Nature and organization
The yudie, conventionally translated as the imperial jade genealogies, were official registers of lineage and family status within the Qing ruling house. They documented changes within the imperial clan and the related Jueluo lineages; they were neither ordinary private family genealogies nor biographies of individual princes. According to the Palace Museum, Qing compilations were ordinarily revised at intervals of approximately ten years, organized by imperial descent and generational seniority. The registers distinguished the imperial-clan branches, traditionally recorded in yellow books, from Jueluo branches, recorded in red books; Manchu and Chinese versions were prepared.
Information recorded
The genealogies registered men and women separately. Recorded particulars could include branch affiliation, generation, rank and office, personal name, dates and sometimes times of birth and death, maternal clan, marriage dates, and the spouse's surname. Population changes among imperial relatives had to be reported through prescribed procedures to the Imperial Clan Court, which used them in subsequent revisions. The registers therefore furnish evidence about identity, family relationships, marriage networks, and the organization of the Qing imperial house.
Use as historical evidence
Inclusion in a yudie establishes that a person was entered in that genealogical system; it does not independently prove that every reported appointment or marriage was completed as planned. Researchers should identify the compilation or revision consulted and, where necessary, compare its entries with contemporary appointments and archival documentation.
Sources and Bibliography
Links reproduce references supplied with the Chinese editorial manuscript; they do not establish that every individual statement has undergone independent archival verification.
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