Xi Er Tai

Overview

Xiertai was a member of the Shumulu clan of the Plain White Banner of the Manchus in the early Qing Dynasty. He was the son of Wu Batai and a grandson of Mu Han, and his family had lived in Dumahu Village, Hunchun County for generations. The official clan genealogy of the Qianlong era, *The General Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, Volume Six, records that he submitted to the Qing Dynasty at the beginning of the reign and served as an Assistant Minister. He had five sons, the eldest being Xu Yuanmeng. Xiertai's official position and his eldest son's later prominent career must be separated.

An Assistant Minister was a civil official at the ministerial level. The original entry did not specify Xiertai's department, so it cannot be inferred from Xu Yuanmeng's later position that his father also served in the Ministry of Revenue. Xu Yuanmeng entered officialdom through the provincial and metropolitan examinations, was selected as a probationary official (Shujishi), and served successively in the Hanlin Academy, the Grand Secretariat, and various ministries. He also participated in the education of princes and the compilation of historical records. A probationary official (Shujishi) was someone selected to study in the Hanlin Academy after passing the imperial examinations; it was not a hereditary position.

The original entry details Xu Yuanmeng and Ortai's revisions and translations of the Four Books and unpunctuated Qing Dynasty documents, indicating that descendants of the family participated in the compilation of Manchu and Han Dynasty documents during the Qing Dynasty. This work belonged to the eldest son, not Xiertai. Other sons included Changge, who served as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy; his grandson, Fubao, who served as a principal; and Xichan and Tonggu, who served as scribes. Compilers were Hanlin Academy civil servants, while scribes handled official documents. The modern village location of Dumahu, the father's term of office, and the date of the family's submission are yet to be verified. This article uses information clearly defined by the father-son relationship and does not substitute the eldest son's biography for the father's life.