Zhala Clan

Overview

The Zhala clan is a Manchu surname recorded in Volume 58 of the *Comprehensive Genealogy of Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, an official compilation of the Qianlong Emperor's reign. Their ancestral home was Yehe and Huifa. Bahu of the Plain Red Banner resided in Yehe, surrendering to the Qing dynasty at its beginning. His great-grandson, Shanahai, served as a cavalry captain. Tuoluo of the Plain White Banner resided in Huifa; the year of their surrender is unknown. Their grandson, Tuoketuohe, served as a scribe; their great-grandson, Tuoheqi, served as a deputy commander; Sadi served as a scribe; and their great-grandson, Bag, served as a treasurer.

The title "bondservant" (BaoYi) refers to a specific organizational affiliation; here, it belongs to the Tuoluo branch. The deputy commander assisted in managing their assigned affairs within the Imperial Household Department's bondservant system; the treasurer was responsible for related treasuries; and the scribe handled documents, copying, and translation. These posthumous positions reflect the family's involvement in court administration and material management, but one cannot infer which treasury a person was in charge of based solely on their title.

The position of cavalry captain in Bahu's branch was a basic military management post within the banner system; one cannot attribute the bondservant status or Imperial Household Department official position of the Tuoluo branch to Shanahai. The fact that the same clan is distributed across banners and ancestral homes does not mean that all members migrated into the Qing Dynasty's jurisdiction in the same year. The specific settlements of Yehe and Huifa, the close kinship between the two branches, the treasury institutions, and the terms of office of the deputy head of the inner court still need to be verified, and the genealogy book does not provide a complete list of generations.