Zhao Xing

Overview

Zhao Xing: Zhao Xing is a figure recorded in Volume 55 of the *Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, under the entry for the Jing Yilu family of the Hong E clan. He belongs to the great-grandson level of Jing Yilu and once served as a scribe. This branch belonged to the Bordered White Banner, originally residing in Jilin, and was later transferred from the Plain White Banner. His ancestors' initial submission to the Qing dynasty is a family background and cannot be used to determine the period of Zhao Xing's personal activities.

The title *bithesi* is a transliteration of a Manchu official title, related to *bithe* meaning "book" or "document," and can be understood as an official in charge of written affairs in government offices. During the Qing dynasty, ministries, banner administration departments, and other agencies could appoint scribes, whose work included document processing, copying, and related language and writing matters. The specific tasks and ranks varied depending on the agency.

The original entry does not specify which agency Zhao Xing served in; therefore, it cannot be concluded that he was a secretary in these government offices simply because someone from the same branch served as the General of Hangzhou or the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Guangdong, nor can it be asserted that he participated in any Manchu-Chinese translation project. The surname Hong'e is related to the name of a mountain. The banner affiliation refers to organizational structure, and Jilin is the family's ancestral home, not proof of official position. The previous appointment only indicates past service; specific terms of office, birth and death dates, and dates of relocation still require verification through other official appointments and household registration documents.