Luo Ji

Overview

Luo Ji was a member of the Tatara clan in the early Qing Dynasty. Volume 11 of the official clan genealogy compiled during the Qianlong reign, *The General Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, lists him in the appendix of the Plain White Banner (Zhakumu) region. The section concludes by stating that this group had lived in Zakumu for generations and submitted to the Qing Dynasty "at the beginning of the dynasty." Here, Plain White Banner refers to the banner color within the Eight Banners; the Eight Banners not only organized armies but also managed the household registration and status of banner people. "At the beginning of the dynasty" only provides an early period and cannot be used to specify a particular year.

Whether Luo Ji himself held an official position is not mentioned in the original entry. Those listed as holding positions were his descendants: his grandson Gao Baozhu served as a captain (canling (banner command officer)), and Heige served as a deputy cavalry captain (deputy xiaoqixiao); his great-grandson Yuanbao served as a scribe (bithesi (clerk)). Captains were administrative officers within the banner camps, and cavalry captains were involved in the affairs of the soldiers under their respective captains (zuoling (company captain)). The deputy positions must be retained; Heige cannot be listed as the head of the position.

The scribe was responsible for document drafting, copying, and translation. Manchu dictionaries use "bithesi" to refer to a clerk, with "bithe" meaning book or written document; "tiexie" further specifies Yuanbao's status, and cannot be omitted by simply writing "shi ren bi tie shi" (a type of official clerk). Therefore, Luoji's information primarily provides clues about his family's entry into the banner system and the clerkship; the specific location of Zakumu village remains to be verified.