Suhechen

Overview

Suhechen was a member of the Sakda clan of the Plain Yellow Banner during the early Qing Dynasty. Volume 35 of the official Qing Dynasty genealogy, *The Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, records that his family originally resided in Ningguta and submitted to the Qing Dynasty at the beginning of the dynasty. His grandson, Yindali, served as a military officer; Dalantai as a cavalry officer; his great-grandson, Zhelu, as an infantry officer; Qitai as a deputy infantry captain; Balang'a as a blue-feathered bodyguard; Yaqina as a deputy commander; and Mangjitu as a military officer.

Military officers, cavalry captains, and infantrymen belonged to different military systems. The "deputy" in "deputy infantry captain" cannot be omitted. The deputy commander assisted in managing banner affairs, and the blue-feathered bodyguards participated in the emperor's guard. The listing of multiple military positions does not indicate that the same official position had multiple titles, nor can the highest positions held by all his descendants be combined into Suhechen's resume.

His great-great-grandson and fourth-generation descendants also held positions such as fifth-rank official, assistant secretary, scribe, and third-class bodyguard. The fifth-rank official position only provides rank information; assistant secretaries handled government administration; and scribes were clerical officials and must be explained separately. The relics related to Ningguta (now Ning'an) are only used as regional background. The specific positions of the fifth-rank official, the scribe-like institutions, and the intergenerational connections within the family are yet to be verified.