Xia Hu

Overview

Xia Hu was a member of the Hadanara clan of the Plain Yellow Banner in the early Qing Dynasty. His family had lived in Hadan for generations, and he was the great-grandson of Suhede, the third son of Jiamukashuozhugu. Volume 23 of the official Qing Dynasty genealogy, *The Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, records that he initially led eighteen Manchu households to surrender, forming a zuoling (military unit), which his son Ya Hu commanded. Ya Hu's eldest son, Mandarhan, was a dismissed official who went to Datong to conquer Wangjiazhuang, earning the title of Qiduwei. He was further promoted for his meritorious service in raising the princess and later served as Minister of Rites concurrently as zuoling. The eighteen households in the original genealogy are a specific unit of surrendered population and should not be rewritten as eighteen soldiers. zuoling managed the basic bannermen of the Eight Banners, while Qiduwei and Qingche duwei were hereditary titles. The Minister of Rites was the central official in charge of rites, and these three positions respectively involved organizational structure, rewards, and actual official duties. Mandarhan's tenth son, Ahadan, inherited the position and served as a First-Class Imperial Guard. He died in battle in Xiamen and was posthumously awarded a title. Mandarhan's eldest son, Nomuqi, also had records of independent military merit and inheritance. These belong to the descendants of Xia Hu. The core of the existing materials is that Xia Hu led his households to submit to the military and political system and the Ministry of Rites, and it is insufficient to attribute the princess's upbringing, military achievements in Xiamen, or the position of Minister of Rites to Xia Hu himself.