There are many stories and legends about Princess Wencheng among the Tibetan people in China; on the "roof of the world" there are still many cultural relics and monuments related to Princess Wencheng.
At present, there is an ancient Tang Willow standing in front of the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, which is said to have been planted by Princess Wencheng herself, so it is also called "Princess Willow".
How could a delicate princess of the Tang Dynasty travel thousands of miles from the bustling capital Chang'an (present-day Xi'an) to settle on the "roof of the world"?
This has to start from the relationship between Tibet and the Tang Dynasty at that time.
During the Tang Dynasty, Tibet was called Tubo, and Zampu (some translated as "King of Tibet") who ruled Tubo at that time)
It is the hero Songtsen Gampo. The Tibetan plateau was unified in the hands of Songtsen Gampo's father, Tanzan Nongnang, and by the time of Songzan Gampo, The martial arts of Wenzhi had reached an unprecedented level, and the eastern part of Tubo directly bordered Songzhou in the Tang Dynasty, and the exchanges between the people of the Han and Tibetan nationalities became increasingly frequent.
Songtsen Gampo is the only son of Tanzan Langbao, who has received rigorous training since childhood and has both wisdom and courage.
He was able to recite the lineage of Tubo, was familiar with the legends of many historical heroes, and was good at poetry, and could impromptu poetry.
His martial arts are also outstanding, whether it is riding, fencing or wrestling. He succeeded to the throne at the age of 13.
Due to the sudden death of the former king, some powerful nobles within Tibet bullied Songtsen Gampo as young and rebelled one after another.
Songtsen Gampo knew that the burden on his shoulders was not comparable to that of his former prince, so he became young and old, thoughtful and thoughtful, and did not act rashly.
He started by uniting small and medium-sized nobles, showing compassion for the soldiers and caring for the tribe.
His supporters are growing.
By the age of 16, the situation had changed, so Songtsen Gampo recruited an army of more than 10,000 people and trained them rigorously.
After a period of recuperation, he quickly quelled the civil unrest.
Around 633 AD, he began to move the capital to Luo (present-day Lhasa).
From the birthplace of Tubo, Shannan, to the central area of the Tibetan plateau, it is no longer a remote corner of the south, and it has completely got rid of the shackles of the old clan leaders of Tubo, and has since truly ruled over the entire Tibetan plateau.
This provided very favorable conditions for the future development and prosperity of Tibet.
Soon, Songtsen Gampo personally led an army to conquer the enemy state of Tubo, Su Bi, and his reputation spread far and wide, and his power was tremendous.
During the reign of The Tang Dynasty, which was during the reign of the outstanding Tang Taizong Li Shimin, the economy and culture were extremely developed, which can be said to be a peak in the world at that time.
Emperor Taizong of Tang adopted a set of enwei and shi to the ethnic minority leaders in the northwest, which made them happy and sincere.
Therefore, those khans and chiefs all honored Tang Taizong as "Heavenly Khan".
Songtsan Gampo has heard of the prosperity and strength of the Tang Dynasty and the prestige of the "Heavenly Khan".
In 634 (the eighth year of Zhenguan), Songtsen Gampo began to send envoys to the Tang Dynasty with gold and silver treasures to "invite questions" (courtesy friendly visits).
This was the beginning of the official appearance of Sino-Tibetan relations in the annals of history.
Emperor Taizong of Tang also attached great importance to Tubo, and immediately after receiving the envoys of Songzan Gampo, he sent a delegation headed by Feng Dexiao to accompany the Tubo envoys to Luo some return visits with the state documents and generous gifts.
Songtsan Gampo personally received Feng Dexiao.
From the graceful and elegant demeanor of the Tang Dynasty envoys to exquisite gifts, Songzan Gampo further realized the highly developed material and cultural life of the Tang Dynasty, and his heart suddenly developed envy.
He decided to immediately send another envoy to Chang'an with a large number of gifts with Feng Dehui and asked to marry a tang princess.
Coincidentally, at the same time as Songtsen Gampo proposed to the "Heavenly Khan" of the Tang Dynasty, the leaders of the Tuguhun and Turkic minorities in the northwest at that time.
Tuguhun and the Turks had been conquered by Li Shimin at that time.
In order to stabilize the tang dynasty and Tuguhun's relations with the Turks, Li Shimin agreed to marry the Turkic chief as Princess Hengyang and Princess Honghua to the Prince of Tuguhun.
Perhaps At that time, Tubo did not pose a threat to the Tang Dynasty, and Li Shimin felt that there was no need to marry immediately, so he politely rejected Songzan Gampo's marriage proposal.
In the Turks and Tuguhuns were both princesses of the Tang Dynasty and only he himself was rejected, Songtsen Gampo felt that his self-esteem was hurt, and coupled with the flesh and blood of the young man, he was determined to show force.
In 638, he dispatched a large army to attack Tuguhun in advance, and at the same time wrote to Li Shimin: "If you are not allowed to marry a princess, you should personally raise 50,000 soldiers, seize the Kingdom of Ertang, kill Er, and seize the princess." ”
Then he did indeed lead 200,000 soldiers into Songzhou (松州, in modern Songpan, Sichuan), and said to the left and right: "The princess will not arrive, and I will go deeper." ”
Tang Taizong was not intimidated casually, and he sent 50,000 elite soldiers to meet Songtsen Gampo.
Although there was a huge disparity in strength, the Tang soldiers lost thousands of Tibetan soldiers in a single night attack.
Songzan Gampo's mind began to calm down at this time, knowing that he was not an opponent of the Tang Dynasty, so he immediately withdrew and sent a capable envoy, Lu Dongzan, to Chang'an to apologize for his sins and offer 1,000 taels of gold.
He once again expressed his sincerity in proposing marriage to Tang Taizong.
At this time, Li Shimin also had a better understanding of this young Zampu of Tubo, and agreed to marry Songzan Gampo as Princess Wencheng.
Princess Wencheng was originally the daughter of the Tang Dynasty clan and was born during the reign of Emperor Wude of the Tang Dynasty.
When she reached the age of 16, the princess's appearance was exceptionally beautiful, both elegant and beautiful, and her light posture matched the delicate white skin, and her abundance was as beautiful as a fairy in the sky, showing infinite charm.
No wonder Lu Dong sang and said, "Oh! Rare and extraordinary, princess among immortals. ”
Princess Wencheng is not only very beautiful and moving, but also kind-hearted, intelligent and capable, has a high cultural attainment, knows both astronomy and geography, believes in Buddhism, has studied many Buddhist scriptures, and is familiar with the study of Bu Zheng.
Princess Wencheng learned that she was going to marry far away to Tubo, which was snowy, frozen, cold, snowy, rocky, and with very different customs, and her mood was understandable, and after some persuasion from Tang Taizong, she still put the overall situation first and obeyed her father's holy judgment.
Before leaving, the princess asked the envoys of Tubo in detail about the local customs and customs.
Songtsen Gampo's envoy Lu Dongzan was also a very capable person, and he made various introductions to the princess, and his words were full of love for the Tibetan plateau and confidence in building Tibet, which infected the princess with optimism.
Princess Wencheng made full preparations before entering Tubo, such as carrying hardy and drought-resistant wuqing seeds and other grain seeds, and preparing to go to Tubo for trial planting.
She also carries a large number of books, including Buddhist scriptures, Confucian classics, history books, famous poetry collections, medical texts, calendars, craftsmanship and tree planting.
She is married to Tubo this time, not only to settle down, but also to introduce the rich material civilization and cultural life of the Han nationality to the Tibetans.
In addition, the princess also transported a statue of Shakyamuni Buddha to Tubo for worship.
Tang Taizong also made elaborate arrangements for the princess's long-distance marriage.
In addition to the generous dowry, he also sent his brother Li Daozong, the king of Jiangxia, to escort him.
Some people believe that Princess Wencheng may be Li Daozong's biological daughter.
Li Daozong made advance arrangements for the princess's itinerary, and built pavilions along the way, so that the princess could rest on the way and gradually adapt to the plateau climate.
For the safety of the princess, he also personally selected a strong guard.
In 641, Princess Wencheng embarked on the road to Tubo under the escort of a large group of men and horses.
Accompanying the princess to Tubo were various craftsmen, cooks, and maids.
The princess's nursing mother's family also went with her.
They traveled west to Bucheng (present-day Xining) and walked another 200 miles to the steep mountainous Red Ridge.
From here, the princess got off the car to change horses, and endured the test of the cold and changeable climate of the plateau.
After entering Tuguhun, the princess was warmly welcomed by King Tuguhun and Princess Honghua.
At the Tuguhun Pavilion, Princess Wencheng and her party stayed for a month, and then marched to Tubo.
Songtsen Gampo was overjoyed to learn the news that Princess Wencheng had set out to Tubo to marry him.
He rushed with a powerful Janissary army to the border of Tibet at Heyuan (in present-day Qinghai Province) to meet him.
He had already set up a reception house here.
It was here that Songtsen Gampo and the princess met for the first time.
He saw that the princess was not only beautiful, but also elegant and generous, and very admired.
He was an eye-opener when he saw the rich dowry brought by the princess, many things he had never seen before. He also saw that the princess and her party were gorgeously dressed and had cumbersome etiquette, which was very novel in the eyes of Songtsen Gampo, who was accustomed to a simple life on the plateau.
He was very respectful to Li Daozong, who escorted the princess on behalf of the Tang Dynasty, and performed the son-in-law ceremony.
After Li Daozong escorted the princess to Heyuan, he stopped advancing.
After Songzan Gampo sent Li Daozong away, he sent his own men and horses to escort the princess, while he took the soldiers and horses and a number of Han craftsmen to open the way for the princess.
They flattened the road along the way and set up post stations.
When Princess Wencheng arrived in Luo, the Tubo people were jubilant, and thousands of people were empty, singing and dancing, and welcoming the princess.
Songtsen Gampo held a grand welcome banquet for the princess, and the luxury of the wedding was unprecedented.
He also built a palace for the princess in the style of the Tang Dynasty, took off his rough fur, put on the robe belt given by the Tang Dynasty, and dressed up in the costume of a Tang Dynasty horse.
Songtsen Gampo was the first Tubo to wear Han costumes.
Princess Wencheng first lived in the Royal Palace.
According to the custom of the Tubo royal family, in the summer, they moved to Shannan, the ancestral birthplace of Songtsen Gampo.
The climate was humid, wooded, verdant, and the scenery was similar to the interior, and the princess soon fell in love with the place and later settled in Zedang in the south of the mountain.
Because Princess Wencheng settled in Zedang, Songtsen Gampo often lived there in winter and summer.
After Princess Wencheng entered Tibet, she brought with her the more advanced agriculture, technology and culture of the Han people.
The architecture of the Tang Dynasty gradually appeared in Tubo, and agriculture gradually aligned with the Han people.
Princess Wencheng also taught Tibetan women the techniques of weaving and embroidery, and today the exquisite textile embroidery experts among Tibetan women still have legends that their techniques were passed down from the princess.
There are still many pagodas preserved throughout Tibet, and legend has it that they were built in honor of the princess.
In order to enshrine the Buddha statue that the princess waded through the mountains and waters to transport to Tubo, Songtsen Gampo built a majestic Buddhist temple in Luodi, which is the Jokhang Temple.
The princess herself built a small Buddha hall in Zedang.
The architectural form of these temples is all in the style of the Tang Dynasty, and they are obviously designed and guided by Han craftsmen brought by the princess.
Songtsen Gampo, like the princess, believed in Buddhism and often sat quietly on Mount Potala and burned incense and chanted.
The princess took good care of her husband's body and personally supervised the construction of a palace, which was the earliest Potala Palace.
Songtsen Gampo was an ambitious and accomplished young Zampu.
Since marrying Princess Wencheng, he not only had a very close relationship with the Tang Dynasty and lived in harmony, but also expanded his horizons.
He was determined to use the advanced Central Plains culture to change the backward face of Tibet.
He sent the sons of nobles to Chang'an to study classics such as "Shang Shu" and "Mao Shi", and constantly introduced advanced production techniques such as silk, winemaking, rice milling, paper and ink from the interior to Tubo, which brought about remarkable changes in the Tibetan plateau from lifestyle to production technology.
Songtsan Gampo and Princess Wencheng died prematurely 9 years after their marriage.
Princess Wencheng loved the Tubo people, and after her husband's death, she did not ask to return to Chang'an.
Instead, he remained in Tibet and lived for another 30 years until his death in 680.
Tubo greatly respected Princess Wencheng.
After songtsen gampo's death, the Tang dynasty and Tubo fell out of peace for a time, but the local people still respected the princess and did not embarrass her in the slightest.
When the princess died in 680, the Tibetan people were very sad and held the most solemn funeral for the princess.
According to the practice of Tubo at that time, the Tubo history books did not record the death and funeral of the queen concubine, but the princess was recorded in the history books as an exception.
Princess Wencheng's name has not only gone down in history, but has always lived in the hearts of the Tibetan people.
Many traditional Tibetan poems, dramas, and dances have the theme of princesses, and many Tibetans can tell several stories about Princess Wencheng, who is their most intimate historical figure.
To this day, the Potala Palace still enshrines a statue of Princess Wencheng.
After the death of Princess Wencheng, Tubo still sent envoys to the Tang Dynasty to propose marriage many times, and Emperor Gaozong of Tang and Wu Zetian did not continue to marry for various reasons when they were in power, and only when Wu Zetian's third son, Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, was restored to the throne, Princess Jincheng was allowed to marry the newly enthroned Zampu.
Princess Jincheng was also the daughter of the Tang Dynasty, but Emperor Zhongzong of Tang treated her as his own daughter.
He sent a decree for the princess of Jincheng to marry Tubo Te: "Princess Jincheng, the maiden of the Fallen, is not bellict, but as a parent, zhi compassion Li Yuan, if you allow sincere prayers, more dun reconciliation, then the border land is peaceful, military service rest, then cut deep mercy, for the great plan of the country ... ”
In 709 AD, Princess Jincheng was only fourteen or fifteen years old when she was married.
She died in 741 and lived in Tibet for 32 years.
Generally speaking, Princess Jincheng married far away to the Tibetan plateau, and the influence in all aspects is far less far-reaching than that of Princess Wencheng, but she is also a person who has contributed to the friendly exchanges between the Han and Tibetan nationalities.
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