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Songtsan
Gambo and Princess Wencheng
Some 1300 years ago,Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty (618-907)
left Chang'an (present-day Xi'an in Shanxi Province) to marry Songtsan
gambo, king of the Tubo kingdom, which was located about 3000 km to
the west. This pioneered amicable relations between the Tang and the
Tubo,and the story of the marriage is still much talked about in areas
inhabited by the Han and Tibetan peoples.
In the early 7th century, Li Yuan (later Emperor Gaozong of the
Tang Dynasty) and Li Shimin (son of Li Yuan and later Emperor Taizong
of the Tang Dynasty) unified the Central Plains and founded the Tang
Dynasty, setting the capital at Chang'an.The Tang was formidably powerful,
and became the civilizational center of East Asia. Neighboring nations
and tribes fell under the influence of the Tang Dynasty,and earnestly
sought ties with the dynasty. They either claimed allegiance to the
Tang or paid tributes to the imperial court. This stimulated exchanges
between the Han and other nationalities.
The same period saw Songtsan Gambo gain control of the highland
area in the west. After having annexed some tiny states, he founded
the Tubo Kingdom and named Loso (present-day Lhasa) the capital city.
Beginning in 634, he twice dispatched Gar Tongtsan to Chang'an, where
the Tubo minister informed the Tang of Songtsan Gambo's desire for
a daughter of the Tang emperor. Tang Emperor Taizong agreed to let
Wencheng Marry the Tubo king. Accompanied by the Tubo minister, Princess
Wencheng set out for the farway Tubo Kingdom. This segment of history
was later turned into tales which remain an important part of Tibetan
folklore.
Songtsan Gambo was very happy with his success. He went to greet
the Tang Princess in Baihai (present-day Madu County in Qinghai Province)
at the head of an army. He had the Baihai Nuptial Palace set up by
the Zhaling and E'ling lakes, and the couple of different nationalities
held their wedding ceremony there.
When the couple moved to Yushu (in present-day Qinghai Province),
they were much taken with the local landscapes and pleasant weather,
and spent one month in a mountain valley for their honeymoon. Princess
Wencheng had carried crop and vegetable seeds to Tibet, and joined
her entourage in teaching the local people how to grow crops and vegetables,
grind wheat flour and make wine. When the party had to leave, the
local people were grieved. As a token of gratitude, the buildings
where the Tang princess stayed were still retained in the form of
ruins, and her footprints were carved into rocks for worshipping.
In 710 when Jincheng, another princess of the Tang Dynasty, was married
into the  Tubo
Kingdom,she passed by the same place and had the Temple of Princess
Wencheng built there. Princess Wencheng encountered a dancing and
singing party in Lhasa. Seeing that Buddhism,which was at its height
of influence in Tang areas, had not been spread into the Tubo Kingdom,
Princess Wencheng brought out Buddhist pagodas, scriptures and statues
of Buddha which she had brought into the Tubo area for construction
of monasteries. Goats were mobilized to carry earth to fill in a pond
for the construction of the Jokhang Monastery.Upon complete of the
monastery. Princess Wencheng and her husband, Songtsan Gambo, planted
willow tree in front of the monastery, which later was dubbed the
Tang Willow, as the Uncle-Nephew Alliance Tablet (erected in 823 to
mark the alliance between the Tang and the Tubo) was placed next to
the tree. The statue of Sakyamuni enshrined in the center of the Main
Hall of the Jokhang Monastery was the one Princess Wencheng brought
into Tubo. In the side halls flanking the Main Hall are enshrined
statues of Songtsan Gambo and Princess Wencheng. Their faces were
heavily gilded by incessant worshipers of later generations.
Princess Wencheng also had the Ramoche Monastery built. She named
the eight surrouding mountains the Eight Treasures, a name which is
still in use today. All these paved the way for the spread of Buddhism
into Tubo Kingdom.
While making efforts to propagate Buddhism and pray for blessings
for the Tibetans, Princess Wencheng taught them how to grow crops
and vegetables. Maize, potatoes, soybeans and rape proved adaptable
to the highland enviroment, while wheat mutated into highland barley
known in Tibetan as qingke. Princess Wencheng also brought into the
Tubo Kingdom carriages, horses, donkeys and camels, as well as medical
works and various kinds of farming and industrial techniques. Under
her direction, the Tubo Kingdom experienced fast social progress.
Songtsan Gambo loved Princess Wencheng so much that he had the Potala
Palace built for his talented and beautiful wife. The majestic Potala
Palace, with 1000 chambers, was partially damaged by thunderbolts
and wars. It twice underwent repairs and expansions in the 17th century,
reaching its present size, with the 13-story main structure standing
117 meters high and covering a land area of 360000 square meters.
Frescos of the Potala Palace record historical events, including Tang
Emperor Taizong asking Gar Tongtsan to perform five difficult tasks
before acceding to the envoy's request for his master to marry a Tang
princess, the hardships Princess Wencheng endured on way to the Tubo
Kingdom, and how warmly she was greeted at Lhasa.The ruins of the
Tubo period behind the Potala Palace includes a chamber for Songtsan
Gambo to meditate and practice Buddhism. On the four walls of the
chamber hang colored statues of Songtsan Gambo, Princess Wencheng
and Gar Tongtsan.
After Princess Wencheng married into the Tubo Kingdom, the Central
Plains and the Tubo area maintained close relations for more than
200 years,a period almost free from wars and most notable for its
varied cultural and commerical exchanges. Songtsan Gambo showed great
interest in the culture prevailing in the Central Plains. He wore
silks instead of the felt robes customarily worn in Tibet. Children
of Tubo noble families were sent to study in Chang'an. The imperial
court of the Tang Dynasty also sent artisans into the Tubo Kingdom,
where they taught the local people various kinds of techniques.
The Tang Emperor Taizong (Li Shimin) died in 649. Emperor Gaozong
dispatched men to inform Songtsan Gambo of the news, and granted him
the official position of "Imperial Son-in-Law Governor"
and bestowed upon him the honorific title of "West Sea Prince."
Songtsan Gambo sent envoys to Chang'an to mourn the late emperor along
with 15 kinds of gold objests for worship at the Tomb of Emperor Taizong
and a letter to Emperor Gaozong, in which Songtsan Gambo expressed
his support and congratulations to the new Tang emperor. Tang Emperor
Gaozong promoted Songtsan Gambo to the position of "Treasured
Prince" and had his statue carved and erected in front of the
Tomb of Emperor Taizong as a token of praise.
Songtsan Gambo unified Tibet, promoted political, economic and cultural
development of his Tubo Kingdom, and strengthened ties between Tibet
and Central Plains. In so doing he made outstanding contributions
to the unification of the Chinese nation. Princess Wencheng, who married
into the Tubo Kingdom and worked to promote economic and cultural
exchanges between the Central Plains and the Tubo area, left a historic
legacy of friendship and cooperation between the Han and the Tibetan
peoples. All these events have been recorded in history books and
lie embedded in the minds of the Han and the Tibetan peoples.
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