MingKwai Typewriter

In 1947, in New York, the writer Lin Yutang built a Chinese typewriter and named it MingKwai: "clear and quick". Only one was ever made. Now it is on your screen: lift the hood, press three keys, and type a Chinese character. Not a picture, but a working machine in 3D: every key goes down, the type cylinder turns, the preview drum and the chains follow, the hammer strikes and the paper moves up a character at a time. THE MINGKWAI CHINESE TYPEWRITER • Three keys, one character: a top key for the character's upper-left shape, a bottom key for its lower-right shape, and the magic eye shows eight candidates. Press 1 to 8 to pick one. For example: 清 = 氵 + 月 + 1. • Lift the hood and watch the type cylinder turn to the bar, the preview drum follow on its chain and the carriage slide to the row; the motor and the clutch are in there too. • Turn, tilt and zoom with two fingers to see the machine…