Emperor Wenxuan of (Northern) Qi ( 齊文宣帝) (526–559), personal name Gao Yang, courtesy name Zijin (子進), Xianbei name Hounigan (侯尼干), was the founding emperor of the Northern Qi dynasty of China. He was the second son of the Eastern Wei's paramount general Gao Huan. Following the death of his brother and Gao Huan's designated successor an eldest son Gao Cheng in 549, Gao Yang became the regent of Eastern Wei. In 550, he forced the Emperor Xiaojing of Eastern Wei to yield the throne to him, ending the Eastern Wei dynasty and starting the Northern Qi dynasty.

Throughout Chinese history, "Emperor" was the superlative title held by the monarchs who ruled various imperial dynasties. In traditional Chinese political theory, the emperor was the "Son of Heaven", an autocrat with the divine mandate right to rule all under Heaven. Emperors were worshiped posthumously under an imperial cult. The lineage of emperors descended from a paternal family line constituted a dynasty, and succession in most cases theoretically followed agnatic primogeniture.