• Home
• About Tibet
• Tibet Culture
• Tibet New
• Tibet Tour

Tibet-An Inseparable part of China-1

From the 7th to the 10th century
In the Tang Dynasty: Close Relations between Tibet(Tibet Xizang) and Central China
The friendly relations between the Tibetan nationality and the Han nationality of the main areas of China can be traced to ancient times.

The friendly relations between the Tibetan nationality and the Han nationality of the main areas of China can be traced to ancient times, as is proved by archaeological findings and historical documents in Tibetan and Chinese. In the seventh century the Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo unified the tribes on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau and established the Tubo Dynasty. King Songtsen Gampo married Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty in 641, after which the Tang emperor conferred on him the titles of “Imperial Son-in-Law Governor”, “West Sea Prince”, and “Treasured Prince.” 　　　　

King Songtsen Gampo, the founder of the Tubo Dynasty, sent envoys to the Tang capital city of Chang’an to seek marriage relations. In 641, Princess Wencheng went westward as a bride to Tubo. From then on, close relations were formed between the Tang Dynasty and Tubo. The Audience, a picture done by painter Yan Liben of the Tang Dynasty shows the Tang Emperor Tai Zong giving an audience to Gar Tongtsen, an envoy sent by King Songtsen Gampo to ask for the hand of a Tang princess in marriage.

The picture is reproduced from the Tibetan history book “The Records of the Tibetan Royal Lineage”. It shows the Tang Emperor Tai Zong giving an image of Shakyamuni, jewelry, Buddhist scriptures, bookcases, classic works in 360 volumes to Princess Wencheng as her dowry. After marrying Princess Wencheng, King Songtsen Gampo sent groups of Tubo youths from noble families to Chang’an, capital of the Tang Dynasty, to study Chinese culture.

The Tang Princess Jincheng went as a bride to Tubo in 710. She did her best to introduce the Tang culture to Tubo. According to New History of the Tang Dynasty: “The Tubo King sent envoys to welcome Princess Jincheng. The Emperor bestowed upon the Princess Jincheng tens of thousands of bolts of silk and cloth, musicians, acrobats, all kinds of artisans, and a band of Qiuci musicians.”

According to the Old History of the Tang Dynasty, “Having gone to Tibet, Princess Jincheng dispatched special envoys to the Tang court for a copy of each of the following books: the Books of Poetry (Mao Heng’s version), Book of Rites. Zuo Zhuan(the famous commentary by Zuo Qiuming on The Spring and Autumn Annals), and Selected Works(a well-known selection noted for essays of elegant style dating from early centuries A.D.).

Did you enjoy this post? Why not leave a comment below and continue the conversation, or subscribe to my feed and get articles like this delivered automatically to your feed reader.