Friday Fun + Quirky Asia Files: A 9th-Century Chinese Form Letter Apology

Now this is absolutely hilarious. Link xie-xie to Pursuit of Serenity.

The context:

Getting hideously drunk at a dinner party and embarrassing yourself is certainly nothing new. As far back as the 9th Century, the beautifully named 'Dunhuang Bureau of Etiquette' insisted that local officials use the following letter template (dated 856) when sending apologies to offended dinner hosts. The guilty party would copy the template text, enter the dinner host's name, sign the letter and then deliver with head bowed.

Awesome.