kingdom · China, Tibet and Mongolia
Later Qin
Origins
Yao Chang, a Qiang general of Former Qin, rebelled after the Fei River defeat in 383, captured and killed the Qin ruler Fu Jian in 385 and proclaimed himself emperor of Qin in 386, with his capital at Chang'an.
Rule and society
Yao Chang's son Yao Xing defeated Former Qin remnants and Western Qin, made Later Liang submit and ruled much of north-western China. A devout Buddhist, he brought the Kuchean monk Kumarajiva to Chang'an in 401 and gave him a translation bureau with hundreds of assistants; their versions of the Lotus Sutra and other texts became standard in East Asia.
Decline and legacy
Later Qin was weakened by the rise of Helian Xia, a former vassal, and by succession disputes. In 417 the Eastern Jin general Liu Yu captured Chang'an, and the last ruler, Yao Hong, was executed at Jiankang.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (4)
- Later Liang (386-403) was conquered by Later Qin403 CE
- Helian Xia split from Later Qin407 CE
- Western Shu was a vassal of Later Qin407 CE – 413 CE
- Later Qin was conquered by Eastern Jin417 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Later Qin. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/later-qin
- MLA
- “Later Qin.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/later-qin. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Later Qin.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/later-qin.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Later Qin’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/later-qin (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻