Institutional Background
The Bordered Red Banner Manchu division was one of the eight constituent Manchu banners. It was differentiated by its bordered red standard from the Plain Red Banner. In the Qing, banner colours functioned as identifiers for military registration, household organization, and administration; Manchu niru under a given colour must be distinguished from Mongol and Han Army companies of that banner.
Responsibilities and Historical Practice
Volume 30 of the Comprehensive Gazetteer of the Eight Banners locates the Bordered Red Banner around Beijing's Fucheng Gate and places it in the right wing. Following the 1651 settlement of banner organization, it formed part of the Lower Five Banners, unlike the emperor's Upper Three. Bannermen could acquire office through military merit, examinations, financial contributions, or other recognized means, but none of these individual careers can be generalized to the entire banner. For a family history, company affiliation and the date of its registration are necessary. Different niru, hereditary command arrangements, and booi registrations could coexist within the same banner. Colour alone cannot establish a family's geographical or social origin.
Sources and Bibliography
- Source reference 1 — www.qinghistory.cn
- Source reference 2 — www.shidianguji.com
- Source reference 3 — www.qinghistory.cn
- Source reference 4 — zh.wikisource.org
References reproduce links supplied with the Chinese research manuscript. Individual historical claims have not all been independently verified against the primary sources.
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