The discovery of a unique Chinese typewriter called MingKwai has sparked global interest and excitement. The typewriter, the only one of its kind in the world, was found in Jennifer Felix’s grandfather’s basement in New York. Featuring Chinese keys, the machine was invented in 1947 by Lin Yutang, a writer, translator, and linguist.
The MingKwai typewriter was designed to accommodate the Chinese language’s vast array of characters, totaling over 80,000. Lin Yutang revolutionized typewriting by breaking down Chinese ideographs into basic components of strokes and shapes. This innovative approach allowed users to combine different keys to create their desired characters.
Despite its groundbreaking design, the MingKwai typewriter never entered production due to a lack of commercial interest. The only known prototype was built by the Carl E. Krum Company and eventually sold to the Mergenthaler Linotype Company. However, the machine disappeared for decades until it resurfaced in Jennifer Felix’s basement.
The discovery of the MingKwai typewriter has attracted offers from collectors and museums worldwide. It is now housed in the collection of Stanford Libraries, where it will be used for research, exhibits, and academic programs. Regan Murphy-Kao, the director of the East Asia Library, expressed excitement about preserving and making this extraordinary prototype accessible for scholarship.
The typewriter’s unique design, featuring a special viewing window known as the “magic eye,” allowed users to select characters by combining top and bottom component keys. This method enabled the machine to generate up to eight corresponding characters for the user to choose from.
The significance of the MingKwai typewriter lies in its innovative approach to typewriting in Chinese characters. With its rich history and technological advancements, the machine serves as a testament to the ingenuity and creativity of its inventor, Lin Yutang. Its rediscovery offers a glimpse into the past and a valuable resource for future academic research and study.
