Kalan

Overview

Kalan was a member of the Zhangjia clan, a bondservant of the Plain White Banner. Volume 40 of the official Qing dynasty genealogy, *The Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, records that his family originally lived in Jilin Ula, but the date of his submission is unknown. He originally served as an Inner Steward. The title "Inner Steward" was an official position; "bondservant of the Plain White Banner" indicates both his organization and status. These two aspects should not be confused as a surname, nor should it be retroactively attributed to his submission during the Tiancong reign or the early Qing dynasty.

The *Draft History of the Qing Dynasty*, in its section on officials of the Imperial Household Department, records that the Inner Steward's office handled duties for the Empress and managed related warehouses and supplies. When interpreting this title, the context of court service and organizational management should be explained, rather than simply a transliteration or writing "ordinary steward." Specific responsibilities must also consider the era and the institution to which he belonged; all later duties cannot be attributed entirely to Kalan alone.

His son, Hushiba, served as the Chief Steward of the Imperial Kitchen, involved in the supply of food to the palace and the management of related personnel, representing a different generation's actual position. The father's position as Imperial Household Officer and the son's position as Chief Steward of the Imperial Kitchen can together show the family's service in the court, but they cannot be combined to form the resume of Karan's successive appointments to these two positions. The ancestral home of Jilin Ula, the structure and term of office of the Imperial Household Officer, and the specific organization and date of the Chief Steward of the Imperial Kitchen's affiliation are pending verification from original engravings and archives.