Tupusu Clan

Overview

The Tupusu clan is a Manchu surname listed in Volume 56 of the officially compiled *Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, and their ancestral home was Yehe. The main biography, written by Wentasi, records him as a member of the Bordered White Banner, but the year of his submission is unknown. He served as a Minister of the Imperial Household, and it is noted that he was transferred from the Plain Yellow Banner. Ministers of the Imperial Household were officials within the Qing Dynasty's system of imperial bodyguards and close attendants, not idle individuals in the modern sense.

Wentasi's son, Moerhong, served as a Blue-Lanyard Guard; his grandson, Laitai, served as a Cavalry Commander; Niuniu served as a zuoling (military officer); Shuangding served as a Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard; Hedase served as a Defense Commander; and Qishi, a zuoling, participated in the campaign in Tibet, earning the title of Yunqiwei (a military rank) and becoming a Xie Ling (assistant commander). After Qishi's death, his hereditary title was inherited by his son, Dangse, who also served as a Defense Commander.

The Blue-Lanyard Guards, Commanders of the Imperial Guard, zuoling, and Defense Commanders each had different responsibilities in guarding, leading troops, or managing organizational structures; Yunqiwei was a hereditary military title. The genealogy records both Qishi and Dangse held official and hereditary positions, so it cannot simply state that father and son succeeded each other in the same position. Records of changes in banner affiliation should also be preserved to avoid assuming that the banner affiliation remained unchanged at the time of the book's compilation. The dates of the changes in affiliation, Wentasi's term of office, and the year of the expedition to Tibet still require cross-verification with archival records.