The MingKwai

Lin Yutang's MingKwai 明快打字机 was the first Chinese typewriter. Only a single prototype was ever made and it was long thought lost. Then it suddenly reappeared this year, and has just been acquired by Stanford.

https://madeinchinajournal.com/2025/05/02/lost-and-found-the-unexpected-journey-of-the-mingkwai-typewriter/

Great article, thanks for sharing it! I didn't know much about Lin Yutang but his books were my very first contacts with China and probably had quite a bit of influence.

It should be possible to create a digital version of the Mingkwai keyboard as a fun IME alternative.

Given the number of keys and the layout, probably practical only as an On-Screen Keyboard.

I recently read a book called "Kingdom of Characters: The Language Revolution That Made China Modern" by Jing Tsu. There's a whole chapter about the evolution of the Chinese type writer.

Super fascinating book and would highly recommend if you're interested in the challenges Chinese characters faced when evolving with the technologic changes!