Guo Li

Overview

Guo Li was a member of the Irgen Gioro clan of the Bordered Yellow Banner in the early Qing Dynasty. His family had lived in Yehe for generations and submitted to the Qing during the Tiancong reign. He once served as a Zuo Ling (military officer). The official clan genealogy of the Qianlong era, *The General Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, Volume 12, records that his son, Hailan, served as a Bitieshi (scribe), his grandson, Dushitu, served as a Fu Hu Jun Xiao (deputy military officer), and Chokto is recorded as the current Zuo Ling. While his father, grandfather, and grandson all held the title of Zuo Ling, there is no clear record of succession. Therefore, it cannot be assumed that the same Zuo Ling position was automatically passed down to the grandson based on the shared official title.

The Zuo Ling was a basic military and administrative unit within the Eight Banners, responsible for managing banner registration, household registration, and military affairs. Bitieshi handled official documents, copying, and translation. Fu Hu Jun Xiao was a deputy position related to the Hu Jun (military officer). The word "deputy" indicates a specific job title and cannot be omitted to write "Hu Jun Xiao," nor can it be assigned to a known military unit due to uncertainty about the clan's organizational affiliation.

The Manchu dictionary uses "bithesi" to correspond to "document" or "scribe," while "bithe" means "book" or "written document," which helps explain why Hailan engaged in written work. However, there is no evidence to indicate which specific language he used or which book he translated, so no further works should be added. "Tiancong" was the reign title of Huang Taiji during the Later Jin period, and the time of submission is only within the scope of the reign title. Guo Li's term of office, the specific village where Yehe resided, and the direct paternal lineage of his descendants still need verification. Furthermore, the current tense at the time of genealogy compilation is not equivalent to the modern tense.