Manchu Plain Blue Banner

Identity and organization

The Manchu Plain Blue Banner (Zhenglanqi Manzhou) was the plain-blue division of the Manchu Eight Banners. The designation 'plain' identified a colour without the corresponding contrasting border; it did not signify the highest rank among all banners. Mongol and Han-martial-banner divisions also existed under the same colour designation, but their companies and the backgrounds of their registered populations were distinct. Banner affiliation was an administrative status in Qing society and cannot automatically be equated with modern ethnic classification.

Historical placement

Juan 30 of the Qinding Baqi tongzhi records the Plain Blue Banner within the Left Wing and locates its Beijing quarters near Chongwenmen, within the city. Relations between early banner owners and the banners' political standing changed during the consolidation of Qing authority. After the organization of the Upper Three Banners was established in 1651, the Plain Blue Banner was not among them and belonged to the Lower Five Banners during the later Qing.

An individual's prospects cannot be inferred directly from this collective classification. A responsible biography must consult the person's company registration, lineage, dates of appointment, and the offices actually held.