A letter written about 2000 years ago and never delivered has provided evidence of China’s oldest post office at an historic site near the famous Dun-huang Mogao Grottoes along the ancient Silk Road. The letter written on a piece of silk was found during excavations in April 2002 in the Xuanquanzhi Ruins in China’s Northwest Gansu Province.

The writer of the letter sent his greetings from the frontier of the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) in the remote western region to his friend in an inland part of China. The writer described the hard life in the border area ad asked his friend to send him some goods. According to archaeologists, the letter is the best–preserved letter from the Han Dynasty. They have also unearthed wooden slips, paper and silk used to document the work of the local postal service, transportation activities, rolls and vehicles. They say there is enough evidence to believe that Xuanquanzhi was a comprehensive outpost for the postal service more than 2000 years ago. (Source: Xinhua News Agency)