Suoqile Clan

Overview

The Suoqile clan is a Manchu surname listed in Volume 52 of the officially compiled *Comprehensive Genealogy of Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, with its primary ancestral home recorded as Jilin Ula. The branch of Wangzhuhu of the Plain Blue Banner submitted to the Qing dynasty at the beginning of the reign. His great-grandson, Dunduohui, served as a Grand Secretary of the Inner Hongwen Academy. His fourth-generation descendant, Guo Ji, served as an eighth-rank official in the Yunnan campaign, earning the rank of Qiduwei and becoming a Lieutenant Commander. The Inner Hongwen Academy was an institution within the Inner Three Academies system of the early Qing dynasty, and Grand Secretaries were not at the same level as later ordinary clerks.

The same entry specifically notes that the descendants of Wangzhuhu's great-grandson, Subahai, belonged to the banner's bondservant class. This is a record of the identity of one branch of descendants and should not be generalized to the entire surname or all of Wangzhuhu's descendants as bondservant. Bonder status had specific personal and organizational affiliations; official positions, duties, and organizational structures must be understood within the context of the specific system.

This surname also includes the Songtu branch of the Bordered Blue Banner, whose ancestors lived in Jilin and submitted to the Qing dynasty in its early years; their descendants served as Vice Minister of Works in Shengjing and Governor of Henan. The Shuose branch of the Plain White Banner lived along the Songhua River; their son, Ebei, served as First-Class Imperial Guard and Minister of the Military Equipment Bureau. The differences in the positions held by clan members across banners and in the institutions they served are an important aspect of this section. The blood relations of each branch, the process of their conversion from bondservant status to civil service, and the dates of their appointments in the Inner Three Courts still need to be verified.