Su Wu 苏武

苏武，中国西汉大臣。（公元前140年—公元前60年）字子卿，汉族，杜陵（今陕西西安东南）人。武帝时为郎。天汉元年（公元前100年）奉命以中郎将持节出使匈奴，被扣留。匈奴贵族多次威胁利诱，欲使其投降；后将他迁到北海（今贝加尔湖）边牧羊，扬言要公羊生子方可释放他回国。苏武历尽艰辛，留居匈奴十九年持节不屈。至始元六年（公元前81年），方获释回汉。苏武死后，汉宣帝将其列为麒麟阁十一功臣之一，彰显其节操。
Su Wu, Han nationality and born in Duling (today in the southeastern part of Xi'an, Shaanxi province), is said to have been a minister of the Western Han Dynasty. His courtesy name was Ziqing Su Wu served as a minister during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han and was assigned to visit the Xiongnu (Hun) in 100 BC (the first year of Tianhan Reign), later being detained. The Xiongnu nobility tried everything to make him surrender, but they never succeeded; Su Wu was banished to the North Sea (today Lake Baikal), wher he was ordered to tend a flock of rams, being told that he would be allowed to go home only once the rams had produced lambs (without a ewe, a ram will remain lamb-less). Su Wu was detained by the Xiongnu for 19 years without surrender and, after all of his hardship, was released to the Han only in 81 BC (the sixth year of Shiyuan Reign). Following his death, Su Wu is said to have been named by Emperor Xuan of Han as one of the top 11 ministers of Qilin Ge in honor of Su Wu’s spirit.