Travel Itinerary

Keever planned to travel through Asia for about a year with a friend. She created a detailed itinerary so her family could track her travels across Asia.

Keever arrives in Asia

Shortly after arriving in Japan, Beverly Keever wrote to her parents and sister. She discusses her flight from the U.S., the airport, her stay at Tokyo International House, the Tokyo AP office and Press Club, her first impressions of Tokyo, a short visit to Ginza, and being asked to write several “womanish” articles by the AP.

Teaching English

While Keever was in Japan, she taught English in a Tokyo school. Most of her students were either college men learning English in school or business men hoping to become translators. Keever enjoyed asking her students about life in Japan, and she took extensive notes on college life, dating, and politics.

Modern Japan

Keever was deeply fascinated by the Westernization taking place across Asia in the 1960s. In Japan, she went to popular Jazz cafes, visited suburban Japanese-Western fusion homes, and talked to the Japanese people she met about their attitudes toward America.

Jazz A La Japanese article proposal

As a freelancer, Keever had to propose articles to publications in the hopes that they would pay for her writing. This article proposal was sent to several different publishers and layed out an article about the popular Japanese jazz clubs across Tokyo.

Aftermath of the Korean War

When Keever arrived in South Korea, it was a time of intense change in the country. Korea had been devastated by the war and was trying to find new footing to build its economy. Keever visited a USAID factory producing fertilizer, as well as several farms in the area of Chungyu [Cheongju?]. She later wrote to her parents about the poverty she witnessed and commented on the poor quality of the soil.

Article on Korean Tourism

Keever’s original intent in going to Korea was to write articles for American tourists about tourism in Korea and about post-Korean War US economic aid. This article about tourism gives Keever’s impressions of the struggling post-war country.

Demilitarized Zone

Keever briefly visited the DMZ, which at the time was simply a field with a barbed wire fence. She was not allowed to visit North Korea.

Letter from Beverly Keever to her Family

Beverly Keever wrote a letter to her parents and sister shortly after the May 16 coup. Keever discusses the coup, the curfew, her travels, and articles she is writing about the coup and Korean farmers.

Article about the Korean May 16 Coup

While Keever was in Korea, she was surprised by the unexpected May 16 military coup. Keever wrote several articles about public opinion in the aftermath of the coup, and was surprised by people’s indifference to the change.

Letter from Beverly Keever to her Family

Beverly Keever wrote a letter to her parents and sister shortly after the May 16 coup. Keever discusses the coup, the curfew, her travels, and articles she is writing about the coup and Korean farmers.

Shipside View of Drab Shanghai

While Keever was not allowed off her ship as an American, she interviewed the sailors who went onshore and wrote about these interviews. Since so little was known in America about China under Mao, publishers were interested in the article, despite the fact Keever was unable to go ashore

Visit to an opium den

Keever was interested in both the regulation of the opium trade and in the lives of opium addicts. She went with a group of police to an opium den in Singapore and took a series of photographs there.

Visit to Ai Lam Prison

In Hong Kong, Keever visited a prison that held opium addicts. She interviewed prisoners, doctors, and wardens about the prison and the process of detoxing. This picture was taken inside the prison of inmates weaving baskets and wicker furniture.

Visit to Borneo

On Borneo Island, Keever was interested in writing about the modernization and Westernization of the people. She took a series of photos about the lives of rural Bornean villagers. 

Writing for the AP

As Keever traveled, she frequently wrote to her AP editors, trying to sell them her photographs and stories. Over time, she got a clearer idea of what the AP was looking to publish and she tailored her writings to their needs.

Modernization in Brunei

Keever wrote articles about how traditional practices like head hunting and piracy were dying out in the region. This is one of the articles she wrote for the AP.

Sarawak Market

While she was in Brunei, Keever took a series of photos of the Sarawak night market. In this photo, a vendor cooks meat on a large grill.

Macau Immigration

During her time in Macau, Keever was particularly interested in the lives to recent Chinese immigrants fleeing Communist China. This is part of a series of images Keever took of Macau harbor and the houseboats docked there.

Indonesian Crafts

In Indonesia, Keever went to a workshop where traditional crafts were being practiced. She was particularly interested in the craftsmen making batik fabric. In this photo a woman weaves the the fabrik that will later be waxed and then dyed.