Princess Wencheng

Introduction

Called the Han Consort and the Nepali Consort in Tibetan, it is one of the eight great Tibetan operas

The Tibetan title of the opera Princess Wencheng means the Han consort and the Nepali consort, and its Chinese title is a shortening of Songtsen Gampo Weds Princess Wencheng that leaves out the Nepali princess. It is one of the eight great traditional Tibetan operas, alongside Prince Norsang, Nangsa Obum and Drowa Sangmo. Emperor Taizong of Tang sets five trials for the envoys who come to seek a bride, and the Tibetan minister Gar Tongtsen solves them all: he threads silk through a nine-bend jade bead with an ant, eats a hundred sheep and drinks a hundred jars of wine while tanning the hides, matches a hundred mares with their foals, tells the top from the base of a hundred logs by floating them, and finally picks out the princess among three hundred women dressed alike. A performance usually has an opening ritual, the main play and a closing blessing. The Jianggar troupe of Rinpung County rotates three plays, Prince Norsang, Nangsa Obum and Princess Wencheng. Tibetan opera entered the national intangible heritage list in 2006 and the UNESCO Representative List in 2009.