[1]) was an official of the Chinese Tang dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou dynasty, serving briefly as chancellor during Wu Zetian's reign.
It is not known when Zong Qinke was born, but it is known that he was from Hedong (河東, in modern Yuncheng, Shanxi), and that his mother was a cousin of Wu Zetian's.
As of 689, when Wu Zetian was empress dowager and regent over her son Emperor Ruizong, Zong was Fengge Shilang (鳳閣侍郎), the deputy head of the legislative bureau of government (鳳閣, Fengge), and he submitted 12 new characters to substitute for common characters such as Tian (天, heaven) and Di (地, earth).
She made Zong acting Neishi (內史) -- the head of the legislative bureau and a post considered one for a chancellor.
Wu Zetian stripped Zong Qinke of his chancellor authorities and demoted him to be the sheriff of Zunhua County (遵化, in modern Qinzhou, Guangxi), and Zong Chuke and another brother, Zong Jinqing (宗晉卿), were also exiled to the same region.