During the reign of Songtsen Gampo, Tibet was dominated by two religions, Bon and Buddhism. The Red Mountain is called Mar-po-ri in Tibetan. Buddhists call the Red Mountain “Potala (Potalaka),” which is revered as the abode of the compassionate bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. According to Xizang Wangchen Ji (“The Record of the Tibetan Kings and Ministers”), Songtsen Gampo’s ancestor Latuotuorinianzan was the reincarnation of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, and he built a palace on the Red Mountain to live in seclusion and cultivate himself. Therefore, Songtsen Gampo decided to move his capital to the Red Mountain in Jixuewotang and built palaces there. This became the Red Mountain Palace, the predecessor of the Potala Palace. When marrying Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty, Songtsen Gampo added new palaces to the Red Mountain Palace. Princess Wencheng not only helped promote the development of Buddhism in Tibet, but also brought advanced production technology, culture and art to Tibet, allowing important economic and cultural exchanges to take place between the Han Chinese and Tibetan peoples.