| Name | Nanyang Radio Factory No. 3 coin phone |
| Date | 1980s |
| Manufacturer | Nanyang Radio Factory No. 3 |
| Link | Loosely based on the Danish GNT multi-coin |
The Nanyang Radio Factory No. 3 coin phone
This orange Chinese payphone represents the practical, perfunctory approach to public equipment associated with the late Communist era. Its angular metal cabinet, prominent rotary dial and separate locked cash compartment prioritised straightforward operation over sophisticated styling. Bright orange paint nevertheless gave it a conspicuous presence in public places.
An example preserved in the Yunnan Telecommunications Museum bears the manufacturer’s name: Nanyang Radio Factory No. 3, Henan Province. A similar wall-mounted telephone displayed at the China Telecommunications Museum is dated 1985. Related versions included a tabletop model and a yellow push-button telephone, although their precise manufacturing relationships remain unconfirmed.
The design appears loosely reminiscent of Japanese coin telephones of the period, particularly in its handset arrangement, rotary dial and pictorial instructions. However, a direct Japanese model and the dial configuration is loosely based on the Danish GNT multi-coin.
The Yunnan example accepted a ten-fen coin. A warning sounded after two and a half minutes, prompting the caller to insert another coin to continue speaking. Instructions illustrated lifting the receiver, inserting payment and dialling, with a return opening for rejected or refunded coins..
Below- a variety of the Nanyang Radio Factory No. 3 coin phone held in Beijing and Yunnan telecommunications museums
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