Research About The Baksi Groups Before Qing Dynasty Enters The Shanhaiguan

In recent years, the Chinese academia are paying increasing attention to the identificationtendency of the Manchu culture and a growing number of scholars become aware of imitateMing Dynasty and uphold Manchu culture of the Qing Dynasty’s dominate policy. Thispolicy was first established in the early empire before Qing Dynasty enters the Shanhaiguan,the main implementers being a group of intellectuals called baksi. This paper attempts to studythe baksi group through their historical events in politics and culture, discuss their impact onthe feudalization process of Qing dynasty and their contribution to the heritage anddevelopment of the Manchu culture.The word Baksi is derived from the Mongolian language, meaning scholar. Theword originally referred to the Mongolian teachers or clerks. It was later used as a generalterm for civilian officials before Qing Dynasty entered the Shanhaiguan. After1631, baksiwas rewarded for the cronies’ ministers around the emperor as the highest honor for civilofficials to praise their hard work, similar to the baturu for military officials. As thebureaucratic system becoming complete after the Qing Dynasty entered the Shanhaiguan, thetitle of baksi disappeared from the public eyes from time to time. However, it didn’t exit thestage of history and was still used as the honor for the Tangut、Mongolian nobility, Lama orgovernment officials.From1593to1648，The Baksi bore the civilian functions of the Qing Dynasty regime.They were responsible for the routine tasks like book keeping, document writing, and archivekeeping. They also played important roles in affairs of national defense and administrationsuch as embassy works, formulating regulations, proceeding legal and making strategicdecisions. As the pioneer of Manchu culture, Baksi also established many feats in the field ofculture. The creating and enacting of Manchu language wiped away obstacles for Manchuculture’s sorting and heritage. In addition, translating Chinese books into the Manchulanguage promoted the exchange and learning between the two cultures. The establishment ofofficial schools provided the necessary personnel for Qing regime. Recording contemporaryhistory by Manchu language not only preserved valuable historical information for later studybut also plays an essential role in the establishment and consolidation of the Manchu.