Su Wu, Lonely Shepherd in the North

During the reign of the Han Emperor Wu (140 - 87 BC), Su Wu was sent as an emissary to the neighboring state of Xiongnu (a state founded by Turkic speaking tribesmen from Central Asia).  Su Wu’s subordinate, Zhang Sheng, was implicated in a plot to abduct the Xiongnu king Chanyu’s mother.  When the plot was discovered, Su Wu was suspected as an accomplice. He accepted blame and attempted suicide, which deeply impressed King Chanyu.  With an offer of wealth and a high position, King Chanyu tried to persuade Su Wu to yield to the Xiongnu, but Su Wu still refused to renounce his loyalty to his country.

Flying into a rage, King Chanyu ordered Su Wu banished to the barren lands near the ‘North Sea’ (Lake Baikal in Siberia) to tend rams. He was not to leave the area, he was told, until the rams bore lambs. It was impossible to return home, but Su Wu endured severe hardship heroically, carrying a bamboo staff with tassels to represent his authority as a Han ambassador while tending the sheep.  It was not until the Han Emperor Zhao took the throne (87 BC) and made peace with the Xiongnu that Su Wu was permitted to return home.   

Su Wu, who spent 19 lonely and difficult years in amongst the Xiongnu, has been eulogized as a hero by later generations.  An ancient poem about Su Wu was set to music by composer Xiao Er-hua and is now taught in schools as a ballad.  This folk ballad celebrates Su Wu’s unswerving patriotism and the true grit shown by scholars and patriots throughout the ages.