Preface of Genealogy of Tuo (脫) Clan
(Extracted and translated from Tuo Family Tree Book, Shenyang)
Edited and Prefaced by the 22nd generation descendant Tuo Wan Qing(脫萬慶), Shenyang
In the spring of the 11th year of Kang De (康德) (1934 – 1945)
The family tree cannot be overlooked because it traces our roots. It reminds us of our forebears and let descendants follow their paths. We, the 脫 clan has a long history. Our first ancestor in the Yuan Dynasty was not only a great man of our clan but also a great man of the world.
Our first ancestor Tuo Tuo (toqto’a, 脫脫), his uncle Bo Yan (伯顏), father Ma Zha Er Tai (馬札兒台) were all zai xiang (宰相) in the Yuan Dynasty. Up to the present (in Shenyang), there are already twenty odd generations. Due to the passage of time, Tuo ancestors before the 16th generation cannot be traced. I feel that as descendants, we have the duty to keep up with the development of the family tree. Therefore, for twenty odd years, I have collected several ancestral registers from various branches of our clan, researched and edited them to form the present document.
Our first ancestor Tuo Tuo (脫脫) had three sons. The eldest was Ha Li Zhang
(哈利章), second son San Bao Nu (三寶奴) and the third Tuo Zhou Bin (脫周彬). According to the result of research, in the winter of the 14th year of Zhi Zheng (至正) of Yuan Dynasty (1354), our first ancestor was malignantly accused of crimes he did not commit by corrupt imperial court officials. As a result, he was stripped off his official ranks and exiled to Huai An (淮安) and later posted to Yi Ji Nai Lu (亦集乃路). His brother Ya Xian Mu Er (yu shi da fu) (御使大夫也先帖木兒) was posted to Ning Sha (寧夏). The next year, those corrupt Court officials still felt that he got off too lightly. They made up a list of crimes of his brother and persuaded the Emperor to punish them.
Consequently, Tuo Tuo (脫脫) was exiled to Yunnan (雲南大理宣慰司鎮西路), Ya Xian Mu Er (也先帖木兒) to Sichuan (四川碉門). Tuo Tuo’s eldest son Ha Li Zhang (哈利章) was posted to Yong Zhou (庸州), his second son San Bao Nu (三寶奴) to Lan Zhou (蘭州). But his estate in his native place was not confiscated. His third son Tuo Zhou Bin (脫周彬) was still young. He preferred to stay with his father and waited out the ordeal. Later the Emperor discovered that they were wrongly accused, and so re-instated their ranks and posts. Tuo Zhou Bin (脫周彬) however, thanked the Emperor and declined to accept the offer.
But such incidents were not recorded in detail in the history of Yuan Dynasty complied by Ming officials. They merely spent eight short months to complete the book. Later, 商輅共 complied a sequel but did not do the research thoroughly. The part about what happened in Yuan was very sketchy. The first two sons were mentioned but not the third. We were in fact all descendants of Tuo Zhou Bin (脫周彬) (second generation of Tuo Tuo).