Moketuo Clan

Overview

The Moketuo clan is a Manchu surname recorded in Volume 58 of the *Comprehensive Genealogy of the Eight Banners Manchu Clans*, an official compilation of the Qianlong Emperor's reign. Their ancestral home was in Fenghuangcheng and Yehe. The Dengnifei clan of the Bordered Blue Banner resided in Fenghuangcheng and submitted to the Qing dynasty at its beginning. Dengnifei himself was a student (ShengYuan), and his great-grandson, Han Zongyu, was a military officer (WuJuRen). The Keshibulu clan of the Bordered Red Banner resided in Yehe and submitted during the Tiancong era. Their son, Hushitai, served as a scribe (shi), and their grandson, Zhaoge, served as a military officer (FangShou).

Student status and the military-degree credential (*wu juren*) belonged to educational and examination systems and the imperial examination system. The former cannot be directly equated with official appointment, nor does the latter automatically imply a military post. Therefore, the Dengnifei branch primarily preserves clues about family members' participation in civil and military education and examinations, rather than a list of officially granted positions.

A scribe (shi) was a clerk handling copying, translation, and official documents, while a military officer (FangShou) belonged to the Eight Banners' military ranks. The descendants of the Keshibulu entered different service systems. The Tiancong era corresponds to the period of Huang Taiji's rule over the Later Jin, while "the beginning of the Qing dynasty" is a more general term and cannot be used to conclude that both branches submitted in the same year. The specific location of Phoenix, the school to which the Dennife students belonged, the year of the martial arts examination, and the two bloodlines are still to be verified, and the examination qualifications will not be converted into unrecorded actual official positions.