The Northern Qi Dynasty (pinyin: Bei Qí Cháo) was one of the Northern dynasties of Chinese history and ruled northern China from 550 to 577. The Chinese state of Northern Qi was the successor state of the Chinese/Xianbei state of Eastern Wei and was founded by Emperor Wenxuan. As Eastern Wei's paramount general Gao Huan was succeeded by his sons Gao Cheng and Gao Yang, who took the throne from Emperor Xiaojing of Eastern Wei in 550 and established Northern Qi as its Emperor Wenxuan. Although Northern Qi was plagued by violence and/or incompetent emperors (Emperor Wenxuan, Emperor Wucheng, and Gao Wei), corrupt officials, and deteriorating armies for most of its existence, it was the strongest state of the three main Chinese states (along with the Northern Zhou state and the Chen Dynasty) when it was established. Like most imperial dynasties, it gradually declined and was destroyed by the Northern Zhou in 577.