Five Dynasties & Ten Kingdoms · 907 – 979

Empress Fu the Elder (Later Zhou)

Artist: Xiang Li
Medium: watercolor on silk
Dimension: 56×72 in

Empress Fu the Elder (931–956), posthumously Empress Xuanyi, was the daughter of General Fu Yanqing and first married to Li Chongxun, who died in a failed rebellion against the Later Han. Rescued by General Guo Wei, she later regarded him as her godfather.

When Guo Wei founded the Later Zhou in 951, he arranged her marriage to his nephew-in-law, Chai Rong. Upon Chai Rong’s ascension as Emperor Shizong in 954, Lady Fu became empress. She died in 956 and was buried in modern Xinzheng, Henan.

Her Spouse: Guo Wei

The husband of Empress Fu the Elder of Later Zhou was Guo Wei (904–954 CE), the founding emperor of the Later Zhou dynasty. Originally a talented general under Later Han, Guo Wei rose through the ranks thanks to his military skill and leadership. In 951, after defeating rivals and seizing control during a turbulent period, he established the Later Zhou, the last and strongest of the Five Dynasties before the rise of the Song. Guo Wei was known for his relatively stable and reform-oriented rule—he reduced burdens on the people, disciplined the military, and sought to strengthen central authority. His reign was cut short by illness in 954, but he left behind a reputation as a capable and pragmatic ruler who laid the groundwork for unification under the Song.