Kuashan

Overview

Kuashan was a member of the Tongjia clan, Plain Blue Banner, whose ancestral home was Lefutun. He submitted to the Qing dynasty at the beginning of the dynasty and was appointed a zuoling (banner-company commander) commander, as recorded in Volume 20 of the official *Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*. His eldest son, Balan, served as the Director-General of the Imperial Household Department; his second son, Maodase, served as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works; and his third son, Saodase, served as a Military Commander, advancing to hereditary positions through numerous military achievements and imperial decrees.

The Imperial Household Department managed the imperial finances, personnel, and related affairs, while the Ministry of Works was responsible for national administration such as construction projects. The two institutions had different scopes of management; the Military Commander position was a military command post. Saodase's hereditary position was later inherited by his grandsons and descendants. After the imperial decrees abolished the previous system of granting additional ranks, the inherited rank changed again, so it is incorrect to attribute all of his descendants' military achievements and titles to Kuashan himself. His fourth son served as a First-Class Guard, and his grandsons and great-grandsons held positions such as Provincial Treasurer, Vice Minister of War, Chief Secretary, and Ceremonial Attendant, respectively involved in local, central, and prefectural affairs. The original genealogy also lists the branch of Kuashan's brother, Lishan, which must be distinguished from Kuashan's direct line. Lefutun is the ancestral home of the family and does not directly correspond to a modern village, but the kinship clues with Tonglifucha can be verified separately.