kingdom · China, Tibet and Mongolia

Qi (Huang Chao)

881 CE – 884 CE · capital Chang'an

The regime of the rebel Huang Chao, who seized Chang'an and declared himself emperor of Great Qi, dealing the Tang dynasty a blow from which it never recovered.

Origins

Huang Chao, a salt smuggler who had failed the civil service examinations, joined Wang Xianzhi's rebellion in 875 and led it after Wang's death in 878. His army swept through southern China, sacking Guangzhou in 879, then turned north, took Luoyang and entered Chang'an at the start of 881, proclaiming himself emperor of Great Qi.

Rule and society

Huang Chao set up a court with officials, reign titles and some surrendered Tang servants, while Emperor Xizong fled to Chengdu. But the regime controlled little beyond the capital region, food ran short, and executions of officials and massacres of the city's population turned the elite against it.

Decline and legacy

His general Zhu Wen defected to the Tang in 882, and in 883 the Shatuo cavalry of Li Keyong drove Huang Chao from Chang'an. He fled east and was killed in 884 near Mount Tai. The Tang Dynasty survived only in name, as Zhu Wen and Li Keyong became the dominant warlords.

Lineage

Tang Dynasty 618 CE – 907 CEQi (Huang Chao)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Qi (Huang Chao). In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/qi-huang-chao
MLA
“Qi (Huang Chao).” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/qi-huang-chao. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Qi (Huang Chao).” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/qi-huang-chao.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Qi (Huang Chao)’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/qi-huang-chao (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻