Marhan

Overview

Marhan was a member of the Fuca clan of the Bordered Red Banner, whose family had lived in Xibai for generations. Volume 27 of the official Qing dynasty genealogy, *The Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, lists him among those who were withdrawn from Khorchin during the Kangxi era. It records that he served as a zuoling (banner-company commander), his son Qierku also served as a zuoling, and his grandson Langse served as a Xiaoqi Xiao (Qiduwei). Xing'e Te of Feidamu and Dangse of Baidune are also noted as being of the same clan as Marhan. This grouping date is from the Kangxi era withdrawal record and cannot be applied to another group in the same volume that submitted at the beginning of the dynasty or during the Tiancong reign. Khorchin was the region before the withdrawal, and Xibai was their ancestral home; the original genealogy does not provide the specific year and migration route of this withdrawal. zuoling managed the basic population, soldiers, and related military and political affairs of the Eight Banners, while Xiaoqi Xiao was a basic military rank within the Xiaoqi Battalion. The fact that father and son both served as zuoling does not automatically prove that they inherited the same rank. The mention of being of the same clan across multiple locations does not indicate that Xing'e Te and Dangse were direct descendants of Marhan. The original genealogy does not specify the banner classification of this group of people, and their ethnic identity should not be directly determined based on the book title or ancestral home. The time of service of Marhan and Qierku and the background of the withdrawal of Khorchin still need to be verified with the original archives and genealogy data.