Person

Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei

467–499 · 5th century · Also known as Tuoba Hong, Yuan Hong

Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei reigned from 471 to 499, at first under the regency of Empress Dowager Feng. Ruling alone from 490, he moved the capital from Pingcheng to Luoyang in 494, banned Xianbei dress and language at court and changed the imperial surname from Tuoba to Yuan, promoting the sinicisation of the Xianbei elite.

Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei
Image: Original uploader was Jason22 at zh.wikipedia · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Northern Wei

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/emperor-xiaowen-of-northern-wei
MLA
“Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/emperor-xiaowen-of-northern-wei. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/emperor-xiaowen-of-northern-wei.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/emperor-xiaowen-of-northern-wei (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻