Clay sculpture of Princess Wen Cheng,Tubo Period figural statue,from the Potala Palace
Princess Wen Cheng(A.D?-680) was an adopted daughter of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty.During the reign of Zhenguan of the Tang Dynasty(627-649),Tubo bTsan-po Srong-btsan-sgam-po appointed his Grand Minister mGar-stong-rtsan as his envoy to Chang'an to request for a marriage.After her arrival in Lhasa,Princess Wen Cheng took charge of the construction of the Re-mo-che Temple and enshrined in it a statue of twelve-year-old Sakyamuni of life-size (moved into the Jo-khang Temple later)brought by her from Chang'an.Well-read,talented and knowledgeable,princess Wen Cheng was also a pious believer of Buddhism and was proficient in divination.When she went to Tubo,she brought large numbers of articles with her.Tradition has it that she also brought 5,500 craftsmen,seeds of grains and cattle.All of these greatly promoted Tubo's cultural and economic development and strengthened the ralations between the Tubo Kingdom and the Tang Dynasty.Tibetan Buddhists worship her as an incarnation of Tara.Her good deeds are widely spread in the forms of operas,murals,folk songs and legends in Tibetan-inhabited regions and have exerted a far-reaching influence.