Typecasting in China: November 2014

2014/11/26

Unusual Pica font | Rover 7000

Rover 7000, Made in Italy, with unusual Pica font

Royal Safari with beautiful cursive script

Bigger than bigger

I have two oversized portable typewriters, a blue Torpedo and a Made-in-Italy Rover. I bought them simply because they both have unusual font styles: non-serif for Torpedo and unusual Pica for Rover. However, the other thing in common for both machines is that they both have an unnecessarily big encasement to match their 13" carriage. As a result, underneath a large portion of the surface plastic, there's nothing at all! So an obvious question, why the designer is allowed to waste raw materials?

As I type on both machines, I find them flimsy. At some point, I thought the blue one was going to collapse. I typed some pages from my junior high school English book. I think you guys would be interested to know how English was taught in China during entire 1980s to early 1990s.

Torpedo, with non-serif font

Rover 7000, Made in Italy, with unusual Pica font

English coursebook for
junior high school students in China
from early 1980s to early 1990s

Sex Sells!

One seller I frequently encounter on Germany's ebay is westar3. A salient feature of his posts is a mannequin,or an inflatable mate of his, dressed up as a nurse, with both breasts tantalizingly half exposed and half tucked in. It's raunchy but not yet dirty.

While trying hard not to laugh, I couldn't help but think what the seller is like. I let my imagination run wild. To me, he's probably in his 50s or 60s. A typical day for him: after spending a whole day in his shop, fiddling with typewriters and the doll of course,among many other collectibles, he ends up his day in SEX KINOs or PEEP SHOW places so ubiquitous that tourists in Germany will find it hard not to run into one. And, i'm sure he loves old-school pornography. :-P

Oh, please don't hit me,Mr Westar3, I'm just kidding.

I did write to him once, requesting shipping info but he obviously ignored. Well, it's fine as long as I enjoy his sense of humor.

Please also pay attention to the ingeniously designed knob of the BROTHER TYPEWRITER. To me, it's rare.

2014/11/01

foreign typewriters once sold in Shanghai during colonial times

See what I've found in China Press newspapers. China Press was published by American in Shanghai during 1911-1949. As we can see, China imported most typewriters from Germany and U.S. These papers are now owned by Zi-ca-wei Bibliotheca. Outside the library, is the Xujiahui Cathedral. Western missionaries also built an orphanage beside the church.