Su Wu (Tze K'ing) lived in the Han Dynasty. When sent on a mission to
the Khan of the Hsiung-nu he was seized by that ruler and ordered to
renounce his allegiance to the Han Emperor; and on refusing to do this
he was cast into prison. Afterwards he was banished for many years to
the desert region around Lake Balkash, where he was compelled to tend
the flocks of the Hsiung-nu; but he persisted in his loyalty to the Han
Dynasty. On his return to China, when a grey-headed old man, he was
greatly honoured by the Emperor, and his portrait was hung up in the
Khi-lin Koh (Council Chamber).
He is held up as a pattern of loyalty by Chinese writers. His poetical
compositions are ancient but not numerous.