Hitara (喜塔臘/喜塔腊, pinyin: Xitala), earlier known as Hitan (溪滩氏, pinyin: xitanshi), was a clan of Manchu nobility belonging to the Manchu Plain White Banner. Due to the marriage of Empress Xuan to the Jurchen chieftain Taksi, the clan was called "Old Maiden House". Their ancestral homes were located in the Changbai Mountains, Niyaman Mountains and Dong'e valley, from the beginning of Ming dynasty.[1] After the demise of the Qing dynasty, descendants of this clan changed their surnames to Zhao (赵), Tu (图), Wen (文), Qi (齐/祁), Sun (孙), Zhu (祝), Xi (希/喜/奚), Liu (刘), Xian (线) and other names.[2]