Wang Chao (王潮) (April 10, 846[1][2] – January 2, 898[1][3]), courtesy name Xinchen (信臣) was a warlord of the Chinese Tang dynasty, who controlled Fujian Circuit (福建道, headquartered in modern Fuzhou, Fujian), eventually establishing the base of power for his family members to later establish the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period state Min.

[7] In 881, with the Tang state overrun by agrarian rebellions, Wang Xu and his brother-in-law Liu Xingquan (劉行全), who were from Shou Prefecture (壽州, in modern Lu'an, Anhui), started a rebellion of their own and seized Shou, and then Guang (光州, in modern Xinyang), which Gushi County belonged to.

Wang obtained a commission from the nearby warlord Qin Zongquan the military governor (Jiedushi) of Fengguo Circuit (奉國, headquartered in modern Zhumadian, Henan) as the prefect of Guang Prefecture.

Wang Xu, in fear, gathered 5,000 soldiers from Guang and Shou Prefectures and forced the people to cross the Yangtze River to the south.

[5] By the time that Wang Xu reached Zhang Prefecture, his army was running low on food.

However, in violation of his order, Wang Chao and his brothers continued to take their mother Lady Dong with them.

[5] Wang Chao initially wanted to take the army back north to their home in Guang Prefecture, but when they advanced to Sha (沙縣, in modern Sanming, Fujian), the locals, who were suffering under the heavy burdens of the local prefect (Liao Yanruo (廖彥若) the prefect of Quan Prefecture (泉州, in modern Quanzhou)), asked that Wang Chao save them from Liao.

He sent messengers to summon Wang Chao to Fu Prefecture, intending to transfer the governorship to him.

Chen's brother-in-law, the officer Fan Hui (范暉), persuaded the soldiers to support him as acting governor and mobilized troops to resist Wang.

[9] Wang Yanfu's and Wang Shenzhi's siege of Fu Prefecture, however, became bogged down due to the strong defenses that Fu Prefecture had, and Fan sought aid from Dong Chang the military governor of Weisheng Circuit (威勝, headquartered in modern Shaoxing, Zhejiang), who was also related by marriage to Chen.

If the soldiers and the generals all are dead, I will go myself.Wang Yanfu and Wang Shenzhi, fearful of the rebuke, intensified their attacks.

Subsequently, two prefectures that had held out against Chen, Ting and Jian (建州, in modern Nanping, Fujian), also submitted to him.

It was said that Wang encouraged farming, set fair tax rates, fostered friendly relations with the nearby circuits, and allowed the people to rest.