During the Han Dynasty, Emperor Wu Ti had sent Su Wu as an envoy to the Huns, who detained him by the North Sea. Refusing to submit to the Huns, the loyal Su Wu endured great hardships while in captivity before he was finally released 19 years later. This sculpture of Su Wu is among many others constructed in Haw Par Villa to portray Chinese legends and folklore. Originally called Tiger Balm Gardens, the villa was built in 1937 by Aw Boon Haw, a prominent businessman and philanthropist whose name was synonymous with Tiger Balm, the renowned analgesic ointment that was successfully marketed in the Southeast Asian region.
