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Su Wu 苏武 | |
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| Born | 140s BC Xi'an, Shaanxi |
| Died | 60 BC (aged 80s) |
| Occupation(s) | Diplomat, politician |
Su Wu (simplified Chinese: 苏武; traditional Chinese: 蘇武; pinyin: Sū Wǔ; Wade–Giles: Su Wu; 140s BC - 60 BC[1]) was a Chinese diplomat and politician of the Western Han dynasty. He is known in Chinese history for making the best of his mission into foreign territory. During his mission he was captured and then detained for nineteen years, enduring major hardship at least in the early years of his captivity. Nevertheless, he endured this treatment while remaining faithful to his mission and his homeland.
According to Chinese tradition, in the early stages of his captivity, Su Wu was so deprived of food that he only survived in the cold north lands by eating his coverings, then enduring long years of servitude herding sheep, before managing to return home. He was able to return home after deceiving his captors with a story about his having sent a message back to the Western Han dynasty by means of tying a letter on the leg of a wild goose.
Su's loyalty to the Western Han is emphasised by the story that during his detainment he married a wife, that he had children by her, but that he chose to return to his homeland, even though it meant abandoning his wife and children. Su Wu is depicted in the Wu Shuang Pu (無雙譜, Table of Peerless Heroes) by Jin Guliang.
- ^ Su Wu's biography in vol.54 of Book of Han indicated that he was in his 80s when he died in the 2nd year of the Shenjue era of Emperor Xuan's reign.