Blata

Overview

Blata was a member of the Zhaojia clan in the early Qing Dynasty. The official Qing Dynasty genealogy, *The Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, Volume 31, lists him as a member of the Bordered White Banner, noting that he was transferred from the Plain White Banner; the end of the entry records his ancestral home in Hupucha and his submission at the beginning of the dynasty. The Plain White Banner and the Bordered White Banner were different banners; the transfer involved a change in military and political affiliation and cannot be considered a change of surname.

His grandson, Mandarhan, served as an infantry officer, and Zhaotai as a cavalry officer; his great-grandson, Changming, was a warehouse keeper at the time of compilation, and Benlu was a cavalry officer. Infantry officers belonged to the infantry guard system, while cavalry officers were responsible for leading their subordinate cavalry and military affairs; the two were different units. The title "warehouse keeper" clearly involved warehouse protection and should be retained; it cannot be directly changed to a department treasury officer without evidence.

The titles and responsibilities of warehouse officials varied across different Qing Dynasty agencies; supervisors, cashiers, and clerks could also be separate positions. Changming's specific organizational structure needs to be confirmed by his institution's records. The personnel covered by the reorganization, the institutions where the warehouses are located, and the modern location of the Hupucha are to be verified. The positions of grandsons and great-grandsons are retained by themselves, and they are not automatically inherited based on the same clan or official title.