Shifbaksh

Overview

Xifu Bakshi was a civil official of the Hesheli clan of the Plain Yellow Banner of the Manchus in the early Qing Dynasty, and the younger brother of Shuose. Volume Nine of the official clan genealogy compiled during the Qianlong reign, *The General Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, records that he was fluent in Manchu, Han, and Mongolian languages, and served as an envoy to various Mongolian tribes, handling imperial edicts, lawsuits, and troop mobilization, working in the literary academy. Later, he served as a Grand Secretary of the Inner Hongwen Academy, participating in the early construction of the central civil service.

The Grand Secretary was a high-ranking civil official in the central government, and the Inner Hongwen Academy was one of the three inner academies in the early Qing Dynasty. Xifu also investigated household registrations, compiled lists of military commanders, jointly tried criminals, and promulgated laws, indicating that his service encompassed literary, diplomatic, and administrative affairs, and cannot be simply described as a translator. Original records state that he had previously held hereditary titles such as Third-Class Light Cavalry Captain, which were restored after being punished, and in his later years he was granted the title of Third-Class Viscount. He died with the posthumous title of Wenjian; substantive official positions and hereditary titles must be distinguished.

The Manchu version of the *History of Yuan* in the Palace Museum's collection records that he was commissioned to participate in its translation. The *Annals* are the imperial biographies section of a biographical history, and the translated version is not the entire *History of Yuan*. The translation began in 1636 and was completed in 1639. It was then presented and printed, reflecting the exchange of Manchu and Han documents. His son, Yan Bao, served as the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner and Minister of Rites, representing an independent career path for his descendants. The geographical relationship between his original residence in Duyinge and the location of Hada when he submitted to the Yuan dynasty still requires corroboration from the original text and local gazetteers.