Emperor Gaozong of Tang
Yuwen Rong's family was from the Tang Dynasty capital Chang'an, and traced its ancestry to Yuwen Yidougui, the last chief of the Xianbei tribe Yuwen, which was destroyed by the Former Yan ruler Murong Huang. His great-grandfather Yuwen Bi (宇文弼) was a major general for Tang's predecessor Sui Dynasty, and Yuwen Rong's grandfather Yuwen Jie served as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang. Yuwen Rong's father Yuwen Jiao (宇文嶠) served as a prefectural secretary general.