Xu Zhixiao

Overview

Xu Zhixiao was a bondservant under the Plain White Banner during the Qing Dynasty. His family had lived in Shenyang for generations, but the year of their submission is unknown. The official genealogy of the Manchu clans of the Eight Banners, Volume 77, under the Xu family entry, records that his grandson, Hedase, served as a scribe, and his great-grandsons, Haibao and Changbao, both served as scribes during the compilation process. The word "Ju" indicates that both great-grandsons held the position, not that it was a title held by Changbao alone.

The term "BiTieShi" (bǐtiēshì) is usually transliterated from the Manchu word "bithesi," referring to a person who handles documents. In Qing Dynasty administration, this role involved copying, registering, organizing, or translating. The Chinese translation can be summarized as a clerical official. "Bithe" means book or document, and "bithei" is the genitive form; these two forms cannot replace the complete official title.

Bǐtiēshì were employed in the Imperial Household Department and other government offices during the Qing Dynasty, and clerical work served specific administrative functions. The offices where Hedase, Haibao, and Changbao served are not recorded, so it cannot be inferred that all three worked in the same place, nor can their shared official titles across generations be used to determine hereditary positions or proven family traditions.

"Boatwomen under the jurisdiction of the officials" refers to Xu Zhixiao's status in terms of both population and corvée labor, a different level from his grandson and great-grandson who held clerical positions. The bondwomen of the Plain White Banner had a background serving in the Imperial Household Department, and Shenyang was the family's former residence. The original entry does not record Xu Zhixiao's official positions, birth and death dates, or the full names of his intermediate relatives; the text introduces them according to known generations.