About This Work

The Chinese abacus, known as the suanpan (算盤, lit. “calculating tray”),
is typically 20 cm (8 in) tall and comes in various widths depending on the operator.
It usually has more than seven rods.
There are two beads on each rod in the upper deck and five beads each in the bottom.
The beads are usually rounded and made of a hardwood.
The beads are counted by moving them up or down towards the beam;
beads moved toward the beam are counted, while those moved away from it are not.
The suanpan can be reset to the starting position instantly by a quick movement
along the horizontal axis to spin all the beads away from the horizontal beam at the center.