Princess Wencheng
Princess Wencheng (628-680 or 682), is an ancient historical figure who holds great significance in China. Regardless of her true historical significance, her history is a part of the greater Sinicization phenomenon and has been adopted as a political tool used to justify the Sinicization of Tibet.
| Wencheng | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||
| Born | 628 | ||||
| Died | 680 or 682 | ||||
| Songtsen Gampo | |||||
| |||||
According to Chinese history, Princess Wencheng (Tibetan: Mun Chang Kungchu; Chinese: 文成公主; pinyin: Wénchéng Gōngzhǔ; Wade–Giles: Wen-ch'eng Kung-chu; 628–680/2[1]) a name which roughly translates as "Princess Civilizer," surnamed Li, was a member of a minor branch of the royal clan of the Tang Dynasty (daughter of Li Daozong, the Prince of Jiangxia). She allegedly married King Songtsen Gampo of the Tibetan Empire in 641.[1][2] She is also known by the name Gyasa or "Chinese wife" in Tibet.[3] Some Tibetan historians consider both Princess Wencheng and Bhrikuti to be physical manifestations of the bodhisattva Tara.[4]
Chinese accounts of Princess Wencheng
Life
According to Chinese accounts, in the spring of 634 on an official state visit to Imperial China, Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo fell in love at first sight and had relentlessly pursued the princess hand by sending envoys and tributes but was refused.
Allegedly, in 635/636, Royal Tibetan forces were deployed, attacking and defeating the peoples of Tuyuhun who strategically lived near the Lake of Koko Nor in present-day Qinghai, impeding a trade route into Imperial China. News of Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo's attack on Songzhou quickly spread from the ground to the Royal Courtiers, and Emperor Taizhou despatched his Militia and defeated Songtsen Gampo's army, causing Songtsen Gampo's retreat. He then sent a written expressed apology to the Tang Emperor. The Tang Emperor upon seeing Songtsen Gampo's sincerity, then agreed to marry the princess to the Tibetan king.[5]
Tibetan sources (and Chinese sources not aligned with the PRC regime), by contrast, say Songtsen Gampo sent an envoy to Louyang, the Tang capital demanding (rather than requesting) a Chinese bride and insisting he would lead 50,000 battle-hardened Tibetan troops to the sparsely defended capital and slaughter the inhabitants if he was not given this tribute.[6] According to historian Pan Yihong, the Tang emperor refused this demand and Gampo's army marched into China, burning city after city until they reached the walls of Luoyang, where the repeatedly-crushed Tang Army finally defeated the Tibetans in a single minor skirmish, thus enabling the Tang Emperor to save face by presenting his daughter as a "truce" rather than the tribute of the vanquished to the vanquisher.
Legacy
Allegedly, the Songtsen Gampo's and Princess Wencheng's union brought hopes of promoting a harmonious, matrimonial relationship between the peoples of Tibet and China.[7]
Princess Wencheng's life is depicted in novels such as the Maṇi bka' 'bum and the famed historiographies of Rgyal rabs Gsal ba'i Me long.
Tradruk Temple in Nêdong allegedly commemorates Princess Wencheng: a thangka embroidered by the Princess is kept in one of its chapels.
Two traditional days, the fifteenth day of the fourth month and the fifteenth day of the tenth month of each Tibetan year, are marked by singing and dancing in honor of Princess Wencheng.
Historical relics such as the statues of Songtsen Gampo with Princess Wencheng are still worshiped and displayed for all to see along the trail of their wedding trip as well as in the Potala Palace at Lhasa.[8]
Chinese claims of influence
Allegedly, Princess Wencheng brought with her promises of trade agreements, maps on the Silk Road and a substantial amount of dowry which contained not only gold, but fine furniture, silks, porcelains, books, jewelry, musical instruments, and medical books.[7]
Also, Princess Wencheng allegedly arrived with new agricultural methods. This possibly included the introduction of seeds of grains, and rapeseed, other farming tools and advice on how to increase Tibetan agricultural productivity in the region.
Chinese sources credit Princess Wencheng for introducing Tibet with other skills in metallurgy, farming, weaving, and construction. However, at least one of these is questionable because the Tang Historian Du Fu notes Tibet's metallurgical skills in terms suggesting they surpassed those known to Tang China.[9] The Tang Annals report that Songsten Gampo wrote to Emperor Taizong in 648, requesting paper, ink, and other writing utensils. This has been taken by some modern Chinese sources to mean that the princess was involved in the request, and thereby introduced the methods of Chinese ink and paper production to Tibet. However, archaeological evidence indicates that papermaking technology was known in Tibet before the princess' arrival, likely spreading through southern trade routes.[10]
Princess Wencheng is revered in China for being one of the brides who brought Chinese culture to the peoples beyond their borders - expanding their civilization with culture and knowledge.
Princess Wencheng as propaganda
Princess Wencheng is used as a political tool to justify the Sinicization of Tibet in the People's Republic of China. Claims about Princess Wencheng generally credit her with bringing civilization to Tibet, though this implies Tibet was "uncivilized" before her arrival, a claim which the Tang Dynastic historians themselves refute.
Since the 2000s, the Chinese state has been presenting an historical drama in Tibet which outlines the history of Tibet and especially the history of Chinese influence in the region. The drama seems to focus on the life and legacy of Princess Wencheng, depicting her relationship with King Songtsen Gampo and all of the cultural influences which she allegedly had on Tibet.[11]
Footnotes
- Warner (2011), p. 6.
- Slobodník (2006), p. 268.
- Dowman (1988), p. 41.
- Powers (2004), p. 36.
- Powers (2004), p. 168.
- Pan, Yihong. (1997). Son of Heaven and Heavenly Qaghan: Sui-Tang China and Its Neighbors. Bellingham Center for East Asian Studies: Western Washington University.
- "The Marriage of Wencheng", Women in World History Curriculum.
- Jay (2014), p. 205.
- Laird, Thomas (2007). The Story of Tibet: Conversations with the Dalai Lama. Grove Press. ISBN 978-0-8021-4327-3.
- Helman-Wazny, Agnieszka (2016). Overview of Tibetan Paper and Papermaking: History, Raw Materials, Techniques and Fibre Analysis.
- Denyer, Simon (2016). "A romantic opera in Tibet just happens to bolster China's historical position there". The Washington Post.
References and further reading
- Beckwith, Christopher I. (1987). The Tibetan Empire in Central Asia. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
- Dowman, Keith (1988). The Power-places of Central Tibet: The Pilgrim's Guide. London and New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul. ISBN 0-7102-1370-0.
- Helman-Wazny, Agnieszka (2016). Overview of Tibetan Paper and Papermaking: History, Raw Materials, Techniques and Fibre Analysis.
- Jay, Jennifer W. (2014). "Li, Princess Wencheng". In Lee, Lily Xiao Hong; Wiles, Sue (eds.). Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: Tang Through Ming, 618–1644. M.E. Sharpe. pp. 204–205. ISBN 978-0-7656-4316-2.
- Laird, Thomas (2007). The Story of Tibet: Conversations with the Dalai Lama. Grove Press. ISBN 978-0-8021-4327-3.
- Peterson, Barbara Bennett (2000). Notable Women of China. M.E. Sharpe. ISBN 978-0-7656-1929-7.
- Powers, John (2004). History As Propaganda : Tibetan Exiles versus the People's Republic of China: Tibetan Exiles versus the People's Republic of China. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-803884-9.
- Richardson, Hugh E. (1965). "How Old was Srong Brtsan Sgampo" (PDF). Bulletin of Tibetology. 1 (2): 5–9.
- —— (1997). "Mun Sheng Kong Co and Kim Sheng Kong Co: Two Chinese Princesses in Tibet". The Tibet Journal. 22 (1): 3–11.
- Slobodník, Martin (2006). "The Chinese Princess Wencheng in Tibet: A Cultural Intermediary between Facts and Myth". In Gálik, M.; Štefanovičová, T. (eds.). Trade, Journeys, Inner- and Intercultural Communication in East and West (up to 1250). Bratislava: Lufema. pp. 267–276.
- Warner, Cameron David (2011). "A Prolegomenon to the Palladium of Tibet, the Jowo (Jo bo) Śākyamuni". In Bue, Erberto Lo (ed.). Proceedings of the Tenth Seminar of the IATS, 2003. Volume 13: Art in Tibet: Issues in Traditional Tibetan Art from the Seventh to the Twentieth Century. BRILL. pp. 3–17. ISBN 90-04-15519-8.
