Bulhai

Overview

Bulhai was a member of the Manchu Hitara clan, belonging to the Bordered Blue Banner. He was related to Angguo Duli Bayan and lived in the Niyaman Mountains for generations, submitting to the Qing dynasty at its beginning. The official Qing dynasty genealogy, *The Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, Volume 43, focuses on the official positions held by his great-grandsons and subsequent generations, but the high-ranking positions listed, such as Minister of Revenue, are not Bulhai's own.

Among his great-grandsons, Muhelun served as Minister of Revenue, Nahai as a secretary, Xizhu as a military officer, Heishose as a cavalry captain, and Sanshuose as a third-class bodyguard. The Ministry of Revenue was responsible for finance and taxation; the Minister was the head of the ministry, while the secretary was an official responsible for specific tasks. Military officers and cavalry captains managed their respective military units; the third-class bodyguard was a separate bodyguard and could not be interchanged with the third-class bodyguards serving the emperor.

The fourth-generation descendant, Shulu, served as an assistant department director (*yuanwailang*); Zhulu served as a scribe; and Nadanzhu served as the chief compiler. The fifth-generation descendant, Suozhu, served as a cavalry commander, and Yisantai as a deputy military commander. The Manchu title for scribe was bithesi, and their duties included document processing and translation, which explains why a family held both military and administrative positions. The modern equivalent of Niyaman Mountain, as well as the exact year of Burhai's appointment and submission, still need to be verified.