Fu Hu

Overview

Fu Hu was a member of the Manchu Xingjia clan, belonging to the Plain Yellow Banner. His family had lived in the Qin region of Beihun Mountain for generations, and submitted to the Qing dynasty at the beginning of the dynasty. Volume 43 of the official Qing dynasty compilation, *the Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, states that Xingjia was originally a place name, and the clan members adopted it as their surname; this is only one account of the surname's origin in the book, and one cannot further deduce the Manchu etymology based on the literal meaning of the Chinese characters.

Fu Hu's great-grandson, Wo Nei, initially served in the military as a non-official, but after being the first to scale a city wall, he was awarded the title of Baturu and the rank of Qiduwei and concurrently Yunqiwei. He later participated in battles in Fujian and Datong, and his hereditary titles increased through military merit and imperial decrees, eventually reaching the rank of Fengtian General. Here, Baturu is a title of bravery, Qiduwei and other hereditary titles are those of meritorious officials, while Fengtian General was the actual military and political commander stationed there; these three titles are different in nature. The relevant military achievements belong to Wo Nei, not Fu Hu.

This entry also records that Fu Hu's great-great-grandson, Gan Du, served as the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Shaanxi, and his fourth-generation descendant, Ge Erbu, served as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue in Shengjing. The Provincial Administration Commissioner was in charge of the province's finances and civil administration, while the Vice Minister of Revenue in Shengjing was an official in the secondary capital's ministries. Fu Hu's son, Zha Qin, once served as the head of the tea service. The book specifically notes that Zha Qin's descendants later belonged to the Plain White Banner, therefore Fu Hu's record of belonging to the Plain Yellow Banner cannot be erased. The shape and current location of the character "Qin" at Beihun Mountain, the dates of the various branches' affiliations, and Fu Hu's own official position remain to be verified.