Antai

Overview

An Tai is a member of the Irgen Gioro clan of the Bordered Yellow Banner, recorded in Volume 15 of the official genealogy of the Eight Banners Manchu Clans compiled during the Qianlong reign. His family resided in the Liao River region and submitted to the Qing dynasty during the Tiancong era. His official titles are not recorded. His grandson, Yang Ali, served as a Xiaoqi Xiao (Niao Qi Xiao), and his great-grandson, Helengtai, is recorded as the current Xiaoqi Xiao. His younger brother, Hasihu's grandson, Sanyatu, served as a Xiaoqi Xiao, and Shuose served as a Langzhong (langzhong). His great-grandson, Piantu, served as a Hujun Xiao (guard-unit officer). The descendants of these two branches of the family should be explained separately, as not all are directly descended from An Tai.

Xiaoqi Xiao participated in the management of banner troops, Hujun Xiao participated in the management of the guards and their duties. Langzhong was a functional official in a government office; if not recorded in the ministries, this will not be supplemented. The repeated appearance of the same official title in his descendants does not prove that the same position was hereditary. Shuose's civil service position cannot be changed to a military position simply because a contemporary held a military post.

Tiancong refers to the reign title of the Later Jin dynasty under Huang Taiji, only providing the time frame for submission. The Liao River is a vast historical river basin; a modern village cannot be identified based on the river's name. An Tai is a common transliteration of a personal name, and must be identified by clan, banner affiliation, ancestral residence, and fraternal lineage, and should not be confused with other people with the same name. The year of submission, term of office, and intermediate paternal lineage still need to be verified by cross-referencing the original inscription and archives.