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In the long river of history, she was a princess of noble birth.

If they were born at the wrong time and encountered war, they would most likely be sent to marry.

During the Zhenguan period of Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty, a woman set out from Chang'an and went to Tibet to marry Songtsen Gampo. This woman was the famous Princess Wencheng in later generations.

After Princess Wencheng married and moved to Tibet, she brought with her advanced agricultural equipment and various books and cultures from the Central Plains.

It promoted the economic and cultural development of Tubo and made great contributions to the peace in the Central Plains and the border areas.

Looking back on Princess Wencheng's life, she lived in Tubo for nearly forty years.

It made outstanding contributions to strengthening the friendly relations between the Tang Dynasty and Tubo, and has been sung by later generations.

Today, the Potala Palace still enshrines statues of Princess Wencheng and Songtsen Gampo. The couple has become a symbol and model of unity and friendship between the Han and Tibetan peoples.

"Marriage alliances are a cultural phenomenon that has existed in China since ancient times, mainly involving marriages between the Central Plains and royal families of ethnic tribes."

"Through marriage alliance, we can not only maintain peace but also stabilize the border."

“It can also promote trade and cultural exchange.”

"During the Western Han Dynasty, there were several marriages to ease border conflicts, the most famous of which was naturally the one involving Concubine Zhaojun."

"Zhaojun's marriage ensured decades of peace between the Han and Xiongnu, and also promoted cultural exchanges between the two ethnic groups."

"She had a gentle temperament and led the Huns in weaving, embroidery and farming."

"She also taught them Chinese language and Chinese etiquette. Chinese culture was passed on through her hands."

"At the same time, she also learned the Hu language, wore Hu clothing, and practiced Hu etiquette."

"She was not used to the Xiongnu's eating habits, so she improved them by combining them with Han cuisine, which was welcomed by the Hu people. These practices promoted the integration of national cultures to a certain extent."

"The marriage to the emperor was praised by the world, but few people knew that behind the glory lay the misfortune of Zhaojun's life."

"She remarried both the father and his son, and they never met again after they parted in Chang'an. In the end, she ended up with a lonely grave facing the sunset."

"However, hundreds of years later, another young woman walked the same path she had walked."

"Princess Wencheng was originally a member of the Tang royal family. She was later given the title of princess because of her marriage to a foreign emperor."

"In the eighth year of the Zhenguan reign of the Tang Dynasty, Tubo, a country in the western border of the Tang Dynasty, went to Chang'an to pay tribute."

"In addition to the normal diplomatic exchanges, the envoy's mission is to seek marriage with a Tang Dynasty princess."

"It was because the Tang Dynasty was a powerful country with a prosperous culture at that time. It was a veritable superpower. Marrying a princess from the Celestial Empire was a kind of recognition and honor for Tubo."

"Tang Taizong loved his daughter dearly and flatly refused, so the Tibetan envoy returned empty-handed."

"Songtsen Gampo was furious and focused on raising horses and training soldiers, determined to prove his strength."

"In the 12th year of Zhenguan, he sent troops to Tuyuhun and threatened to strike directly at the heart of the Tang Dynasty."

"The Tang Dynasty at this time was at the peak of its Zhenguan era, and it was full of talented people."

"Li Shimin showed no fear and sent a powerful army to quell the rebellion."

"I never thought that the Tubo army would be defeated by the vanguard army before the main force of the Tang army arrived."

"Songtsen Gampo was greatly frightened and ordered his troops to withdraw. He also sent an envoy to apologize and ask to marry the princess again."

"This marriage proposal is sincere and no longer just a verbal proposal from an envoy."

"Instead, the Tibetan prime minister went to the Tang Dynasty in person, bringing five thousand taels of gold and countless treasures to formally offer the betrothal gift."

"The rapid capture of Tuyuhun by Tubo also made Li Shimin realize that Tubo's strength should not be underestimated."

"After weighing the pros and cons, we agreed to grant the princess."

Empress Ma: Princess Wencheng's visit to Tubo made outstanding contributions to strengthening the friendship between Han and Tibetans.

Songtsen Gampo led his army to defeat Tuyuhun and marched directly to the border of the Tang Dynasty, threatening to marry a Tang princess.

If the marriage was not agreed, he would lead his troops to invade the Tang Dynasty.

Li Shimin sent the vanguard of the Tang army to defeat the Tubo army. Songtsen Gampo sent an envoy to apologize and proposed marriage again.

This time when proposing marriage, Songtsen Gampo was not as barbaric and overbearing as before.

Instead, he observed etiquette and sent an envoy with five thousand taels of gold and an equal amount of other treasures to formally propose the marriage gift.

Emperor Taizong of Tang named the daughter of Li Daozon, the cousin of Emperor Gaozu of Tang, as Princess Wencheng and married her to Songtsen Gampo.

According to legend, the kings of India and other countries also sent envoys to propose marriage. They all hoped to marry Princess Wencheng in order to achieve permanent friendship with the powerful Tang Dynasty.

So Princess Wencheng came up with a good idea of ​​a marriage of five difficulties.

She gave five difficult questions and threatened that she would marry whoever could solve them.

The first challenge is to thread a piece of silk through the nine-bend pearl, which is to pass a piece of soft silk through the nine-bend hole of the pearl.

While other envoys were hurriedly and roughly handling the silk, the Tubo envoy calmly tied the silk to an ant and smeared honey on the eight eyes of the pearl.

Then place the ant on one of the holes without honey. The ant will naturally follow the scent of honey and pass through the other eight holes, and the satin will naturally and successfully pass through the pearl.

The second problem is to identify the mother-child relationship between one hundred mares and one hundred foals.

While other envoys were carefully studying the common characteristics of each horse to determine the mother-child relationship, the Tubo envoy first locked up two batches of horses and starved them for a day. Everyone was puzzled by his behavior.

However, the next day, when the Tubo envoy opened the fence.

The hungry ponies immediately ran to their respective mothers and greedily sucked milk. The mother-child relationship was obvious at a glance.

For the third difficult question, Princess Wencheng gave the envoys 100 pieces of pine wood and asked them to identify the roots and tips.

While other envoys were carefully examining the pine wood, the Tubo envoy threw all 100 pieces of pine wood into the river.

When everyone thought that this was a great disrespect to the Tang Dynasty royal family, they saw that half of the wood in the river was floating on the water.

It turns out that the root of the wood is slightly heavier and sinks into the water, while the top of the tree is lighter and floats on the water, so the root and top of the wood are clearly visible.

The fourth problem was that Princess Wencheng required the envoys to enter and leave the palace at night without getting lost.

The clever Tibetan envoys had already used a trick to mark important areas in the palace in advance, so they would not get lost.

The fifth problem is to identify the princess among a hundred palace maids.

While other envoys were still studying the appearance of each palace maid, the Tubo envoy had already taken the initiative and bribed the princess's wet nurse in advance.

The wet nurse then described the princess's appearance and birthmark characteristics in detail to the Tibetan envoy, and the mystery was naturally solved.

In this way, Princess Wencheng was convinced by the Tubo envoy and admired his wisdom and courage.

Perhaps the simple-minded Princess Wencheng was full of beautiful fantasies about Songtsen Gampo when she was impressed by the Tubo envoy.

Since his envoys were so powerful, Songtsen Gampo would definitely be even more powerful, so Princess Wencheng went to Tibet with great anticipation.

"Li Shimin didn't want to marry his own daughter, so he came up with a compromise."

"We will select a suitable-age girl from the royal family and make her a princess to marry into the Tibetan people. This girl will later become Princess Wencheng."

"In the fifteenth year of Zhenguan, Princess Wencheng officially married, and the Tang and Tubo countries became close friends."

"Just like that, this 17-year-old girl was separated from her parents and her homeland."

"With the mission of maintaining peace and promoting cultural exchanges, I traveled across mountains and rivers to the remote area of ​​Yunnan and Tibet."

"In order to welcome the princess, Tubo built the Potala Palace specifically."

"Songtsen Gampo also had a good impression of this Tang Dynasty woman whom he had married with great difficulty and respected her very much. The two lived in harmony for nine years."

"After Songtsen Gampo passed away, Princess Wencheng continued to live in Tubo for 30 years."

"Princess Wencheng sacrificed her personal interests and made outstanding contributions to the development of the Tang Dynasty and Tubo."

"First, it promoted the development of Tubo."

"Princess Wencheng was born into a royal family. She was dignified, virtuous, and knowledgeable."

"When she entered Tibet, she had a rich dowry and countless rare treasures."

"Among them, the most valuable are a large number of advanced technologies, medical and agricultural works, crop seeds and production tools, Buddhist culture and Buddhist sculptures, etc."

"Her arrival brought advanced Han Chinese crafts such as porcelain carving and paper cutting to Tubo."

"The medical books, agricultural books, hairdressing books and other books she brought with her promoted the development of Tubo's economy and culture."

"The various crop seeds she brought have now become the iconic plants of Tibet."

"She was a believer in Buddhism and helped build the Jokhang Temple and the Ramoche Temple, which helped Buddhism flourish in Tibet."

"Secondly, it facilitated the harmonious coexistence between the Tang Dynasty and Tubo."

"After Princess Wencheng entered Tibet, the Tang and Tibetan peoples became in-laws and their relationship was extremely harmonious."

"For more than 20 years after the marriage, there was almost no war."

"The western border defense of the Tang Dynasty was consolidated, and the people lived and worked in peace and contentment."

"Songtsen Gampo sent noble children to the capital Chang'an to learn the advanced culture of the Tang Dynasty, and envoys and merchants also frequently traveled between the two countries."

"Princess Wencheng loved her Tibetan compatriots and reciprocated their kindness, so the Tibetan people also held her in high respect."

"They respectfully called Princess Wencheng Jiamusa, which means the Chinese goddess fairy in Tibetan."

"After Princess Wencheng died, the Tubo Kingdom held a grand funeral for her."

"Her statue is still enshrined by the Tibetan people in the Jokhang Temple, and there is an endless stream of people coming here to worship."

"This also shows that Princess Wencheng made great contributions to promoting the close relationship between Tibetan and Han people."

Li Longji: Princess Wencheng made an indelible contribution to the history of Han and Tibetan relations.

After Princess Wencheng entered Tibet, Tubo and the Tang Dynasty put aside their hostility and the Tang Dynasty also brought agriculture and handicrafts to Tubo.

The Tubo Dynasty was located on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, where the air was thin and not many crops could be grown.

Moreover, they did not have sophisticated farming tools or relevant farming knowledge.

Therefore, they were often in a state of food shortage and had to fight foreign wars.

When Princess Wencheng was in Chang'an, she included agricultural technicians, crop seeds, looms and other people and things that could improve the lives of Tubo people into her dowry.

Once they arrived in Tubo, this group of people and things played a big role.

The first thing is to improve the planting method of highland barley, which is the main crop in the snowy area.

However, the yield was extremely low at that time. The people brought by Princess Wencheng taught the local farmers how to reclaim land and irrigate, which greatly increased the barley yield in the Tubo area.

In addition, Princess Wencheng also sent people to cultivate the seeds of Chang'an and plant them on the plateau.

They also organized women to go to the Potala Palace every day to learn how to raise silkworms and weave cloth, so that the people could wear lighter and warmer linen and cotton clothes.

Princess Wencheng spared no effort to help the Tibetan people improve their lives, and also brought advanced astronomy, calendar, and other technologies from the Tang Dynasty.

During that period, Tubo, with the help of Princess Wencheng and the support of the Tang Dynasty, had made great progress in economy, politics and culture, and almost no other country in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau dared to challenge Tubo.

Princess Wencheng was loved by her subjects because of her series of actions that benefited the Tibetan people. From then on, there was no more war between the Tang Dynasty and Tibet.

Happy times are always fleeting. The days when Songtsen Gampo and Princess Wencheng supported each other and ran the dynasty in Tubo came to an abrupt end after nine years.

Songtsen Gampo was old and had been at war for many years, so he died a few years after his marriage.

However, due to the influence of the plateau climate and Songtsen Gampo's age, Princess Wencheng never gave birth to any children.

After her husband's death, the new Tubo king was Songtsen Gampo's grandson Mangsong Mangtsen, and the government was controlled by Prime Minister Lu Dongtsen.

In fact, Princess Wencheng had the opportunity to return to Chang'an.

Before Songtsen Gampo's death, Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Li Zhi, sent people to Tibet to bring back the princesses sent by the Tang Dynasty, including Princess Wencheng.

But Princess Wencheng did not go back with the envoy for the sake of peace between the Tang Dynasty and Tubo.

This time was the same, after Songtsen Gampo's death, it was for the peace between the Tang Dynasty and Tubo.

Princess Wencheng, whose political status was greatly weakened, did not ask the Tang Dynasty for help to return to her homeland, but chose to stay in Tubo.

However, Princess Wencheng who chose to stay in Tubo did not have an easy life. First of all, she had no children to take care of her, so she often felt lonely.

Secondly, although she has been committed to improving the lives of the Tibetan people.

However, the new ruler was not so friendly to the Tang Dynasty, so Princess Wencheng was treated much worse than before.

The new Zamp also provoked a war against the Tang Dynasty, which led to a long-term war between the Tang Dynasty and Tubo, and the peaceful scene maintained by Princess Wencheng gradually disappeared.

However, Princess Wencheng never gave up on easing the relationship between the Tang Dynasty and Tubo.

But unfortunately, a woman is destined to be powerless in the court.

Under the pressure of war and politics, Princess Wencheng decided to stay with the ancient Buddha and lived in Tubo for another 30 years.

In the end, Princess Wencheng contracted smallpox in Tubo, so she died soon after.

After Princess Wencheng died, the Tang Dynasty sent envoys to attend her funeral.

Although the Tibetan king was not close to her, he held a grand funeral for Princess Wencheng because of the changes she had brought to Tibet. His subjects, who loved Princess Wencheng, also came to the funeral.

When she was eighteen years old, Princess Wencheng was sent to Tubo by a grand wedding procession.

At the age of forty-eight, Princess Wencheng was buried in the King's Tomb by a grand funeral procession.

There is no denying that Princess Wencheng was a princess married to a foreign prince, but she was also an outstanding female diplomat.

With her wisdom, she brought civilization and hope to the Tibetan people, maintained a relatively stable and peaceful environment for Tibet and the Tang Dynasty, and maintained a friendly business and trade environment between the Tang Dynasty and Tibet for nearly two hundred years.

"Princess Wencheng made great contributions to Tubo and the Tang Dynasty."

"But her later years were very miserable. Songtsen Gampo's marriage to her lasted only nine years."

"In 649 AD, Li Shimin died and his son Li Zhi succeeded him, and undercurrents surged within the Tang Dynasty."

"The next year, Songtsen Gampo also left her, and the cause of his death remains a mystery."

"Some say he died suddenly of illness, others say he was assassinated."

"Whatever the cause of death, Princess Wencheng had lost the support of the Tang Dynasty and her husband, and had no children. Her situation seemed to have suddenly become awkward."

"The regime changed. The new emperor was Mangsong Mangtsen, the young grandson of Songtsen Gampo, but the person who actually held power was Prime Minister Lu Dongzan."

"Lu Dongzan is a man of considerable political talent, but he is also ambitious and seeks expansion."

"During his reign, Tubo became increasingly powerful, but its relationship with the Tang Dynasty became increasingly delicate, no longer as close as before."

"Over the past ten years, Lu Dongzan gradually expanded outward, annexed surrounding small countries, and incorporated the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau into the Tubo territory."

"The last country he sent troops to destroy was Tuyuhun, which was already a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty at that time. This move was undoubtedly a naked provocation to the Tang Dynasty."

"There is no room for two tigers in one mountain. The war between Tang Dynasty and Tubo soon broke out."

"After several attacks, the situation has become as tense as fire and water."

"During her thirty years of widowhood, Princess Wencheng never returned to the Tang Dynasty."

“The moon is brighter in my hometown, and the people are closer to me than to my friends.”

"Princess Wencheng missed her hometown and her husband at the same time, feeling lonely and desolate."

"After the war between the Tang Dynasty and Tubo, Princess Wencheng felt guilty about her hometown and felt powerless. One can imagine the torment she was going through."

"In 680 AD, this legendary woman contracted smallpox and died in a foreign land at the age of ."

"After Princess Wencheng passed away, the Tibetan people missed her, the people of the Central Plains paid tribute to her, and the people of history sang praises to her."

"Peace messenger between the two countries, fairy of Han and female gods, one after another beautiful nouns are piled on it."

"Indeed, her marriage to Songtsen Gampo created a beautiful story, and her feelings of sacrificing her own family for the sake of the public created a personal epic."

"However, the marriage is a political one, which contains the helplessness and sorrow of women in the Central Plains."

"Whether it's Zhaojun or Wencheng, they are responsible for maintaining friendly diplomatic relations between the two countries."

"Marrying thousands of miles away, with no relatives to turn to, and never setting foot on your homeland again until death, how sad it is."

Cao Xueqin: Princess Wencheng and Wang Zhaojun were both married for peacekeeping purposes, but their endings were completely different.

After Songtsen Gampo married Princess Wencheng, the relationship between the Central Plains and Tubo gradually improved.

Commercial trade between the two countries is becoming increasingly frequent, bringing huge economic income to both countries.

At the same time, Songtsen Gampo had long admired the Central Plains culture, so he took the opportunity of the marriage to introduce historical books into Tibet and ordered the children of the nobility to learn the Central Plains culture.

Princess Wencheng herself was well-read and knowledgeable.

She enlightened Tubo with the thoughts of Confucianism and Mohism, advocated peace, consolidated the western border defense of the Tang Dynasty, and spread the culture of the Han nationality to Tibet.

She personally taught women how to raise silkworms, reel in silk and do embroidery, and taught masters Chinese calligraphy and painting. She also recruited apprentices through her own hands to spread Chinese culture throughout Tibet.

At the same time, she brought a statue of Sakyamuni Buddha and 360 Buddhist scriptures when she entered Tibet.

After entering Tibet, she was deeply influenced by Tibetan Buddhism and began to combine it with Central Plains Buddhism, giving Buddhism a whole new look.

Princess Wencheng also humbly learned the Tibetan language, and after she had learned enough, she translated Tibetan Buddhist scriptures with Songtsen Gampo.

They also brought back a large number of Tibetan Buddhist scripture translations to the Central Plains, which greatly promoted the development of Buddhism in the Central Plains.

Princess Wencheng's great contribution to the development of Buddhism has earned her a high reputation in Tibetan Buddhism and she is considered to be the incarnation of Bodhisattva.

After Songtsen Gampo's death, Princess Wencheng continued to live in Tubo as queen for another 30 years, working to strengthen the friendly relations between the Tang Dynasty and Tubo.

After Princess Wencheng passed away, the Tibetan people, grateful for her kindness, built the Princess Wencheng Temple in her memory.

In comparison, Wang Zhaojun, who also went to marry a foreign king during the Han Dynasty, was not so lucky.

Wang Zhaojun had been married to Huhanye Chanyu for only two years when he died.

After Huhanye Chanyu died, according to Hu customs, Wang Zhaojun had to remarry Huhanye Chanyu's eldest son.

Wang Zhaojun could not accept this and wrote to Emperor Cheng of Han, requesting to return to her homeland.

But Emperor Cheng ordered her to follow the customs of the Hu people, so Wang Zhaojun had to marry him and eventually died of depression.

Princess Wencheng and Wang Zhaojun were both married for peacekeeping purposes, but their treatment and endings were completely different.

There is a reason for this.

First, the national strength of the dynasties was different.

The Tang Dynasty, to which Princess Wencheng belonged, was during the Zhenguan Reign of Emperor Li Shimin. The country was extremely powerful, and all the states outside the Central Plains were vying to make friends with the Tang Dynasty.

Therefore, Princess Wencheng was not only their patron saint who could preserve their peace, but also a bridge for dialogue and communication with the Central Plains.

Furthermore, if Princess Wencheng was treated badly in Tubo, the Tang royal family would certainly hold Tubo accountable, but Tubo was not strong enough to resist the Tang attack.

Therefore, Princess Wencheng was a fragile treasure to them and had to be treated with great care.

But Wang Zhaojun was not so lucky. She lived during the reigns of Emperor Yuan of Han and Emperor Cheng of Han.

Because Emperor Yuan of Han favored eunuchs, the national strength of the Han Dynasty had long been declining and could no longer pose much of a threat to the Xiongnu.

Therefore, the Xiongnu royal family basically did not take the Han royal family seriously. Even though Wang Zhaojun was treated badly, the Han royal family did not dare to pursue excessive responsibility.

Second, the identities of the two envoys were different.

Although Princess Wencheng was not Li Shimin's biological daughter, she was still a daughter of the royal family and had the same blood as Li Shimin.

Because of her high status and position, her words carry more weight, so she can easily abolish the bad customs in Tibetan areas.

If Tubo was not treated well, it would surely be condemned by the Tang royal family.

But Wang Zhaojun was born into a commoner family and her words had no weight.

She doesn't have a strong family to support her, so she can only be bullied and go with the flow.

Third, the regions visited have different degrees of closeness to the Central Plains culture.

The cultures of Tibet and the Central Plains are closely connected, with Buddhism being the most influential.

It can be said that Princess Wencheng's visit to Tibet had sufficient connections with the people of the Tibetan region, so she was more easily accepted by the local people.

The Xiongnu region that Wang Zhaojun entered was notoriously barbaric, and most people in the Xiongnu region knew very little about the Central Plains culture.

After Wang Zhaojun got married, not only did she have no family background, but there were also conflicts in living habits, so it was difficult for her to be accepted by the people in the Xiongnu area.

Since ancient times, many scholars have criticized marriages for peace, and they feel ashamed that peace can only be maintained at the expense of a weak woman's happiness.

However, the reason why most literati criticized the marriage alliance was simply because they only saw the individuals in history and the inner torment of the princess who married far away.

But if we put marriage of peace to the whole grand historical pattern, we will find that it is actually a great feat.

Although, the marriage sacrificed a woman's happiness.

But if there is no marriage and the two countries go to war, countless generals and soldiers will die in the battle.

Behind these men is a family. They are sons, fathers and husbands.

If they all died in the war, how many broken families would be left in the country.

How many women have to endure the pain of losing their husbands and sons, and how many children are born without their fathers.

If a marriage is arranged, the only thing that will be sacrificed is the happiness of a woman.

But this happiness can save the happiness of countless women in both countries, and prevent countless families from being broken apart.

At the same time, the cultural exchanges and commercial trade brought about by marriage can create huge wealth for the development of both countries.

Therefore, regardless of the small scale of personal gains and losses, marriage alliances have played a great role in the development of history. (End of this chapter)