Luo Jindu

Overview

Luo Jindu was a member of the Tongjia clan, Plain White Banner, and lived in Tongjia for generations. He submitted to the Qing dynasty at the beginning of the dynasty, as recorded in Volume 20 of the official *Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*. The original genealogy records that his great-great-grandson, Dangsu, served as a city gate captain; his fourth-generation descendants, Dalonga, served as an infantry officer; Kangaba, a scribe; Changwu, a cavalry officer; and Mase, a captain. Later generations also held the positions of deputy commander-in-chief concurrently serving as captain and hereditary official.

The city gate captain was responsible for city gate security. Infantry officers and cavalry officers belonged to different military organizations. Captains also managed household registration, land, and military records. A deputy commander-in-chief was a banner official or garrison military and political officer; "concurrently serving as captain" indicates additional responsibilities at the grassroots level, meaning he couldn't retain only one position. A scribe handled Manchu and Chinese documents and archives. A hereditary official was a position obtained through the qualifications of an official's grandfather or other senior members, not necessarily indicating a formal official position. The original genealogy lists multiple generations of descendants, forming a family career line rather than Luo Jindu's personal official career. "Dudu" is retained here as part of the name; in the absence of Manchu evidence, it is not directly interpreted as two commanders or Mongolian titles. Specific paternal lineage, employing institutions, and variant spellings of the name still need to be verified against the original printed source.