Pinyin and the Chinese Typewriter

While in Paris, I also made contact with the Musée des Arts et Métiers, where I was able to view the various Chinese and Japanese machines in their collection. In my ongoing effort to track

Chinese Typewriting and Chinese Telegraphy

Following my trip to London, I was also able to conduct exploratory work at the Bibliothèque nationale de France and the

Cable and Wireless Chinese Typewriter

As part of my exploratory work this summer, I visited the Cable and Wireless Archives in Porthcurno (part of the famous Porthcurno Telegraph Museum).

My job here, in addition to reading through extensive collections on the

Working with artifacts

中文打字機基本字盤表

It has been rewarding and challenging to imagine the objects of my study biographically – that is, as part of the lifeworlds of their users. Thus far, I’ve had the chance to see machines used by

I’ve just returned from an absolutely wonderful trip to see one of the very few extant IBM Chinese Typewriters from the 1940s. Above all, I wish to express my most sincere thanks to Mr. Thomas Russo at the Museum of Business History and Technology for taking so much time out of his schedule, and for all his help thus far. This was a momentous day.

Getting ready to see the IBM Chinese Typewriter

I have a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks, including my college reunion at Johns Hopkins. During my visit, I will be making a side trip to see what I have reason to believe is the only IBM Chinese Typewriter left in existence. Designed by Gao Zhongqin in the 1940s, IBM developed a limited number of

Tracking Down an Antique Chinese Typewriter

After extensive sleuthing, I finally located this antique Chinese typewriter (built in the late 1930s, but part of a design series that dates back to the late 1910s).

A Few Choice Photographs from China (Summer 2009)

In Summer 2009, I spent two months conducting preliminary archival work in China. The extent of the archival base truly blew me away. Let me share a few of the highlights.

The photograph below was taken at the Commercial Press in Shanghai, which gives a glimpse of what was, it turns out, a major operation for the press.

Having learned a great deal about the IBM Chinese typewriter prior to my trip, I gathered materials that

Photographs from the archive

More from the archive… I can’t wait to include scans in my book.

Back from the archives

I just returned from the archive with an amazing cache of documents about Lin Yutang’s Chinese typewriter, the MingKwai. One of my favorite documents is pictured here: a list of each of the parts out of which the MingKwai was built (you’ll never guess how many).