kingdom · China, Tibet and Mongolia

Later Zhao

319 CE – 351 CE · capital Xiangguo, Ye

The kingdom of Shi Le, a former slave of Jie origin who conquered most of northern China, and of his notoriously cruel successor Shi Hu.

Origins

Shi Le, a Jie tribesman once sold into slavery, became the most successful general of Han Zhao. In 319 he broke away and proclaimed himself King of Zhao at Xiangguo (Xingtai, Hebei). He captured the Han Zhao ruler Liu Yao in 328, destroyed his state in 329 and declared himself emperor in 330.

Rule and society

Shi Le, though illiterate, had the histories read to him, set up schools and recruited Chinese officials while keeping the Jie and other tribal peoples as a privileged military caste. The Buddhist monk Fotudeng advised both him and his successor, helping Buddhism spread in the north. Shi Hu, who seized power in 334 and moved the capital to Ye, built lavish palaces and imposed crushing labour and military levies.

Decline and legacy

After Shi Hu's death in 349 his sons fought for the throne. His adopted grandson Ran Min seized Ye in 350 and ordered the massacre of the Jie, founding Ran Wei; the last Later Zhao ruler was killed in 351.

Lineage

Han Zhao 304 CE – 329 CELater ZhaoRan Wei 350 CE – 352 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Later Zhao. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/later-zhao
MLA
“Later Zhao.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/later-zhao. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Later Zhao.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/later-zhao.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Later Zhao’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/later-zhao (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻