Biography of Nurhaci - The True Story of the First Emperor of the Qing Dynasty

Author: Yan Chongnian
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-05-01
Features: Ta Kesi, who lived in Hetaoala, had five sons and one daughter. His principal wife was the daughter of Aguda, a ducal noble, surnamed Xitala, with the given name Muzhi. Xitala bore three sons and one daughter: the eldest Nurhaci, the third Shurhaci, the fourth Yalhaci, and a daughter. Later, the Qing dynasty honored Xitala as the Empress Dowager Xuan. Ta Kesi's concubine, Na Laha, named Kenjia, was a clan member raised by the Hadabei, known for her stinginess, and bore only one son, the fifth Bayalara. Ta Kesi's another wife, Li Jia, the daughter of Gulu Li, also bore one son, the second Murhaci. Ta Kesi's family was a middle-class household among the Jurchen people at the time. They owned several "aha." "Aha" is the Manchu pronunciation of aha. Sometimes also called booi aha or simply booi, it referred to slaves or servants. They worked for their masters, fetching water, chopping firewood, grinding rice, cooking, and tilling fields in spring and harvesting in autumn. Beyond farming, they engaged in foraging, herding, fishing, and hunting. Like other Jurchen families, Ta Kesi lived in mud-brick houses surrounded by wooden fences. The interiors had heated brick beds (commonly known as "zhuangwei keng") on the south, west, and north sides, with the east side left open. The windows were latched from the outside, with paper, and the chimneys, called hulan, were hollowed-out round logs placed at the back. The interior layout was later recorded by Yang Bin: "The doors were mostly southeast-facing, with high brick beds measuring fifteen inches tall, surrounding the south, west, and north sides, leaving the east side empty. Stoves were built at the heads of the south and north beds, with men and women on each side. At night, the south side was considered the most honorable, followed by the west, and the north the least." The west wall of the bed was used to worship ancestors, with an incense burner placed there. At the southeast corner of the courtyard stood a tall wooden pole, known as a "soro ganzi," used for worshipping heaven and deities. This custom influenced the Qing army after they entered the pass, such as the three heated brick beds in the southern, western, and northern sides of the Kunning Palace in Beijing's Forbidden City, with paper, and a pole for worship at the southeast of the palace. Ta Kesi practiced Shamanism. Shamanism is a primal religion widely practiced among the Manchu-Tungusic-speaking peoples of Northeast China. The Manchu term for shaman is saman, meaning "witch." Shaman rituals combined with pole-worshiping heaven, later evolving into "tangzi" (shaman temples), where "tangzi" primarily referred to heaven worship. At the time, Jurchen customs involved men shaving their heads and wearing long robes with horse-shoe-shaped cuffs, belts, and boots, while women had bound feet and wore long, narrow-sleeved robes, later known as qipaos. Both Jurchen men and women were skilled in horseback riding and archery. When children were born, bows and arrows were hung at the door, symbolizing their future as excellent archers. Boys as young as six or seven practiced archery with "feilan." The Manchu Origin and Customs records: "Children used as bows, called feilan, and carved willow or reed into arrows, called noukan, with feathers made from pheasant or chicken feathers." As they grew older, they rode horses and practiced archery in the forests. Girls also excelled in horseback riding and archery, displaying great prowess. After archery, children gathered to play "lolo," a game of wit, with the Manchu term lolo. Nurhaci's youth was shaped by such an environment.