Xie Chengzong

Overview

Xie Chengzong was a bondservant of the Plain Yellow Banner during the Qing Dynasty. The Xie family had long resided in Shenyang, but the exact year of their arrival is unknown. Volume 77 of the *Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners* clearly records that he served as a cavalry officer; his son, Xie Kuiyuan, served as a military officer; his grandson, Sangge, served as a deputy general; his great-grandson, Taoge, served as a military officer; and Xueshiqi served as a scribe. Xueshiqi is a name in this passage and should not be interpreted as a title.

A cavalry officer was a banner officer, involved in banner troop and grassroots military affairs; a military officer belonged to the guard system, with duties related to guarding and protecting the troops. A deputy general belonged to the Green Standard Army's military rank, below a deputy general and above a guerrilla commander. Their battalion structure and duties need to be determined separately by their unit; Sangge's title of deputy general cannot be changed to a banner battalion commander simply because the Xie family was in the banner.

A scribe was a clerical official; the Manchu title is transliterated as *bithesi*, with *bithe* meaning book or document. They were responsible for copying and processing official documents. This entry records the positions held by the Banner Army, the Green Standard Army, and clerks, indicating that family members served in different areas. Xie Chengzong's own position as a Qiduwei must be separated from the four positions held by his descendants; the original and current positions of each person are only their status at the time of genealogy compilation.