Princess Wencheng was a foster-daughter of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. Although her birth date is unknown her death was recorded in 680. In 641, Songtsan Gambo (617?-650), king of Tubo, a tributary state on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, several times sought a wife from the Tang court. Emperor Taizong acceded to his request and sent Princess Wencheng with an escort to Tubo to marry the Tibetan monarch.Songtsan Gambo met Princess Wencheng at Ngoring and Gyaring lakes in today's Qinghai.Thanks to Princess Wencheng, advanced techniques of the Tang Dynasty such as the making of porcelain, paper and wine, calendar science and medicine were introduced to Tubo. They greatly contributed to the development of the Tibetan economy and culture, strengthening friendly links between the Hans and the Tibetans.

Xian. Beginning in the Western Zhou Dynasty (1066-771 BC), Xian was the capital for some 12 dynasties over the following millennia or so. In the Tang Dynasty (618-907) in particular, Changan, as Xian was then called, entered its prime both in terms of sheer urban breadth and formal structure. With a population of over 1 million, it had a flourishing economy and culture. Then the largest city in the world, it had established contacts with countless other realms and states. Today's visitors to Xian can see the well-preserved remains of Changan. The Tang city was rectangular in shape and covered an area of 84 square km, comprising an outer city, the palace and imperial seat. The palace in the north of Changan was the residence for the emperor and his kin. South of it lay the imperial seat where the royal ancestral temples and the state organs were located, constituting the administrative headquarters. Surrounding the palace and imperial court was the outer city where commoners lived. Inside the city were the Xingqing Palace, Qujiang Lake and Imperial Garden where the emperors, empresses and concubines relaxed. The emperor handled state affairs at the Daming Palace outside the city. The ruins of this palace built in 634 attest to its magnificence. It was composed of front, central and back halls with the one in the middle acting as the main building, encircled by covered corridors, with high towers and pavilions on its western and eastern sides. It represented a new style in Chinese architecture.

Tourists to Xian can also view the large collections in the Shaanxi Provincial Museum.

Xianyang. Located 25 km northwest of Xian, the earliest history of the city dates back to 350 BC. It possesses many cultural relics and remains of historical significance such as the earliest court frescoes, large hollow bricks with floral motifs and an underground drainage system.

Tianshui. Located in southeastern Gansu Province, Tianshui was a strategic point in ancient times. To the southeast of the city lie the well-known Maijishan Grottoes. Carving of them began during the Later Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) with more grottoes created in subsequent dynasties. The caves show the evolution of Chinese stone sculpture. Most of the numerous statues that are packed tightly together were carved on steep cliffs about 20-30 meters or 70-80 meters high. The grottoes contain 194 niches, more than 7,200 clay or stone relief figures and cliff paintings that cover 1,300 square meters.

Lanzhou. In Lanzhou, capital of Gansu Province, visitors can go to the famous Binglingsi Grottoes which date back to 420.

Xiahe. Xiahe County in Gansu Province is best known for the Labeleng Lamasery. Constructed in 1709, it is one of the six major lamaseries of the Gelug Sect of Lamaism. It used to function as an educational institution and a shrine as well as a bureaucratic organ. Covering 82 hectares and with a floor space of 823,000 square meters, it is the largest Lamaist school outside Lhasa. The gilt-roofed Shouxi Temple is the oldest structure in the lamasery. The six-story building is 20 meters high. The about 10-meter-high gilt Buddha statue venerated inside is the work of Nepalese sculptors. Also preserved in the lamasery is the Bkah-hgyur, written in gold and silver ink, a rare world treasure. The Tripitaka Pavilion-the library of the lamasery-boasts a large collection that includes sutras, Tibetan history, philosophy, medicine, calendar science, music and arts, totaling over 65,000 volumes. In addition, there are also 70,000 inscribed wooden blocks of Buddhist writings and 200 volumes of the entire Buddhist Canon, one of the four versions found in China.

Haidong Prefecture. On the way from Gansu to Qinghai, travellers come across Sun-Moon Mountain (the Gate to the Grassland). Standing 3,500 meters above sea level, it is formed of red sandstone and part of the Qilian Mountains. Legend goes that Princess Wencheng, on her way to wed Songtsan Gambo, yearned for her home and relatives. As she came to the top of the mountain, she took out the Sun and Moon Mirror given by her father who had told her that she would be able to see her hometown and beloved on its face. Naturally she experienced only disappointment and threw away the so-called magic mirror. Thereafter, the place was known as SunMoon Mountain.

Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. Northwest of the Sun-Moon Mountain is Lake Qinghai, China's largest. It is 3,195 meters above sea level with a water depth of 32.8 meters and covers an area of 4,340 square km. The numerous islands in the lake are home to more than 100,000 birds. As a result, it is referred to as a kingdom of birds. It is estimated that fish reserves there reach 4 billion tons, so the waters constitute China's largest natural fish pond.

Gnolo Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. Located in the prefecture are the two most well-known freshwater lakes: Ngoring and Gyaring. They are separated by a distance of 15 km and connected by the Yellow River. According to historical records, when Princess Wencheng journeyed to Tibet in 641, her future spouse Songtsan Gambo welcomed her by the side of the lake. The wedding ceremony was held here before they left for Tibet.

Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. Princess Wencheng is said to have temporarily halted here on her way to Tibet in 641 and taught local people agricultural and textile techniques. To commemorate this, Tibetans created a mural of Wencheng on the cliffs and later built the Temple of Princess Wencheng. The three-story structure was placed against a hill and a statue of Princess Wencheng that is about 8 meters high stands on a lotus platform. The temple also contains stone Buddhist statues and tablets with notes and signatures inscribed in Tibetan.

Lhasa. Lhasa has even more tourist attractions. The most stunning is the Potala Palace that stands 3,763.8 meters above sea level. Built during the seventh century when Tibet was under the rule of Songtsan Gambo, it evolved into its present magnificent structure after repeated expansion and renovation. Lying against a slope, its 13 storeys are made of stone and timber. The complex consists of palaces, Buddha and preaching halls, living quarters, a hall of stupas and courtyards. The Potala Palace was the political, religious and cultural center of old Tibet. In its stupas are interred the mortal remains of all the Dalai Lamas from the 5th to the 13th with the exception of the sixth whose corpse is in Qinghai. More than 200,000 Buddhist statues made of gold, silver, bronze and jade plus many other cultural relics including scriptures, classics, artifacts, frescoes and Buddhist musical instruments are preserved in the palace.

The Jokhang Monastery is located in southeastern Lhasa. The site is said to have been selected by Princess Wencheng, with the design and building work done by architects who followed her to Tibet. In the center of the main hall is the gilded statue of Sakyamuni that the princess brought with her from Changan. Statues of Songtsan Gambo and Princess Wencheng stand in the flanking halls on either side. Their walls display many large frescoes. The mural entitled Princess Wencheng Enters Tibet is not only an artistic treasure but also a valuable historical record. This 25,100-square-meter large complex absorbed many features of Nepalese and Indian architecture while adhering to Tibetan tradition in clay and wooden structure.

In front of the entrance of the Jokhang Monastery can be seen a stone tablet commemorating the Tang and Tubo Alliance, erected in 823. The full text is inscribed in both Tibetan and Chinese, and a list of the Tang and Tubo officials present at the negotiations is also visible. Nearby, there is a tree known as the Willow of the Princess. Tradition has it that Princess Wencheng herself planted the tree after the Jokhang Monastery was erected.

(This article appears on page 42, No. 15, 1994)