Modern Tibetan Woman Artists Work on Display
click here
Songtsan Gambo and Princess Wencheng
Some 1300 years ago, Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) left Chang'an (present-day Xi'an in Shanxi Province) to marry Songtsan gambo, king of the Tubo kingdom, which was located about 3000 km to the west. This pioneered amicable relations between the Tang and the Tubo, and the story of the marriage is still much talked about in areas inhabited by the Han and Tibetan peoples.
In the early 7th century, Li Yuan (later Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty) and Li Shimin (son of Li Yuan and later Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty) unified the Central Plains and founded the Tang Dynasty, setting the capital at Chang'an.The Tang was formidably powerful, and became the civilizational center of East Asia. Neighboring nations and tribes fell under the influence of the Tang Dynasty,and earnestly sought ties with the dynasty. They either claimed allegiance to the Tang or paid tributes to the imperial court. This stimulated exchanges between the Han and other nationalities.
...A historical romance to remember
The same period saw Songtsan Gambo gain control of the highland area in the west. After having annexed some tiny states, he founded the Tubo Kingdom and named Loso (present-day Lhasa) the capital city. Beginning in 634, he twice dispatched Gar Tongtsan to Chang'an, where the Tubo minister informed the Tang of Songtsan Gambo's desire for a daughter of the Tang emperor. Tang Emperor Taizong agreed to let Wencheng Marry the Tubo king. Accompanied by the Tubo minister, Princess Wencheng set out for the farway Tubo Kingdom. This segment of history was later turned into tales which remain an important part of Tibetan folklore.
Songtsan Gambo was very happy with his success. He went to greet the Tang Princess in Baihai (present-day Madu County in Qinghai Province) at the head of an army. He had the Baihai Nuptial Palace set up by the Zhaling and E'ling lakes, and the couple of different nationalities held their wedding ceremony there.
When the couple moved to Yushu (in present-day Qinghai Province), they were much taken with the local landscapes and pleasant weather, and spent one month in a mountain valley for their honeymoon. Princess Wencheng had carried crop and vegetable seeds to Tibet, and joined her entourage in teaching the local people how to grow crops and vegetables, grind wheat flour and make wine. When the party had to leave, the local people were grieved. As a token of gratitude, the buildings where the Tang princess stayed were still retained in the form of ruins, and her footprints were carved into rocks for worshipping. In 710 when Jincheng, another princess of the Tang Dynasty, was married into the Tubo Kingdom, she passed by the same place and had the Temple of Princess Wencheng built there. Princess Wencheng encountered a dancing and singing party in Lhasa. Seeing that Buddhism, which was at its height of influence in Tang areas, had not been spread into the Tubo Kingdom, Princess Wencheng brought out Buddhist pagodas, scriptures and statues of Buddha which she had brought into the Tubo area for construction of monasteries. Goats were mobilized to carry earth to fill in a pond for the construction of the Jokhang Monastery.Upon complete of the monastery. Princess Wencheng and her husband, Songtsan Gambo, planted willow tree in front of the monastery, which later was dubbed the Tang Willow, as the Uncle-Nephew Alliance Tablet (erected in 823 to mark the alliance between the Tang and the Tubo) was placed next to the tree. The statue of Sakyamuni enshrined in the center of the Main Hall of the Jokhang Monastery was the one Princess Wencheng brought into Tubo. In the side halls flanking the Main Hall are enshrined statues of Songtsan Gambo and Princess Wencheng. Their faces were heavily gilded by incessant worshipers of later generations.
Princess Wencheng also had the Ramoche Monastery built. She named the eight surrouding mountains the Eight Treasures, a name which is still in use today. All these paved the way for the spread of Buddhism into Tubo Kingdom.
While making efforts to propagate Buddhism and pray for blessings for the Tibetans, Princess Wencheng taught them how to grow crops and vegetables. Maize, potatoes, soybeans and grape proved adaptable to the highland enviroment, while wheat mutated into highland barley known in Tibetan as qingke. Princess Wencheng also brought into the Tubo Kingdom carriages, horses, donkeys and camels, as well as medical works and various kinds of farming and industrial techniques. Under her direction, the Tubo Kingdom experienced fast social progress.
Songtsan Gambo loved Princess Wencheng so much that he had the Potala Palace built for his talented and beautiful wife. The majestic Potala Palace, with 1000 chambers, was partially damaged by thunderbolts and wars. It twice underwent repairs and expansions in the 17th century, reaching its present size, with the 13-story main structure standing 117 meters high and covering a land area of 360000 square meters. Frescos of the Potala Palace record historical events, including Tang Emperor Taizong asking Gar Tongtsan to perform five difficult tasks before acceding to the envoy's request for his master to marry a Tang princess, the hardships Princess Wencheng endured on way to the Tubo Kingdom, and how warmly she was greeted at Lhasa. The ruins of the Tubo period behind the Potala Palace includes a chamber for Songtsan Gambo to meditate and practice Buddhism. On the four walls of the chamber hang colored statues of Songtsan Gambo, Princess Wencheng and Gar Tongtsan.
After Princess Wencheng married into the Tubo Kingdom, the Central Plains and the Tubo area maintained close relations for more than 200 years,a period almost free from wars and most notable for its varied cultural and commerical exchanges. Songtsan Gambo showed great interest in the culture prevailing in the Central Plains. He wore silks instead of the felt robes customarily worn in Tibet. Children of Tubo noble families were sent to study in Chang'an. The imperial court of the Tang Dynasty also sent artisans into the Tubo Kingdom, where they taught the local people various kinds of techniques.
The Tang Emperor Taizong (Li Shimin) died in 649. Emperor Gaozong dispatched men to inform Songtsan Gambo of the news, and granted him the official position of "Imperial Son-in-Law Governor" and bestowed upon him the honorific title of "West Sea Prince." Songtsan Gambo sent envoys to Chang'an to mourn the late emperor along with 15 kinds of gold objests for worship at the Tomb of Emperor Taizong and a letter to Emperor Gaozong, in which Songtsan Gambo expressed his support and congratulations to the new Tang emperor. Tang Emperor Gaozong promoted Songtsan Gambo to the position of "Treasured Prince" and had his statue carved and erected in front of the Tomb of Emperor Taizong as a token of praise.
Songtsan Gambo unified Tibet, promoted political, economic and cultural development of his Tubo Kingdom, and strengthened ties between Tibet and Central Plains. In so doing he made outstanding contributions to the unification of the Chinese nation. Princess Wencheng, who married into the Tubo Kingdom and worked to promote economic and cultural exchanges between the Central Plains and the Tubo area, left a historic legacy of friendship and cooperation between the Han and the Tibetan peoples. All these events have been recorded in history books and lie embedded in the minds of the Han and the Tibetan peoples.
JOIN US TO MEET MODERN TIBETAN WOMEN !
... Top
Ten Women for 1995 selected from wide-ranging areas including
scientific research, factory management and sports. Today,
retaining her own culturs and religion, a lot of Tibetan women
become doctors, lawyers, educators, engineers, artists,
politicians, entrepreneurs and professionals in all walks of
life.
Strongly built Tibetan women with ruddy cheeks, a common sight throughout Tibet, have joined their male counterparts in creating both material and cultural progress in the autonomous region.
...a Tibetan woman school
principal
Tibetan women, filled with both eternal and great maternal love, have given birth to an industrious and brave race on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
...young Tibetan woman movie
star
Tibetan women love things of beauty, and have created unique highlands clothing featuring exaggerated coloring and rough lines. They fill their homes with beauty by using nimble hands to express their deep understanding of nature, including the sky, earth and all living things, as well as the braveness of man, in patterns on rugs. Their mere presence adds beauty to the mysterious Tibetan highlands.
... Tibetan women are born
singers and dancers
Tibetan women are good vocalists, and break out into song no matter whether tilling the land, building enclosures, herding sheep or cows, weaving woolen rugs, churning butter or harvesting highland barley. They not only sing while engaging in labor, worshipping Buddha, drinking wine and meditating disputes. Most learned to sing and dance as children and find no difficulty in rendering a song no matter how difficult the situation at hand. They sing no matter whether happy or sad, with their songs expressing the ideals and pursuits of the Tibetan race.
... Tibetan women, road
maintenance workers
Tibet reeled under the cruelty of feudal serfdom, a system often described as being much barbarous than that found in Europe in Middle Ages. The broad masses of Tibetan serfs and slaves suffered from both overt suppression and oppression, with women relegated to the lowest rung of society. Women were in fact subject to the abuses of political power, as well as the authoritarianism of the clan, religious officials and husbands.
... Tibetan women, managers of
farming with advance technology ( breeding of Yaks)
Local government codes in old Tibet clearly stipulated: "Women have no right to discuss state affairs," and "neither slaves nor women are permitted to involve themselves in military and political matters." Women were also subject to untold verbal abuses such as "believing the words of a woman will cause weed to grow on one's roof. " Simply stated, Tibetan women shouldered the heaviest labor burdens, but were relegated to the lowest social status. They gave birth to and raised their children, but enjoyed no right to learn to read or write. They wove brightly colored clothing, but were forced to wear rags. This was indeed the cruel fate of women in old Tibet.
.. Tibetan woman, researcher with the Food Sanitation and Epidemic Prevention Station of the Tibet Autonomous Region
However, historic changes have taken place since the founding of New China in 1949, and Tibetan women have since been the masters of their own fate. Tibetan women have truly exhibited their brilliance in the new era, with many former female slaves and servants, headwomen and female Living Buddhas, as well as the wives of nobles assuming new professions as teachers, writers, judges, lawyers, tourist guides, officials, police officers, singers, dancers, economists and engineers. Tibetan women indeed continue to fully exhibit their graceful bearing.
...Today,
girls and boys are both loved dearly
...They both
going to schools for education
...They both
have equal chances to attend univeristies
...Their
universities have full modern facilities
...Tibetan women, factory
managers and entrepreneurs
A large number of Tibetan women hold high-ranking positions with government institutions. The long list includes Balsang, a former serf; former medical worker Cering Zholgar who now serves as vice-chairperson of the people's government of the Tibet Autonomous Region in charge of cultural and public health activities in the region; Degyi Zholgar, deputy director of the Shannan Prefecture Administrative Office; Garma, deputy director of the Nagqu Prefectural Administrative Office; and Baizhoin, a magistrate in Nedong County. Each of the women have truly distinguished themselves in their new careers.
.. Tibetan women of the Xarba
ethnic minority in TIbet ( traders among villages in the region
)
Tibetan women have traditionally been good managers and traders, with large numbers having excelled during the ongoing reform and opening program. They include Cering Yanzom, general manager of the Tibet Guest House; Qungzholma and Lhazhoin, respective director and deputy director of the Tibet Branch of the Bank of China; and Cering Zholgar, director of the Chenguan Rugs Factory in Lhasa.
..Delight with yet another
bumper harvest
.
Tibet is also home to a number of talented female artists, including famous singer Cedain Zholma; Yumei who distinguished herself in performances of the ballad King Gesar; Degyi Medog, a first-class state artist; and Baigyi, a famous dancer. Numerous Tibetan women have also joined troupes completing highly acclaimed tours abroad.
... Baizhon joins her students
enrolled in the Department of Art at Lhasa University
Tibetan women have also contributed greatly to the development of traditional Tibetan art. For example, female weavers have inherited the region's outstanding weaving tradition and have proceeded to create colorful hats and accessories to meet the needs of the region's advancing society.
... Women of the Denba ethnic minority still use traditional weaving methods
Tibetan women, who quite simply love life and are devoted to common work, are excellent housekeepers and faithful neighbors. Just as their male counterparts, women are faithful Buddhists who undertake pilgrimages to monasteries and holy mountains to pray for good health, a happy life for their families, and the continuing modernization of Tibet.
Modern Tibetan Woman Artists Work on Display
click here
HuangShan
Trip 
Great Wall of China
Trip
Hiking in China Home
Page
Audiologist Volunteer Needed
(click for info)