Jin Guotai

Overview

Jin Guotai was a bondservant of the Bordered Blue Banner in the early Qing Dynasty, and his family had lived in Shenyang for generations. The official genealogy of the Manchu clans of the Eight Banners, Volume 77, under the entry for the Jin family, records that he submitted to the Qing during the Tiancong era. His son, Jin Shilu, served as a captain (CanLing), and his grandson, Tastai, served as a Qiduwei (XiaoQiXiao). Jin Hese served as a guard captain (HuJunXiao) at the time of the compilation; these positions were all held by his descendants.

Tiancong was the reign title of Huang Taiji during the Later Jin period, from 1627 to 1636 before the change of reign title to Chongde. This record indicates that Jin Guotai submitted to the Qing during the period before the Qing entered the Central Plains, but it cannot pinpoint the specific year, nor does it record details of his military achievements or changes in status at the time of his submission.

A captain (CanLing) was an administrative officer in the Eight Banners or related military units; a Qiduwei (XiaoQiXiao) belonged to the cavalry unit, and a guard captain (HuJunXiao) belonged to the guard unit. Different official titles had different administrative bodies and cannot be written as alternative names for the same position. The original text only refers to Jin Shilu as a "captain" (CanLing), without specifying which type of captain (CanLing) or the specific military unit affiliation of his two grandsons.

The bondservant of the Bordered Blue Banner and those of the Upper Three Banners of the Imperial Household Department must be distinguished. Shenyang was the political center of the Later Jin and the early Qing dynasties; a family's ancestral residence does not prove that their descendants held office there. The name "Jin Heise" should be retained as it appears in the original text and should not be changed simply because the characters resemble the color. Jin Guotai's official position is not recorded, and his personal resume cannot be supplemented with the military ranks of his descendants.