Hòu Qín Jì 後秦記
Record of Later Qin by 姚和都
About the work
Hòu Qín Jì 後秦記 (also titled Yáo Hédū Hòu Qín Jì 姚和都後秦記) is a jíyìběn reconstruction of a history of the Hòu Qín 後秦 state (384–417 CE) by Yáo Hédū 姚和都. Unlike Péi Jǐngrén’s Qín Jì (KR4k0385), which was compiled retrospectively by a Liú-Sòng historian, Yáo Hédū was a member of the ruling Yáo 姚 clan and wrote from within the regime.
Tiyao
No tiyao found in source. This is a jíyìběn reconstruction.
Abstract
Yáo Hédū was a member of the imperial clan of Hòu Qín, possibly a son or nephew of Yáo Xīng 姚興. His Hòu Qín Jì was therefore an insider’s account of the Qiāng-ruled state, complementing Péi Jǐngrén’s external perspective. The Suí Shū 隋書 bibliography records the Hòu Qín Jì in 10 juǎn.
The surviving fragments cover the foundation of the state by Yáo Cháng 姚萇, the culturally significant reign of Yáo Xīng (during which Kumārajīva 鳩摩羅什 translated major Buddhist sutras in Cháng’ān), and the final collapse under the Eastern Jin general Liú Yù 劉裕. As a member of the ruling clan, Yáo Hédū had unique access to court records and family traditions, making his account — even in fragments — a valuable complement to the external historiographical tradition. The text was lost after the Táng.
Translations and research
No substantial secondary literature located.