[3] As the only Qiang-led state among the Sixteen Kingdoms, it was most known for its propagation of Buddhism under its second ruler, Yao Xing, who sponsored the Madhyamakin monk, Kumārajīva to translate Sanskrit Buddhist text into Chinese.

The Yao clan was from Nan’an Commandery (南安郡; southeast of present-day Longxi County, Gansu) and claimed descent from the Shaodang Qiang.

Their chieftain, Yao Kehui (姚柯回), assisted Cao Wei during their conquest of Shu Han, and was later appointed Commander of the Western Qiang for his merits.

His son, Yao Yizhong succeeded him, and during the Disaster of Yongjia that befell the Western Jin dynasty, he occupied Yumei (榆眉; east of present-day Qianyang County, Shaanxi) and welcomed refugees under his wing.

As Later Zhao descended into civil war, Yizhong tried to return west to the Guanzhong with his army, but was defeated by the Di general, Fu Hong, whose family founded the Former Qin dynasty in 351.

He led his army through northern China in hopes of returning to his ancestral home in Longxi, fighting against Former Qin and Jin forces along the way.

Yao Chang initially aided Fu Jian against the Western Yan, but during the course of the war, he feared punishment following a serious defeat and fled to the horse pastures north of the Wei River.

At the same time, many of the local Han Chinese and tribal gentry clans had lost faith in the Former Qin and saw Yao Chang as a suitable successor.

He submitted to the stronger Western Yan, and after several battles with Former Qin forces, he ambushed and captured Fu Jian, who left Chang'an with his army in search of food.

From this point on, Fu Deng was unable to launch a major campaign, and Yao Chang soon gained the advantage by subjugating local warlords.

Most notably, in 399, they capitalized on Eastern Jin's internal turmoil to capture Luoyang and several commanderies north of the Han and Huai rivers.

Yao Xing built various temples and pagodas, with construction of the Maijishan Grottoes beginning under his reign, and records claim that around nine-tenths of the population in Later Qin practiced Buddhism.

Yao Xing ceded twelves commaderies around the Han river at the request of Jin's paramount authority, Liu Yu, in exchange for peace, while giving up his holdings in the Hexi to the Southern Liang.

He began an expedition to conquer Later Qin, and by late 417, Yao Shao had died while Jin forces entered the Guanzhong and reached Chang'an.