Xu Zongdao

Overview

In the Xu family entry of Volume 76 of the *Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, there is a brief but relatively detailed account of Xu Zongdao's personal life. The original text states that he was a bondservant of the Plain White Banner, whose family had lived in Shenyang for generations, but the year of his arrival is unknown. It also explicitly states that he diligently performed his duties while managing the affairs of the Imperial Medical Academy, and was thus granted the title of Qiduwei. Unlike many Bannerman entries that only record the official titles of their descendants, this record of official appointment and title belongs directly to Xu Zongdao himself.

The phrase "managing the Imperial Medical Academy" indicates that this period involved the management of medical institutions during the Qing Dynasty, and cannot be used to directly conclude that he was a practicing imperial physician, treated any emperor, or authored any medical works. The title of Qiduwei was bestowed upon him, and cannot be mistakenly written as an administrative title within the Imperial Medical Academy. The original text explicitly states that he did not inherit the title after his death, therefore a list of descendants who inherited the title of Qiduwei cannot be added without additional evidence.

This entry does not provide details about the year Xu Zongdao received the title, his year of death, or his position in the Imperial Medical Academy. The main verifiable historical facts about the person are his Manchu origin, his ancestral home in Shenyang, his diligence and prudence during his tenure as the head of the Imperial Medical Academy, his appointment as a Qiduwei, and the fact that he did not inherit the title after his death.