The Han envoy Su Wu was held captive by the Xiongnu and made to herd sheep. The Book of Han says: “He herded the sheep leaning on the staff of the Han envoy. Sleeping and rising, he held it, until all its tassels had fallen off.” He was held for nineteen years before he came home.
Su Wu Herds Sheep is also the name of a traditional melody, generally played on a Chinese flute.