Typecasting in China

2016/01/31

Question about ribbon color in the heydays of typewriter era.

Hi fellow Typospherians,

I have a question for you. Aside from all-black, red/black ribbons,what colors were once used in the heydays of typewriter era? I've seen dark blue, verdant/ brown ribbons on a Remington shipped from the US.

In China, most typewriters would have black/red and all-black ribbons. I've seen, on earlier machines , blue ribbons. There were two shades of red. One is darker while the other is what I call rouge.

Your input will be highly valued and appreciated.

2014/12/11

Typing Class in China.

Online source says it is a typing competition organized by a school in 1991, the most front boy is using a Hero TP110 typewriter.

practice sheet

typing classroom

typing class in 1991 using Hero TP110 typewriter

The following pictures show what you will see after opening the Hero typewriter package.

2014/12/04

A Typewriter Pile up

Below is a random picture took by an American tourist in Shanghai in 1990s.

What can we find in the picture? A pile of typewriters! At least three different models of Olympia,another three Olivettis. This picture shows one of the many second-hand markets that Shanghai once had and still have today.

These typewriters were probably discarded by trading firms or public schools. Staff of trading firms used to type business correspondence while English teachers type exam papers on weekly basis only to torture students!

In 1990s, my parents bought a HERO typewriter for me as a prize for excellent scores of English tests for an entire school year and not without my insistence that I deserve a prize that expensive. The HERO typewriter cost them 266 yuan (US$33), half of my dad's monthly salary. In comparison, an Olivetti Letter 22 cost some 500 yuan back then. So most local families couldn't afford imported typewriters. But yes, foreign typewriters could be brought home by a doting uncle or a dad's friend who happened to travel overseas. Rarity means an imported typewriter was worth showing off for quite a long time. However, trading firms and public schools could afford expensive imported typewriters which are more durable than locally made ones. I also believe that, instead of importing from Germany, the pictured Olympias were actually from Brazil while Olivettis from Mexico. Back in early 2000 when new typewriters still could be found in local stationary shops, I did check the origin of manufacturing of Olympia and Olivetti typewriters on display.

Why Brazil and Mexico? Because they are also developing countries like China, . So poor brothers are supposed to lend a helping hand to each other!

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.