didn’t work.
Thank you very much! Please email it to me at polt@xavier.edu and I’ll add it to this blog post.