Princess Jincheng (, also ; , 698 – 739), surnamed Li, was an Empress consort of

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...

. She was a member of a minor branch of the royal clan of the Chinese

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

Life

Princess Jincheng was a daughter of Li Shouli, a prince of Tang China. She grew up in the court and was regarded by Emperor Zhongzong of Tang as a foster daughter. Emperor Zhongzong received an ambassador sent by Empress Dowager Khri ma lod of the

Tibetan Empire The Tibetan Empire (,) was an empire centered on the Tibetan Plateau, formed as a result of expansion under the Yarlung dynasty heralded by its 33rd king, Songtsen Gampo, in the 7th century. It expanded further under the 38th king, Trisong De ...

requesting a marriage alliance between the future emperor, Tridé Tsuktsen, and a Tang princess. Emperor Zhongzong conferred the title of Princess Jincheng upon his foster daughter and, in 710, a minister of Tibet arrived to collect her. On his arrival, Emperor Zhongzong entertained the minister by having his sons-in-law play ball sports with him. Princess Jincheng was then married to the Tibetan emperor Me Agtsom, in accordance with the '' heqin'' policy. The princess is usually regarded as the consort of Me Agtsom. However, Christopher Beckwith has been suggested that Lha, the ''de facto'' Tibetan Emperor who ruled briefly in 704 to 705, was the person who actually received the Princess Jincheng as bride in 710, though this is very unclear. Princess Jincheng was expected to act as an ambassador to the

and assist as a Tang diplomat to the Tibetan court. In one case, she solved a dispute between the Tibetan and Tang envoys by erecting a plaque to mark the two territories. In 723, unhappy with her marriage, Princess Jincheng ask for asylum with the King of Kashmir, but she was persuaded to remain in Tibet. The Emperor Zhongzong, saddened by the loss of his daughter, requested that poems be written in her honor. The poet Wang Zhihuan answered with "Beyond the Border", a reference to her trip through Yumen Pass.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jincheng, Princess Tang dynasty princesses Empresses consort of Tibet 8th-century Chinese women 8th-century Chinese people 8th-century Tibetan people 690s births 739 deaths China–Tibet relations