This is another letter from Miwnay, the Sogdian merchant's wife, this time to her mother Chatis, describing how she has unsuccessfully petitioned various members of the Sogdian community to help her return home: 'I live wretchedly, without clothing, without money. I ask for a loan, but no-one consents to give me one.'
Miwnay's letters are two of a group forming the contents of a postbag lost in transit from China to Samarkand which was discovered in the ruins of a watch-tower northwest of Dunhuang. They provide a unique glimpse into the lives of foreign merchants and their families in fourth-century China.
Ink on paper
The British Library, Or.8212/92.1 (T.XII.a.ll.1)