Based on a folk legend, this drama is still popular in Tibet. A written record of its has been found in the literature of the 14th century. For example, "A Clear Mirror of the Pedigree of Tibetan Kings" by the Tibetan scholar Bsodnams rgyalmtshan tells this story in great detaiL The plot is similar. This book was published in 1388. Another book, "A History of the Tibetan Kings and Ministers," published in 1643, also has this story, which is nearer to the current Tibetan drama.

Besides, the whole story of Princess Wencheng was portrayed in paintings with narrative sequence in Potala Palace murals handed down from the fifth generatiGn of the Dalai Lama.

There are statues of Princess Wencheng in the Potala Palace and Dazhao Monastery in Tibet.

Many, many years ago, Btsan-po Srongb-tsan Sgam-po was born in Tibet. He grew up to become a prince of great talent and clever strategy. At the age of 16, he himself began to administer the land of Tibet.

The prince had a minister named Mgar stongb-tsan yul-srung who was well known as an able man among the Tibetan people.
One day Mgar said to Prince Srongb-tsan Sgam-po, "Emperor Tang Taizong has a princess who is endowed with the sixty-four abilities and virtues of an ideal woman. She is very beautiful, good and virtuous. She would be the best match for Your Majesty. We should send an envoy with presents to the emperor to propose marriage."

The prince was very glad. He appointed Minister Mgar special envoy for the purpose and ordered him to make preparations for the journey.

Mgar busied himself preparing presents, personnel, baggage, horses and camels. When everything was ready, he went and reported to the prince. The prince was pleased. He gave Mgar seven gold coins and said, "Present these gold coins to the emperor when you have an audience with him."

Then he took out an ancient suit of armor inlaid with agate, pearls, turquoises, as wells as red, blue, white, yellew and purple enamels. He said, "This precious armor will serve as betrothal present."

The prince gave the minister three sealed envelopes, saying, "When you arrive at the Tang court, the emperor may question you closely. If you meet with difficulties, you could give him the envelopes in order, and what is written inside will help you answer all questions. Don't worry. You must be very careful during the journey and urge on your horses. When you come to steep mountains and turbulent rivers, you should silently pray to the Goddess of Mercy for her protection. Then misfortune will turn into blessing and you'll come safely out of danger."

On the eighth day of the fourth moon that year, which was an auspicious date, Mgar said good-bye to the Tibetan prince, to the other ministers and his family members and relatives and set out for Chang'an, capital of the Tang Dynasty. He led a retinue of more than 100 persons riding horses and camels and carrying all kinds of presents.

They climbed mountains and forded rivers, overcoming countless difficulties and hardships. At last they arrived in the capital of the Tang Dynasty.

The procession entered Chang'an through the West Gate. It was a prosperous city with a population of hundreds of thousands. It took one day and one night to walk around the city wall. There were four majestic towers on top of the four gates on the north, south, east and west, spectacular buildings with carved beams and painted rafters. The buildings and street scenes evoked much admiration from Mgar and his men.

Meanwhile, envoys from other nations had also come to Chang'an to plead the suit of their princes or kings for the princess of the Tang emperor. The courting mission sent by the King of Buddhist India stayed in the eastern part of the city. The envoy of the prince of the military state of Gesar stayed in the southern part of the capital. The mission from the king of the wealthy state of Persia resided in the western part, while the envoy of the prince of the strong state of Tartar boarded in the northern part of the city. The Tibetan envoy stayed at a place between the northern and eastern parts. All the envoys tried to win an early audience with the emperor and to present him with strange and rich gifts.

The Tang emperor granted audience to the envoys one after another. The Tibetan envoy, however, was cold-shouldered with the reply - "Please wait a few days." One-morning seven days later, clever Mgar saw the emperor come out of the palace riding in a carriage. He walked up to the emperor and presented him with the seven gold coins. He explained how the Tibetan prince admired the emperor's dignity and asked for the hand of the princess. Then he handed the armor to the emperor saying, "This is a unique armor. Whenever pestilence hits persons or livestock, Your Majesty could put it on and ride around the city, and the pestilence would immediately disappear. If any disasters of locusts, flood, hailstorm or drought take place, Your Majesty could put it on and ride around the fields, and the disasters would be held off. In case of foreign invasion and war breaks out, Your Majesty could wear the armor and become invincible and all conquering. This is a rare treasure, a state heirloom of Tibet. Prince Srongb-tsan Sgam-po has ordered me to present it to Your Majesty as a betrothal present, asking for the hand of the good and virtuous Princess of Wencheng."

Listening to the Tibetan envoy, the emperor disagreed with Mgar at heart, and his ministers around him thought the Tibetan prince had overstepped the ritual and was rash and ignorant. Giving a scornful laugh, the emperor said, "Since I succeeded to the throne of my late father, I've not done anything wrong or immoral. Your Tibetan prince is no match for me in both state power and territory. I don't expect he would venture to make such a request. You've come a long way and endured many hardships. I'm not going to blame you. Go back to Tibet promptly and ask Prince Srongb-tsan Sgam-po whether he can adopt the Ten Good Acts as his administrative policies. If he can, I'll betroth the princess to him."

Hearing what the emperor said, Mgar replied, "To ask the prince a question, we have to go thousands of miles back to Tibet. It would waste time and delay a vital matter. It's fortunate, however, that our prince has prepared an answer to your question. It's in this envelope. Please open and read it." Then he handed the first envelope to the emperor.

The emperor opened the envelope. Inside was a message written in the Han language in letters of gold powder. The message read: "As people think the Tang emperor is an able statesman while the Tibetan prince is unable to rule by law, Your Majesty says if the Tibetan prince can adopt the Ten Good Acts as administrative policies, you would marry the princess to him. Very well. In my five thousand shapes, I'm carrying out the Ten Good Acts in a single day as my administrative policy. Please keep your word."

When he read the message, the emperor was surprised. Nevertheless, he pretended to be calm and leisurely. He said, "Ah! Your prince talks big. Good! Now you go quickly back to Tibet and ask Prince Srongb-tsan Sgam-po whether he can build halls of Buddhas in Tibet? If he can, I'll promise him the princess. If he can't, don't expect her to go to Tibet."
"Just for one question we would have to cover the long distance between here and Tibet," Mgar said. "When will we take the princess to Tibet? It's fortunate that our prince has already prepared an answer to your second question," and he handed the second envelope to the emperor.

The emperor opened the envelope. There was another message written in fine Han language. It read:

"The Tang Dynasty has many skillful craftsmen, and the Buddhist doctrine is flourishing there. Halls of Buddhas are built everywhere. Therefore, Your Majesty says, 'If you can build halls of Buddhas, I'll promise you the princess.' Very good. I'm now ordering my five thousand shapes to build one hundred and eight great halls of Buddhas, each with its entrance facing the Tang court. Please don't break your promise."

The emperor was astonished. Pretending to be calm, he said, "Your prince is a braggart. Very well! Now go back immediately and ask Prince Srongb-tsan Sgam-PO whether there is plenty of goods in Tibet for the five senses to enjoy. If there is, he can take the prin cess' hand. If there is none, how can I let him have the princess?"

"It's unnecessary for us to cover thousands of miles to and fro to find an answer to Your Majesty's question," Mgar said. "The answer is already here." He gave the third envelope to the emperor.

The emperor opened the envelope and read the third message. It read: "People always say the Tang Dynasty is rich and prosperous while Tibet is poor and destitute. Therefore, Your Majesty says if Tibet has plenty of property for the five senses to enjoy, you would promise me the princess. Very good. I'm ordering my five thousand shapes to prepare gold, silver, silks, clothing, food grain, ornaments and other things. All these shall be exquisitely made as if by God. Meanwhile we'll open a gate in each of the four directions so that the wealth of other parts of the world can flow into our state. In a short time, we will become a rich, powerful and invincible nation. Is this a surprise to Your Majesty?"

After reading the message, the emperor felt puzzled and depressed. He returned to his palace.

The emperor gathered the queen, prince and princess to discuss what should they do, which state the princess should be married to.

The emperor said, "Some ministers say Buddhism came from India, and Buddha shows kindness to all our people. Therefore, we should marry our princess to India. I think they are well founded."

The queen was a stingy and avaricious person. She said, "Persia is a powerful and wealthy state where the ground is covered by gold and silver and the cities are full of pearls and treasures. Our princess will enjoy all her life if she is married there."

The prince was a brave man who loved the martial arts. He said, "The Tartars are a powerful nation. If we are linked with them by marriage, it will greatly increase the power of our state."

The princess herself, however, wanted to choose a handsome and strong man to be her lifelong companion. She preferred Prince Gesar.

Not one of them said a word about the Tibetan prince.

The emperor could not come to a conclusion. So he summoned all envoys of the courting states and said: "You envoys have made a long, tiring journey to Chang'an. Now, I can't decide which state I should marry my princess to. The only way to reach a decision is to test your wisdom. Please be attentive."

The Tang emperor took out a crystal-clear and sparkling jade pearl and a red silk thread. He said, "There is a tiny passage with nine bends going through this pearl. Whoever threads the pearl with the red silk will win the princess for his prince."
All the envoys tried hard to put the red silk thread through the pearl. Half a day passed by, but none succeeded. At last they passed the pearl to Mgar. As the wise Tibetan envoy surveyed the pearl carefully, he saw a little ant crawling on the ground. He picked up the ant, tied the red silk around its waist, then put it into the hole of the pearl. He blew softly at the ant while placing a little honey at the other end or the hole. Lured by the flavor of the honey and forced by his breath, the ant crawled ahead through the tunnel to the other end, carrying the red silk thread with it.

The Tibetan envoy brought the threaded pearl to the emperor and asked him to marry the princess to the Tibetan prince.
The emperor muttered to himself, unable to make up his mind. Then he &aid, "Although you won the competition this time, I can't make a careless decision. You have to compete a second time."

The next day the emperor ordered his men to bring 500 goats to the meeting place. He said to the five envoys, "Now each of you take a hundred goats. In a single day tomorrow, your mission is to butcher all one hundred goats, eat all the meat and turn all the goatskins into leather. Whoever succeeds will have the princess."

Bringing back his 100 goats, Mgar told each of his 100-member entourage to slaughter a goat and skin it. Then they put the skins in one pile and the mutton in another pile. Mgar ordered his 100 men to sit in a circle. One man was to cut the mutton into pieces as big as a walnut, which were cooked and passed around. In turn each man put a little salt on a piece of mutton and ate it. As the mutton pieces were passed around the circle, the men ate them little by little and finished all the mutton in the afternoon. Then the 100 goatskins were passed around the circle one by one. Each man took turns rubbing each goatskin three times. When a goatskin came to the end of the line, it had been rubbed into leatfier. In this way the hundred goatskins were quickly turned into leather.

When Mgar brought the leather before the emperor, the other envoys were still busy eating mutton or rubbing goatskins. Some had not even butchered their last goat.

Mgar said to the emperor, We've slaughtered our hundred goats, eaten all mutton and turned all goatskins into leather according to Your Majesty's order. Please marry the princess to our prince."

The emperor wondered in his heart. But he said, "No. I mustn't carelessly marry the princess to your prince. I'll hold another contest tomorrow."

The next day the emperor ordered 100 mares and 100 foals to be brought. He said to all the envoys, "Whoever matches up each mare with her foal can have the princess."

The envoys stared at each other, not knowing what to do. Only Mgar stepped forward and said, "I can do it."

He tethered the 100 foals in stables so that they could not see the mares. He gave the foals neither fodder nor water throughout the night. The next morning he brought them before the mares. Hungry and thirsty, every foal eagerly looked for its mother to suck her milk. Each pair was clearly matched this way.

Mgar reported to the emperor. Nevertheless, the emperor said, "I must be very careful. Please come to another competition tomorrow."

Next morning, the emperor ordered men to bring 100 logs, each having the same diameter at both ends. He said to the envoys, "Each of these 100 logs was sawn off so that both ends have the same diameter. Whoever can tell which end is nearer to the roots of the tree will have the princess."

The envoys looked at the logs, turned them this way and that, stroked them, and weighed them in their hands. No one could tell which end of any log was nearer to the roots. Mgar thought for a while, then told his men to take the 100 logs to the riverbank. They threw the logs into the river. Floating on water, the end nearer the roots dipped lower than the other end because it was slightly heavier. Thus Mgar could tell which end of a log was nearer to the roots.

Reporting to the emperor, Mgar said, "I've distin-guished each end of every one of the logs. Please don't go back on your word again - marry the princess to our prince."

Nevertheless, the emperor said, "I've made a final decision. Three days from now I'll gather three hundred beauties at the East Drill Ground. They shall put on the same dresses and ornaments. Among them will be my princess. Whoever succeeds in singling her out will have her to marry to his prince. This is the last contest. I'll not break my word."

Hearing this, Mgar was sad. He returned to his lodgings, feeling gloomy. He thought aloud, "We came a long way from Lhasa to Chang'an, enduring thousands of hardships. We met the Tang emperor and thought we could successfully take the princess back to Tibet. Nevertheless, we have met with many obstacles. Our Tibetan prince is a blessed man, and we have won the competition time and again. Now we will have the last contest at the East Drill Ground three days from now. If we fail to single out the princess, a proverb will come true which says, 'The crane is all white except a black spot on the tip of its tail.' We must bring all our energy and wisdom into play in the final competition."

As he was worrying, the old woman-servant of the inn came up and said, "Why does our honorable guest look so sad today?"

Mgar told her what was on his mind. "Alas! We've overcome untold hardships coming to Chang'an," he said. "We thought we could quickly escort Princess Wencheng to Tibet to marry our prince. The Tang emperor, however, has put one obstacle after another in our way. It's fortunate that we have won every competition so far. There's a saying: 'A word said is like a slashing sword, or flowing water, or a galloping horse.' One should not hold it back. But the emperor went back on his word and has asked us to pick out the princess from three hundred beauties, three days from now. We have only heard that the princess is beautiful and virtuous, charming and cultured. We've never met her. Now, the three hundred beauties are of the same stature and dressed up the same way. How can we single out the princess? We will fail this time! You've worked hard serving us, but for nothing! How could it not worry me and make me sad?"

"No wonder!" the old woman-servant said. "I think His Majesty himself would not look down on you. It's his ministers who have no favorable impression of you. I could help you, but I'm afraid

Sensing something important in her words, Mgar coaxed her, saying, "We've been together for months. Don't you know us well? Why should you be afraid? Please help us!"

"I know very well you are honest and sincere men," she said. "It's the best thing for our princess to marry your prince. I've worked decades in the palace since childhood, serving many princesses and maids of honor. I have loved and respected Princess Wencheng best of all. I attended her for years, and I'll never forget her look and manners. It's easy for me to tell you her features. But there's an adviser in the imperial court who can tell fortunes. No secret can escape him. If one day he tells my fortune and finds out that I've leaked out the secret, It'll be hard for me to preserve my life."

"We're grateful to you for your kindness," Mgar said. "In any case you must help us this time. You'll get whatever reward you want. We've heard of that adviser. Nevertheless, you needn't be afraid. I've a way to make him fail to tell who informs us of the princess' characteristics."

"Honorable guest," the woman-servant said, "please listen attentively. The princess has cheeks glowing with health, superbly blending white and pink. Her body emits a faint fragrance. There's always a bee flying about her face, which looks like a lotu3 flower in full bloom. A red mole dots the spot between her eyebrows. According to the custom of the palace, the princess will stand neither at the head of the line nor at its end. She always counts sixth from bottom up on the left row. Her dress is made of lustrous and slippery fabric, which is hard to catch hold of. You'd better bend an arrow into a hook and tie it with a silk thread. When you're certain it's the princess, just put the hook on her silk coat and you're sure of success."

Mgar was overjoyed. He promptly assembled his entourage and said, "Brothers, we've come to Chang'an neither to do business for profit nor to preach Buddhism. We come especially for Princess Wencheng. We've won the previous competitions, thanks to your concerted efforts. Once again I have to rely on you for final victory in the last contest. We must bear in mind the special features of the princess and single her out three days from now. We have to succeed in this important matter!"

Three days passed. On the appointed day the whole city turned out to watch the bustling scene. Three hundred beauties, gorgeously dressed, stood in line on the East Drill Ground, dazzling and fascinating all the spectators.

The emperor gave the order: "Let all the envoys come up in order to pick out the princess!"

The envoy from India was the first to try. He carefully looked at each beauty from the head of the line until he came to the middle of the line. He picked out two girls and insisted that one of them must be the princess. Happily, he led the two beauties away.

Then came the envoys from Persia, Gesar and Tartar one after the other. Each of them also picked out two beauties and led them away. All the time Mgar, the Tibetan envoy, was nervously watching them picking out beauties. When he saw that all other envoys failed to recognize the princess, he heaved a sigh of relief and could not help laughing. He hurried into the drill ground with his men and surveyed each beauty carefully from the top to the bottom of the line. Then he counted the girls from the lowest line up to number six. Looking at the beauty before him for a while, he said:

"Are you not Princess Wencheng who is the incarnation of the Goddess? Your face is glowing with health. Your skin is tinged with a superb blend of pink and white and is smooth as ivory. Your body emits a strange fragrance. Your cheeks are like a blooming lotus flower, and a bee is always humming near you. This is no other person than Princess Wencheng herself!"

Mgar threw out his hook, which caught hold of the collar of the princess' coat. Seeing that her identity had been revealed, the princess began to cry.

The Tibetan envoy had achieved his aim. The worry he had suffered many days turned into happiness. Leading the princess along, he began to sing. Two of his men blew flutes in accompaniment. Mgar sang:

Our honorable princess,
Beautiful fairy maiden;
Please listen to my message,
Do not worry and sadden.
Tibet is a vast area,
Where the five treasures are found.
The Tibetan prince is wise,
And he is kind at heart.
Everyone admires him.
The whole nation sing& of peace.
There are ten thousand kinds of trees in the mountains;
There are vast grasslands and beautiful plains.
All five kinds of grains and six kinds of beans thrive there.
Gold, silver, copper, iron and tin are found.
Cattle and sheep dot the hillsides;
Silks and satins fill storehouses.
Peace prevails in the good land;
People enjoy happiness.
Let the princess hear this message,
And think it over carefully.

Listening to Mgar's song, the princess thought: "His words show that there is not much difference between Tibet and our Tang kingdom." This somewhat relieved her fears. Wiping her tears away, she walked slowly following the Tibetan envoy.

Mgar said to the other envoys, "Now that we've won the princess, we're soon going back to Tibet. Please come and see us off!"

Mgar brought horses and urged the princess to ride. They rode through the main thoroughfares of the city to demonstrate the wisdom, ability and victory of the Tibetan people.

All the residents of Chang'an acknowledged that it was the greatest event ever in the city. Some sighed at the lot of the princess. Others praised her.

Seeing that the real princess had been picked out by the Tibetan envoy, Emperor Tang Taizong said to the other envoys, "The princess is going to marry the Tibetan prince. You can also take home the beauties you've chosen. We are related to them by marriage too."

It couldn't be helped. The envoys were content to take home the beauties they had picked.

Mgar asked the princess to return to the Tang palace to pack up her things for the journey.

Back in the palace, the emperor said to the princess, "My darling, you'll be married to the Tibetan prince as his queen. You must take good care of yourself!"

"Tibet is very, very far away," the princess replied."It's hard not to see Father and Mother again! I don't want to go.

"Don't talk nonsense," the emperor said. "You know the Tibetan prince is a man of remarkable ability who has mastered magical power. When I questioned his envoy, the prince had already prepared the answers. Without the trouble of taking a step, his envoy answered all my questions one after the other. I think all the Tibetans are very clever and smart. It's good for you to marry the prince there."

Kneeling down before the emperor, the princess said, "I understand Father's order, Mother's persuasion and Brother's guidance. Nevertheless, it's said that Tibet is covered with snow and is ice-bound all the year round. The snow mountains there look like the fangs of beasts of prey. Rocks loom like the horns of wild bulls. No grain can grow there, and the people are starving. The Tibetans do not believe in Buddha, and there is not a single temple in the state. There's no place to cultivate goodness and benefit people. What should I place my hope on when I go there? If you want me to marry the Tibetan prince, please give me the statue of Buddha Sakyamuni you are worshipping, so that I can pray to Buddha in the morning and evening. Besides, please grant me seeds of food grain, fabrics for clothing, as well as maids and servants, so that I can turn a poor and desolate territory into fertile and wealthy land."

As she said this, tears streamed down the princess' cheeks and she sobbed.

The emperor was sad too. He comforted her saying, "Although snow often falls in Tibet, the snow mountains are like natural pagodas storing treasures. Tibet is surrounded by seas and when the strange golden flowers bloom, you'll enjoy a magnificent scene. There are four major rivers irrigating the territory, with dense and luxuriant forests. Like white clouds, sheep and cattle cover the plains and mountain slopes. The Tibetan prince is characterized by his benevolence. He bans the Ten Evils* and cultivates the Ten Good Acts. All the cioizens are wise, and the ministers are able and virtuous persons.

"I'll let you keep Buddha's statue, which was made of ten kinds of precious material by Visvakarma, the founder of all arts, according to a painting by Brgyabyin, the Buddhist Creator. I've cherished it as my greatest treasure. Now you have it. In our treasure house there is something I like best - a bookcase inlaid with gold and jades. Take it as your dowry. In addition, take to Tibet three hundred and sixty kinds of artifacts, including gold and jade utensils, as well as food, beverages, silks, satins and patterns for making various wonderful things. They are my gifts. Then take with you three hundred copies of Han poems, sixty copies of warning mottos, two hundred and forty prescriptions for curing diseases, twenty thousand bolts of silk and satin, and twenty-five maids.

"My darling, I want you ever to bear in mind these words of mine - 'Handle matters fairly, speak peacefully, treat all persons alike, love your subjects, respect the Tibetan prince, never overstep rules and regulations in your actions.'"

The princess tightly held the emperor's hands in hers. They were reluctant to part from each other. At this juncture, Mgar came and urged the princess to set out for Tibet. The magnitude of the trousseau of the princess was beyond Mgar's expectations. His mission took a long time loading her treasures, clothing, ornaments, food and seed grain on camels and horses. They put the statue of Buddha in a flower-decked carriage driven by two men of unusual strength.

The emperor invited the Tibetan mission to a farewell party, with theatrical performances. After wine was passed around a few times, Princess Wencheng, charmingly dressed in silk robes and jade ornaments, arrived and kowtowed to the emperor and queen, bidding farewell to them.

The emperor said, "If my darling praises and spreads Duddhism in Tibet, you'll perform boundless bemefocence. This will be your religious merit."

The emperor, queen, prince and all the high officials and generals of the imperial court, as well as countless citizens, saw the princess off outside the gate of the capital. Saying good-bye to all, the princess and her maids and servants rode on horses with the Tibetan envoy and went west, leading a mighty convoy.