Dance steps are making splashes, which can even hide away through underground. Raindrops mixed with sweat keep flowing down from cast members’ cheeks. On the stage, dancers are performing whole-heartedly while the audience are teary-eyed under their umbrellas. This is the “Princess Wencheng” theatre. Since the rainy season in Lhasa, scenes like these have been staged almost every night at the foot of Baoping Mountain. Even though the performance is interrupted by heavy rain from time to time, after a short break, the enthusiasm of the audience will still ignite the whole theatre. “I feel emotional and moved, and I’m so grateful.” “I’d like to pay my respects to the cast members in the rain, you are the best!” encouragement and good wishes from the audience one by one are the most powerful support to the large-scale epic drama of “Princess Wencheng”.

In recent years, the constantly advance on Tibet’s winter tourism policy has effectively facilitated the all-seasons and 24-hours development of Tibet tourism. What’s more, Tibet tourism in the golden age of summer tourism is even more popular. As a gorgeous business card for Tibetan cultural tourism, the "Princess Wencheng" Tibetan culture large scale epic drama has attracted more tourists.

Climbing the stairs on Wencheng Avenue, the Potala Palace across the Lhasa River comes into our sight. The panoramic view of Lhasa city shows up as far as the eye can see. A young Tibetan fellow moves out their signboards early at dusk for leasing overcoats, “30 Yuan each”. He leases dozens of overcoats every night, “It’s a cushy job, earning over 1000 Yuan per night”. Besides merchants and tourists, balladeers can also be seen here. Their romantic feelings are conveyed by either singing happily and loudly or whispering and singing lightly. This scene is so charming that it attracts people to stop over.

It rains quite a lot in Lhasa this year. More than 800 cast members of “Princess Wencheng” have been performing in the rain for a whole month. When twilight comes, raindrops fall, however, the enthusiasm of the audience remains undiminished. The three large car parks are like chessboards and are covered with "shiny chess pieces." On one side, the audience enter the arena one after another; on the other side, long queues appear in front of the theater. All seats are occupied in the spectators’ stand catering for nearly 4,000 people.

Grandpa He, 75 years old, spends 7 days in self-driving to Lhasa from Changchun City, Jilin Province with his family members. He had been in Tibet as a border guard for 7 years in his youth, and never came back after he left. His predestined love with Tibet has been hidden in heart for 50 years. Now all the family members accompany him to Tibet by self-driving particularly. Grandpa He says: “One of my comrade-in-arms recommended ‘Princess Wencheng’ drama before my departure and asked me to watch it for sure. I will go back home afterwards.” He keeps walking while looking out to the stage.

Wang Zening from Xi’an was also one of those who travelled long distance to watch “Princess Wencheng”. He biked all the way to Tibet. His mother who is from Qinghai Province and lived near Daotang River started to tell him the story of Princess Wencheng’s journey to Tibet when he was still a little boy. That was why Princess Wencheng Theatre became the first stop of his trip to Tibet. “I’ve read a lot of positive remarks on this show in trip advice articles. Today I finally got to see it. I’m thrilled.” said this sun-tanned young man with a sparkle in his eyes.

With lights and music on, the curtain of the epic drama rose as the night fell. On the bright and broad stage, hundreds danced Guozhuang in the rain, with water splashing splendidly; the nearby bonfire was blazing as if it had set half of Baoping Mountain on fire. The night rain added to the sonic grandeur of Tibetan tamping dance. As actors danced, their feet and sleeves projected the water, which was over their ankles, into long strings of beads. Without a tiny bit of reluctance, they crawled, kneeled, ran, kowtowed, rolled, etc. till their costumes and the water became one. On a rainy night they were singing and dancing together .   

“It’s easy to reach other places but hard to return to hometown…in fact there’s no such thing as other places because hometown is where you are.” The 4000 audience applauded and cheered, echoing around Baoping Mountain. This epic drama presented not only how a princess travelled far to marry for political alliance but also the actors’ unspoken passion about art and culture, when the music of the finale began, when the cast of over 800 people gave a final bow in wind and rain and when Princess Wencheng and Songtsen Gampo were being worshiped by tens of thousands of people at the foot of the majestic Potala Palace after all she had been through.

Stepping out of the theatre misty-eyed, Wang posted such words on his Wechat Moments, “The historical event, though thousand-year-old, even seems ethereal when we look back, but the story of Wencheng and Songtsen does live on.” At that time, the rain already stopped and a bright moon shone against the infinite Tibetan night sky…

Innovations in the 6th season of “Princess Wencheng” have been well received by the audiences. Lianzi, who has settled down in Lhasa, has watched the show the fifth time. “I have to see it once a year,” said she, with tears still in her eyes, “it is where my soul belongs. Whenever I get homesick, I come to watch ‘Princess Wencheng’.”

The Large-scale Tibetan Culture Epic Drama "Princess Wencheng" has been very well received by not only domestic but foreign tourists. Maryan from Indonesia remained seated right after the show, unwilling to leave. “It is such an artistic marvel”, she said, still overwhelmed by emotions aroused by it, “Chinese culture is so profound and Chinese history so awe-inspiring!”  Before leaving, she took a photo with “the Princess” and “the Tsenpo”… 

Six years after its debut, today the Large-scale Tibetan Culture Epic Drama "Princess Wencheng" has become another cultural tourism symbol that rivals the other two landmarks: Potala Palace and Barkhor Street. According to statistics, up to 1st August, 2018, the drama has been performed 100 times with an audience of nearly 200,000 people. July and August are the peak season during which there is not a single day when the theatre is not filled to its capacity of nearly 4,000 people. All this has effectively contributed to the upgrading of Tibet’s cultural tourism industry and at the same time to targeted poverty alleviation for local farmers and herdsmen through the development of local industries. Local Tibetan people constitute over 95 % of the cast of over 800 people. The drama has become an exemplar of poverty alleviation through cultural tourism industry in Tibet.

Travelling to Tibet, one should definitely not miss the classic route: visiting Potala Palace, strolling along Barkhor Street and watching the drama "Princess Wencheng". On the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau awaits your arrival this sublime epic drama that is the grandest and performed at the highest altitude in China!

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