Huang Chao
| Emperor Huang Chao of Qi 黃巢帝 |
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| Reign | January 16, 881 – July 13, 884 | ||||||||
| Born | Unknown | ||||||||
| Died | July 13, 884 | ||||||||
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| Dynasty | Kingdom of Qí (齊國) | ||||||||
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| Era dates | |
| Wángbà (王霸) 878-880 Jīntǒng (金統) 881-884 |
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| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Huáng Cháo |
| Wade–Giles | Huang2 Ch'ao2 |
Huang Chao (Chinese: 黃巢; 835 - July 13, 884) was a Han Chinese salt trader, academic scholar, rebel and soldier who rose to become the first and only emperor of the Kingdom of Qi (齊國). He is also well known for being the leader of a major agrarian rebellion that severely weakened the rival Tang dynasty.
Well-educated, Huang first became a very wealthy salt trader, before joining Wang Xianzhi's rebellion in the mid-870s. After splitting with Wang, his army pillaged and committed the Guangzhou massacre. In 881, his troops captured the capital Chang'an, forcing Emperor Xizong of Tang to flee. Huang proclaimed himself the Qi Dynasty Emperor and reigned for three and half years before he was defeated by the Tang dynasty army led by the Shatuo chieftain Li Keyong in 883 and forced to desert Chang'an. Following successive defeats, including to former subordinates Zhu Wen and Shang Rang who surrendered to Tang, Huang was killed by his nephew Lin Yan.
The Tang dynasty, established in 618 A.D., had already passed its golden age and entered its long decline beginning with the An Lushan Rebellion by Turkic general An Lushan. The power of the jiedushi or provincial military governors increased greatly after imperial troops crushed the rebels. The discipline of these generals also decayed as their power increased, the resentment of common people against the incapacity of the government grew, and their grievances exploded into several rebellions during the mid-9th century. Many impoverished farmers, tax-burdened landowners and merchants, as well as many large salt smuggling operations, formed the base of the anti-government rebellions of this period. Wang Xianzhi and Huang Chao were two of the important rebel leaders during this era.
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