Tong Bao

Overview

Tong Bao is a bondservant of the Irgen Gioro clan in Jiamuhu, listed in Volume 12 of the official genealogy of the Eight Banners Manchu Clans compiled during the Qianlong reign. The year of his submission is unknown. The entry follows the list of bondservant members of the Bordered White Banner, noting his transfer from the Plain Yellow Banner, indicating that banner affiliation was not static. The name "Tong Bao" should not be changed to Tong simply because the first character resembles a Han surname; clan identity must be determined by the corresponding chapter, and the original entry should be preserved. His grandsons Dexi Tu and Zhao Hai both served as bondservant leaders, as did his great-grandsons Chang Shou and Guan Bao. His great-great-grandson Fu Lai is recorded as a current military officer, and An Tu previously served as a bondservant leader. A bondservant leader was a managerial title within a specific bondservant organization, not a "high-ranking figure from a bondservant background." Military officers participated in the management and guard duties of the corresponding military guards; these two positions cannot be confused into the same rank. This entry does not mention Tong Bao's own official position, and the positions held by his grandsons, great-grandsons, and great-great-grandsons cannot be transferred to him. The presence of the same title across multiple generations is insufficient to prove a formal hereditary succession to the same vacancy. The specific affiliation with the emperor or a princely organization, the number of subordinates, and the term of office are all unspecified. "Currently in office" refers to someone holding the position at the time of compilation, and the explanation of the change of banner must be understood in conjunction with the actual branch and timeline. The date of submission, the complete paternal lineage, and the modern positioning of Jiamuhu still require corroboration from the original inscription and other historical materials.