Changge

Overview

Changge appears in Volume 57 of the *the Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, under the entry for the Guojia clan. He was a bondservant of the Bordered Blue Banner, and his family had lived in Hashi for generations. The original text explicitly lists him as one who surrendered during the Tiancong period, noting that his grandson, Guo Erge, served as a military officer at the time of compilation. Tiancong was the reign title used by Huang Taiji during the Later Jin dynasty, corresponding to the period from 1627 to 1636 before the change of reign title; therefore, his surrender predates the Qing dynasty's entry into China. The specific year and month are not recorded.

Guojia is a Manchu clan name. Changge's name is retained in the original text, while his grandson's name is Guo Erge. "booi (banner bondservant)" indicates a specific subordinate status within the Eight Banners and cannot be simply equated with a modern employee, nor is it an alternative name for a military officer. The Bordered Blue Banner was the banner's registered residence, and Hashi was the historical original residence of this branch; its modern location requires further investigation.

A military officer was an official position within the military organization, connected to the management, training, and guard duties of soldiers. The specific military unit, garrison location, and start and end dates of Guo Erge's service are not recorded, so it cannot be assumed that he served as an official there simply because his family's ancestral home was in Hash. The original book does not specify Changge's personal position, and his Tiancong surrender and the positions held by his grandchildren at the time of compilation are records from different eras and cannot be compressed into the same period or the experiences of the same person.