Gu Yang'a

Overview

Gu Yang'a is a member of the Irgen Gioro clan recorded in Volume 15 of the *Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*.

The verifiable information in the original entry includes his affiliation as a bondservant of the Plain White Banner, his ancestral home in "Huifa," and his family history.

"Bondservant of the Plain White Banner" indicates the branch's affiliation with the banner and bondservant organizations at the time the genealogy was compiled.

The original entry states: "Formerly a military officer; his son Tu Yang'a was formerly a secretary; his grandson Chanbu Zhangwu was formerly an internal steward; his great-grandson Changchun was formerly an internal steward; Gu Yang'a's second brother Yusezhi; his great-grandson Changbao was formerly a scribe; his great-great-grandson Bashi was formerly the military commissioner of Rehe; and Gu Yang'a's third brother Kuyang'a's grandson Shushu was formerly an internal deputy steward."

The first title listed here clearly belongs to the individual.

The kinship hierarchy and the statuses such as "former," "current," and "original lineage" are preserved as in the original text; the official positions held by descendants cannot be transferred to Gu Yang'a.

Institutional terms must be interpreted according to the Qing Dynasty context: "Hujunxiao" was a basic military post in the Eight Banners' guard corps, usually related to palace guarding, escorting officials, and military training; "Bingbeidao" belonged to the Qing Dynasty's Daoyuan system, typically handling local military affairs; "Rehe Bingbeidao" is a later posthumous title and cannot be attributed to the subject of the biography; "Bitieshi" (Manchu: bithesi) handled translation, copying, archives, and official document circulation; "bithe" means "writing," and "bithei" is the genitive form of "writing," and should not be confused with job titles; "Langzhong" was generally a mid-level civil official in a central government office; when the original entry does not specify a ministry or department, it only indicates a general rank and cannot be used to guess the specific government office.

"Huifa" retains the historical place name spelling found in genealogical records.