Zhuersu Clan

Overview

The Zhuersu clan is a Manchu surname recorded in Volume 56 of the officially compiled *Comprehensive Genealogy of Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, and its ancestral home was Anchulaku. The main patriarch, Nandai, was a member of the Plain Red Banner. He surrendered to the Qing dynasty at the beginning of the dynasty and served in the campaign against Huguang (Hubei and Hunan) as a non-official. During the attack on Baoqing Prefecture, he seized the city gates and captured the city, for which he was awarded the title of Yunqiwei (a military rank). He was subsequently granted the title of Qiduwei (a hereditary merit rank) and concurrently Yunqiwei by imperial decree twice.

After Nandai's death, his grandson Zhangguli inherited the hereditary title and served as Zuoling (a military rank). After Zhangguli's death, his son Zhalafen inherited the title. When Zhalafen inherited the title, he removed the additional imperial decree grants, retaining only the Yunqiwei rank. The genealogy also records that Nandai's son, Nele, served as an eighth-rank official, and his grandson, Zhang'ai, served as a scribe. The eighth rank only indicates the official rank and cannot be used to determine the government office or duties; a scribe was an official whose main work was copying, translating, and processing documents.

"Idle" refers to the status of a bannerman who did not hold an official position; "zuoling" was an official in charge of the basic organization of the Eight Banners; and "Yun Qi Wei" and other titles were hereditary. These concepts correspond to their status before participating in the war, their specific positions, and their military merit awards, respectively. The materials on the surname are centered on the Nan Dai family, and the total population, common ancestor, or modern surname are not inferred from a single biography; the ancestral home and inheritance records of An Chu La Ku still need to be supplemented.