Yao Chang

Emperor Wuzhao of Later Qin
後秦武昭帝
Emperor of Later Qin
ruler of Later Qin
Reign384–394
SuccessorYao Xing
Born331
Died394 (aged 62–63)
Burial
Yuan Mausoleum (原陵)
SpouseEmpress She
Empress Dowager Suen
IssueYao Xing
Names
Yao Chang (姚萇)
Era dates
  • Bái què (白雀): 384–386
  • Jiàn chū (建初): 386–393
Regnal name
Grand General, Grand Chanyu, King of Qin of Ten Thousand Years (大將軍 大單于 萬年秦王, 384–386)
Emperor (since 386)
Posthumous name
Emperor Wuzhao (武昭皇帝, lit. "martial and accomplished")
Temple name
Taizu (太祖)
HouseYao
DynastyLater Qin
FatherYao Yizhong

Yao Chang (Chinese: 姚萇; 331–394), courtesy name Jingmao (景茂), also known by his posthumous name as the Emperor Wuzhao of Later Qin (後秦武昭帝), was the founding emperor of the Qiang-led Chinese Later Qin dynasty. His father Yao Yizhong had been a powerful general and Qiang chieftain under the Later Zhao emperor Shi Hu, but after Later Zhao's collapse after Shi Hu's death, Yao Chang's older brother Yao Xiang tried to start an independent state but was defeated and killed by Former Qin forces. Yao Chang became a Former Qin general, but after an incident in 384 after the Former Qin emperor Fu Jiān's defeat at the Battle of Fei River, Yao Chang feared that Fu Jiān would kill him and therefore rebelled. He subsequently captured and killed Fu Jiān, who had saved his life when Yao Xiang was defeated, causing many historians to view him as a traitor and murderer.