Talang'a

Overview

Talang'a was a member of the Zhaojia clan, a bondservant of the Plain White Banner, during the early Qing Dynasty. Volume 31 of the official Qing Dynasty genealogy, *The Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, records that he was of the same clan as Jue Se, residing in the Ermin region. He submitted to the Qing Dynasty at the beginning of the dynasty and served as a zuoling (a military officer). His son, Yesihe, also served as a zuoling. Bondservants were a specific social class within the banners, and zuoling managed basic household registration and military records; they were not equivalent to ordinary employee foremen.

His grandson, Sekesehe, served as a military officer in campaigns in Zhejiang, Fujian, and Sichuan. He distinguished himself and was awarded the rank of Qiduwei, becoming a Can Ling (another military officer). Military officers and Can Ling were military positions, while Qiduwei was a hereditary title; the award and actual appointment should be understood separately. Other grandchildren held positions such as Yuanwailang (another military officer), Xiaoqixiao (a cavalry officer), and Bitieshi (a scribe), indicating different directions of appointment for civil and military roles.

His great-grandson, Zhongshenbao, served as the official in charge of the imperial mausoleum's defenses, and Dalantai served as a second-class imperial bodyguard and concurrently as the head of the tea service. The positions of official in charge of the defenses involved the management of the mausoleum, while the head of the tea service involved the supply of tea to the inner court; these concurrent positions should be preserved. The branches of Yarbu and Altai are listed separately and cannot be considered direct descendants. The location of Ermin, the bondservant system, the name of the mausoleum, and the tea service organization are pending verification.