Princess Wencheng Enters Tibet

The Tubo were ancestors of the Tibetans and lived on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. In the early 7th century their outstanding btsanpo (supreme ruler) Songtsen Gampo unified the plateau's tribes, founded the Tubo kingdom and made Logzhi (present-day Lhasa) its capital. He had the Tibetan script created, made laws, set up official and military systems and developed production, and Tubo grew steadily stronger. Admiring Central Plains culture, he repeatedly sent envoys to Tang to seek a marriage alliance. In 640 the Tubo chief minister Gar Tongtsen came to Chang'an with much gold and treasure, and Taizong agreed to marry the imperial clanswoman Princess Wencheng to Songtsen Gampo. In 641 Taizong sent Li Daozong, Prince of Jiangxia, to escort her to Tibet, and Songtsen Gampo met her in person at Bohai (near present-day Madoi, Qinghai). Princess Wencheng brought vegetable seeds, tea, silk and fine handicrafts, as well as books on Buddhist scripture, medicine, the calendar and technology, and was accompanied by craftsmen who introduced Central Plains farming, weaving, building, papermaking and wine-making to Tubo. Tradition holds that the life-size statue of Sakyamuni in the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa was brought by her. To learn more of Central Plains culture, Songtsen Gampo sent sons of nobles to study at the Imperial Academy in Chang'an, and asked Tang for silkworm eggs and for craftsmen in wine-making, milling, papermaking and ink-making. After Emperor Gaozong took the throne, he made Songtsen Gampo a son-in-law-commandant and Prince of Xihai. Princess Wencheng lived in Tubo for about forty years, died in 680, and is still remembered by the Tibetan people.