Changzhu

Overview

Changzhu was a member of the Ulanara clan in the early Qing Dynasty, the eldest son of Buyan's third son, Busantai. His original genealogy listed him as belonging to the Bordered White Banner, noting that he had been transferred from the Bordered Yellow Banner. Volume 23 of the official Qing Dynasty genealogy, *The Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, records that he led his people to surrender, organizing them into a Zuoling (military unit), which he commanded. His eldest son, Chanbu, was a Doroi Efu (a high-ranking imperial consort) and also served as a Zuoling. His third son, Zhangtai, participated in the siege of Xian County in Shandong as a non-official, achieving merit by being the first to scale the walls and receiving the title of Yunqiwei (a military rank), but later died from injuries sustained in the attack. The Zuoling position served as both a basic banner unit organization and an official management post; Efu was a title obtained through marriage within the imperial clan; and Yunqiwei was a hereditary title for meritorious officials. These three should be understood separately. The biography then details the succession and appointments of Zhangtai's descendants, Chaerhai, Sesite, and Chalanga. Chalanga later handled military affairs in Tibet and the Northwest, serving as a Grand Secretary and Minister of War—experiences shared by Changzhu's descendants. A Grand Secretary was a high-ranking official in the cabinet, and holding the title of Minister could not be considered a regular banner position. The core of the permanent residence record is the formation of banners and family hereditary positions; the specific time of military merits of descendants, posthumous honors and titles, and banner changes still needs to be verified in stages and cannot all be written as the honors of the permanent residence person.