Zheng Chaofu

Overview

Zheng Chaofu is mentioned in the Zheng family entry of Volume 77 of the *Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*. The book records that he was a bondservant of the Plain White Banner, and his family had lived in Shenyang for generations; the year of their arrival is unknown. This entry does not record Zheng Chaofu's official career; its main value lies in preserving records of the positions held by his descendants across several generations in banner affairs, ministries, local government, and the imperial court.

His grandson, Zheng Renmin, served as a military officer; his great-grandson, Zheng Lian, served as a lieutenant; Zheng Bin as a storekeeper; Zheng Da as a clerk; and Zheng Wen as a Qiduwei. His fourth-generation descendant, Zheng Wusai, served as an assistant minister; Zheng Dingxun served as a county magistrate when the genealogy was compiled; and Zheng Junyu and Changhai served as scribes. Zheng Chanbao served as the Zhejiang Provincial Surveillance Commissioner; and Zheng Sangge served as the supervisor of the Wuying Hall when the genealogy was compiled. His fifth-generation descendant, Haichang, was a *juren* (a successful candidate in the provincial examination); Zheng Tingyi, Yongde, and Chengde served as scribes; Mingde served as a clerk; Zheng Tinghan was a student; and Zheng Tingdong was a *jiansheng* (a student of the Imperial Academy).

The Zhejiang Provincial Surveillance Commissioner is a posthumous title held by Zheng Chanbao, a descendant of Zheng Chaofu, and should not be attributed to Zheng Chaofu. Furthermore, the titles of Juren, Shengyuan, and Jiansheng do not equate to actual official positions. The original text does not specify the paternal lineage among contemporaries, nor does it record Zheng Chaofu's birth and death years or the specific year he submitted to the emperor; these details should be preserved.