Princess Wencheng Show - Splendid Live Stage Show of Tibet Culture

Told with a combination of modern technology, Datang songs and dances, Tibetan drama and other multiple elements, the 90-mins Princess Wencheng Show consist of 5 acts: “Charm of Ancient Tang Dynasty”, “Buddhist Music of Heaven and Earth”, “Great Beauty of Tibetan Dance”, “God of the Plateau” and “Harmonious Beauty between Tibetan and Han”. Each part tells a short subsection to restore Tang and Ancient Tibet – Tubo unique cultures and life features. To ensure all visitors can fully engage with the story, real-time subtitles are displayed on side screens in English, Tibetan, and Mandarin throughout the performance, making the epic narrative accessible and meaningful to a global audience.

On the background of Lhasa’s splendid landscape, the drama revivifies an original look of Tang Dynasty and Ancient Tibet by integration of drama, music, dance and modern choreography. It is making more form and content innovations with Tibetan featured details every year.

A Legend of Ancient Chinese Story

The drama is worked out based on a true Chinese story. Princess Wencheng is an important historical feature of friendly ties between Tang Dynasty and Tubo Dynasty.

During the region of Emperor Tai Zong of Tang Dynasty, some states sent messengers to request intermarriages for pacification. The messenger dispatched by Tubo King Songtsen Gambo successfully demonstrated the King’s desire to establish friendly and harmonious relations with Tang Dynasty and appetite for learning profound Tang’s culture through superior wisdom in all quiz games set by Tai Zong. Then Princess Wencheng stepped onto the way to Tibet with the good intention for both countries. During the one year journey, she spread advanced civilization of Tang Dynasty, like teaching farming, spinning and Pharmacy and Medical Technology and other skills to the mass in every Tibetan places she passed. Since then, the ties between Tang and Tubo became closer and magnificent to Tibetan cultural development in history.

Epitome of Chinese and Tibetan Culture

Adapted from the ancient history, the drama not only tells the marriage story, but also exhibit many classic Tibetan and Chinese culture. In each acts of the drama, audience can experience distinctive Chinese costume charm of Tang Dynasty and Tibetan style and features.

Garments actors wear is adjusted to be more ancient local style. More impressive, you can enjoy the splendid Tibetan Dance and Singings, such as over 300 performers presenting Dagya dance (打阿嘎), Zhuo Dance (卓舞) – the most difficult dance in Tibet and Tibetan Drama. Every prop appeared on the stage is different from the usual pattern, cows, sheep, yaks and crops on the slope are all alive for real. Small details you noticed like butter ever-burning lamps, Mani stones, huge blue masks and Thangkas are added to give audiences a visual taste of charm of classic Tibetan culture.

Multiple High-tech Application

The simulation sceneries on the stage are in unusually large size, especially the 3D setting contains the Potala Palace and Jokhang Monastery is 160 meters long. And the realistic Potala Palace scenery is 40 meters long and 20 meters high, which makes audience feel like the real ancient palace is just in sight.

Well-known as the biggest live drama, the Princess Wencheng drama uses many tech means to create a gorgeous and fantastic scenes. Diversified lamplight, vast portable sea of flowers, wheat waves and Prayer Flags makes the performance more attractive and amazing. No other dramas will be more magnificent than the palaces ensemble with area of 100 meters long and 20 meters high in this drama. When the audience is watching the Snow Mountains scene, you will get an immersive storytelling approach to how tough Princess Wencheng went through in cold days by seeing and touching the verisimilar snowflakes fallen from the sky.

Spectacle in Scale, Cast, Attendance and Investment

The Princess Wencheng Theatre covers an area of 24,611.8 square meters, is a huge performance venue can accommodate more than 4,000 audiences. As a huge live drama, the performers’ numbers of cast highs up to 800 totally, making it the most spectacular, impressive and authentic Tibetan original drama. Build at an investment of 750 million CNY, the drama is considered as the Top 1 drama with biggest investment in the world.

How to Get to the Princess Wencheng Theatre?

The Princess Wencheng Show is performed at the Princess Wencheng Theatre, located in the China Tibetan Culture and Tourist Creative Park, Cijiaolin Village, Chengguan District, Lhasa. (拉萨市城关区慈觉林村). It is near the Lhasa River and 10km to the Liuwu Bridge. You can take a taxi or bus to the theatre. There are several bus routes to the theatre, such as the Bus No.7 and Bus NO.35.

Private Transfer with Tibet Discovery

If you book a Tibet tour with us, we can arrange seamless private transportation, from your airport or train station pickup to transfers between your hotel and all attractions. We also offer customized itineraries that take care of the details of your trip, including tickets, meals, accommodations, and more. Feel free to contact us for details.

The ticket price is various from different seats choices, including types of 380, 480, 580, 880 and 1280 CNY. Children who are less than 1.2m (including 1.2m) are free of charge, while children between 1.2m and 1.5m (including 1.5m) will get a discount of 50% of the full price of the ticket for the drama.

What kind of ticket should I buy?

The farther from the stage, the higher the ticket price is. The cheapest ticket - Ordinary Ticket B is the closest to the stage, which sells for 380CNY. Ordinary Ticket A is in the back row of B, Ticket V1, V2 and V3 are in the middle site. The VIP ticket is 1280CNY, which is the highest price of all due to the best panorama view of the stage. For the best balance of viewing experience and value for money, the V1, V2, and V3 tickets are the most recommended.

Enjoy Lhasa Night View with the Potala Palace

The theater is built on the south bank of the Lhasa River, offering a natural viewing platform. Before or after the show, you can get a unique view of the Potala Palace in the distance as the city lights begin to twinkle below. It's a perfect quiet moment before or after the performance.

Explore the Cultural Plaza and See Live Performances

The open plaza in front of the theater often comes alive with casual cultural performances. You might catch a local singer strumming a guitar and singing folk tunes, or see performers in traditional dress dancing in a circle to the energetic steps of a Guozhuang dance, and you're welcome to join in. This relaxed, engaging atmosphere offers the perfect warm-up to the main show.

Try Local Snacks and Warm Drinks

Small food stalls and tea stands around the plaza serve simple Tibetan snacks. You can try classic snacks like Tibetan noodles, steamed or fried momos, or spiced potatoes. The sweet milk tea or traditional butter tea are perfect for warming up as the evening gets cooler. It's a quick, authentic way to experience local flavors.

Visit the Souvenir Shop for Themed Gifts

The area near the entrance has several souvenir shops. They offer a variety of Princess Wencheng-themed items, from postcards to small handicrafts inspired by the show. You'll also find other local mementos, such as Tibetan-style accessories and general cultural souvenirs.

2. Stay Warm: The performance is held in an open-air mountain valley, where temperatures drop significantly at night. As the live show runs for about 2 hours outdoors, it is strongly recommended to wear a thick down jacket, hat, scarf, and gloves. While coats are available for rent on-site, they may be in short supply during peak season, so bringing your own is advised.

3. Prevent Altitude Sickness: The theater is located at an altitude of approximately 3,650 meters. Move slowly and consider preparing a portable oxygen bottle in advance.

4. Arrange Transportation: Crowds are concentrated after the show, making taxis difficult to secure. We recommend you arrange transportation beforehand. Alternatively, you can contact us for pickup and drop-off services. So you don’t need to worry about how to get the theatre and go back to your hotel at midnight after the drama is over.