Fifty-nine solar terms

This poem is about an emissary who was left to tend sheep until he was forty years old, and finally returned home at the age of fifty-nine, because he kept his integrity and his hair turned white.

The "corps commander" was the official title of the Han Dynasty, responsible for guarding the emperor and the imperial court, while the "Beihai" refers to today's Lake Baikal, which was the territory of Xiongnu in northern China at that time. According to historical records, during the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, there were envoys to the Huns, including Su Wu. Su Wu was detained during his mission and forced to herd sheep in Beihai, but he refused to surrender to Xiongnu and was finally rescued by the Han Dynasty in his forties.

In the poem, "Forty Missions and Fifty-nine Returns" refers to the time when Su Wu went to Xiongnu, while "White Paleness" is due to the extremely hard life of herding sheep in Beihai for many years, resulting in white hair. This poem is a tribute to Su Wu's integrity and unswerving will. He defended national dignity and national interests at all costs.