Zoya Shlakis Collection, circa 1902-2009 | Special Collections & Archives

The Zoya Shlakis Collection consists mainly of original documents, photographs, correspondence, and ephemera relating to Zoya Shlakis's experiences growing up in China as a stateless foreigner as well as her involvement with numerous Old China Hands Reunions. The collection is divided into seven series: Mukden, Nanking, and Shanghai Memorabilia (1924-2004), Old China Hands (OCH) Reunions (1988-2009), Biographical Documents (1917-2007), Correspondence (1947-2009), Photographs (ca. 1902-2006), Ephemera (1906-2006), and Audio-Visual (ca. 1920-2006).

Series I, Mukden, Nanking, and Shanghai Memorabilia, includes advertisements, school records, correspondence, documents, and scanned photographs with provenance relating to Zoya Shlakis's personal experience throughout China. This series mainly relates to Zoya's experience growing up in Shanghai.

Series II, Old China Hands (OCH) Reunions, includes correspondence, pamphlets, newsletters, contact lists, and organizational records of numerous OCH Reunions. Shlakis helped organize a number of reunions as well as serving as an administrator for the 1996 Reunion in Las Vegas, Nevada. This series is arranged chronologically by reunion.

Series III, Biographical Documents, consists of articles, scanned photographs with descriptions, correspondence, newspaper clippings, publications, and personal stories of living in Shanghai.

Series IV, Correspondence, includes correspondence between Zoya Shlakis and friends. This series is arranged alphabetically and chronologically within.

Series V, Photographs, contains black and white photographs of the Shlakis family living in Mukden, Nanking, and Shanghai. Many of the photographs outside of China capture the numerous OCH gatherings as well as her personal life.

Series VI, Ephemera, consists mainly of clothing, handmade linens, handmade woodcarvings, trinkets, jewelry, silver and kitchen utensils. Some of these items were brought over from Shanghai and others purchased in the U.S.

Series VII: Audio-visual, includes VHS and DVDs, some with commentary, from a number of OCH Reunions and the opening of the OCH Archive at CSU Northridge. This series also contains a video cassette of Shanghai stock footage (ca. 1920s-1930s), and a DVD of Zoya's media coverage at the Grand Opening of the Shanghai Post Office Museum in China.