This presentation introduces my British Academy-funded postdoctoral research at the University of Reading on the evolution of Chinese typography from the 1940s to the 1990s. The project examines how Chinese typefaces responded to the shift from metal type to phototypesetting and digital fonts, shaping the aesthetics and functionality of Chinese characters. Through case studies of selected influential Chinese typefaces, the project examines the forces that shaped the standardization and modernization of Chinese typography and its relationship to Chinese cultural identity.
This presentation focuses on the first year of research, beginning with digital fonts and working backward to earlier Chinese typefaces. It examines font libraries, encoding, screen display, and desktop publishing, before tracing their technical and visual precedents in metal type and phototypesetting.
Drawing on previously unexamined archival materials from key institutions in the UK, China, and other countries, this project offers a critical perspective and the first systematic framework for researching Chinese typography, filling a significant gap in typography, design history, and Sinology. Moreover, this project situates Chinese typography within the larger narratives of national modernisation, technological innovation, and global cultural exchange, offering new insights into the role of typography in the history of modern China.
Evolution of Chinese typography: the dilemma of Chinese characters in the Mechanical Age and opportunity in the Digital Age, 1940s–1990
