Rare Prototype of the MingKwai Chinese Typewriter, a Pioneer in Computing, Finds Home at Stanford University Libraries

Stanford University Libraries has recently acquired the only known prototype of the MingKwai Chinese typewriter, a groundbreaking invention from the 1940s that marked a significant milestone in Chinese computing history. This acquisition came about after Jennifer Felix and her husband found the heavy, unusual device while cleaning out her late grandfather's basement in New York state. Puzzled by their discovery, they turned to social media for help, posting on Facebook and Reddit. Their query caught the attention of hundreds of experts, scholars, and collectors worldwide, many of whom recognized the MingKwai's historical importance and offered to buy it. One of the key figures who helped authenticate the find was Thomas Mullaney, a Stanford scholar and author of "The Chinese Typewriter: A History." His expertise and book, which includes a chapter devoted to the MingKwai, played a crucial role in confirming its identity. After consulting with Mullaney, Felix decided to donate the prototype to Stanford, ensuring it would be preserved and studied for future generations. “I didn’t want this unique, one-of-a-kind piece of history to disappear again,” she stated. The MingKwai was invented by Lin Yutang, a Chinese-born author, translator, and cultural commentator, in the 1940s. Unlike traditional typewriters, the MingKwai was designed to retrieve and print Chinese characters through a multi-step process, rather than directly inscribing key strokes. The 72-key machine featured a system where pressing a key from the top three rows initiated an internal rotation. Pressing a key from the middle rows caused a second rotation, bringing eight characters into a small window Lin referred to as the “magic eye.” The final step involved selecting one of these characters by pressing a numbered key from the bottom row, which then printed the chosen character. Lin Yutang’s innovation transformed the act of mechanical inscription by turning writing into a search process, effectively combining the concepts of 'search' and 'writing' long before the advent of digital computers. In 1947, the Carl E. Krum Company constructed the sole prototype of Lin’s invention. However, due to financial constraints and a lack of market interest, Lin was forced to sell the prototype and associated commercial rights to the Mergenthaler Linotype Company in 1948. The company, where Felix’s grandfather worked as a machinist, never proceeded with mass production, leading the prototype to go missing for decades, known only through patent papers and related documentation. Now at Stanford, the MingKwai will serve as a valuable resource for research, exhibitions, and academic programs. Regan Murphy-Kao, director of the East Asia Library, expressed her enthusiasm about the acquisition, noting that the MingKwai “innovatively overcame the challenge of fitting the 80,000-plus characters of the Chinese language into a reasonably sized machine.” The three-step process involving the "magic eye" makes a single impression on paper that does not directly correspond to the symbols on the keyboard, highlighting the typewriter’s unique and complex design. Jennifer Felix’s decision to donate the MingKwai aligns with the broader mission of the Stanford University Libraries to preserve and share rare and historically significant artifacts. The acquisition is supported by a generous gift from the Bin Lin and Daisy Liu Family Foundation, which includes funds for the machine’s care and maintenance. Michael A. Keller, the Ida M. Green University Librarian, emphasized the significance of this discovery, stating, “The Stanford University Libraries are most fortunate to receive this momentous discovery through the thoughtfulness of Jennifer Felix and the Bin Lin and Daisy Liu Family Foundation.” Industry insiders and scholars view the MingKwai as a precursor to modern human-computer interaction, particularly in the realm of character input methods. Its ingenious design, which integrated the principles of search and retrieval in mechanical form, is seen as a pioneering effort in the development of computational systems capable of handling complex linguistic structures. Thomas Mullaney’s work highlights how the MingKwai anticipated today’s computational techniques, marking it as a vital piece of both technological and cultural heritage. The donation of the MingKwai to Stanford not only preserves a unique artifact but also ensures that its story and technological contributions will continue to be studied and appreciated, enriching our understanding of early Chinese computing and the innovative spirit that drove it.