The papers consist largely of letters, all of which are addressed to Mrs E.F. Phillips and mostly written by Rex Phillips, but including some from his brother, Clarence, and his wife, Madge. The letters cover family news, the political war in China in the 1920s, the Sino-Japanese conflict in the 1930s, social conditions and expatriate social life in China, military activity in Malaya in 1942 and travel conditions during evacuation. There are in addition to the letters, postcards, greeting cards, photographs, programs and cuttings. The photographs include images of the Japanese invasion of Shanghai (1932?) and holiday snaps of Rex and Madge Phillips in Peking in 1934.