WenHua BSL/201
This machine is as good as new, because it is essentially still new. No-one as stubbornly chained their fate to mechanical calculators as communist countries, apparently.
The WenHua (="Culture" or "Civilisation") calculator was made by the Red Star Factory in Tienjin, in May 1974. It was given as a gift by the head of the military school to a French immunologist in 1988, and thus travelled to Europe. It had not seen mch use at that point, obviously.
The machine is essentially identical to a Japanese Tiger machine from the 40s or 50s. Some of the embellishments on those machines (like a screwed on mult/div selection lever) are simplified here, and the comma sliders are plastic instead of metal, but otherwise, every part is identical.
The machine features a 20 digit result, 10 digit input and counter. It has non-moving setting levers, carry in both result and counter, automatic selection of mult/div based on the first turn, and also back transfer. All in all, it is a very nice quality machine, and is painted in a very attractive shade of fern-green.
Here is a picture with its Japanese sister machine, the Tiger.
It is product of the Tianjinshi Hongxing Gongchang - the Tianjin Red Star Factory
The label helpfully points out that this is a "Culture" brand hand-cranked calculating machine. The logo at the top are the stylized version of the first two characters - Wen Hua - "Culture". The model is called BSL/201, and the serial number is 4591.
Finally some pictures from all sides:
