Yao Xing

Yao Xing (Chinese: 姚興; 366–416), courtesy name Zilüe (子略), also known by his posthumous name as the Emperor Wenhuan of Later Qin (後秦文桓帝), was an emperor of the Qiang-led Chinese Later Qin dynasty. He was the son of the founding emperor Yao Chang (Emperor Wuzhao). For most of his reign, he did not use the title of emperor, but used the title Heavenly King (Tian Wang). During his reign, he destroyed the rival Former Qin and proceeded to expand his hegemony over nearly all of western China, as he temporarily seized all of Western Qin's territory and forced Southern Liang, Northern Liang, Western Liáng, and Qiao Zong's Western Shu (西蜀) all to at least nominally submit to him. However, late in his reign, defeats on the battlefield, particularly at the hands of the rebel general Helian Bobo (who founded the Helian Xia), and internecine struggles between his sons and nephews greatly damaged the Later Qin state, and it was destroyed soon after his death.

A passionate follower of Buddhism, Yao Xing heavily promoted the religion among his subjects. He was a prominent figure in the spread of the religion in China, as he sponsored the monk, Kumārajīva to translate many Buddhist texts from Sanskrit to Chinese.