Guo Erben Clan

Overview

The Guo Erben clan is a Manchu surname recorded in Volume 56 of the officially compiled *General Genealogy of Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, and they resided in the Heilongjiang region. The main biography states that Tongjinai surrendered to the Qing dynasty at the beginning of the dynasty, and the genealogy records his banner affiliation as the Bordered White Banner, noting that he was transferred from the Plain White Banner. The Plain White and Bordered White Banners were two different banners within the Eight Banners; this change cannot be omitted simply because both contain the character "white."

Tongjinai's great-grandson, Songjina, served as a Xiaoqixiao (a military officer) and participated in the campaign in Yunnan. He distinguished himself at Huangcaoba and Guihuasi, among other places, and was awarded the title of Yunqiwei (a military rank). After his death, his son, Baishou, inherited the title. Xiaoqixiao was a low-ranking military officer in the Eight Banners, involved in the training and management of banner soldiers; Yunqiwei was a hereditary military rank, with both its granting and inheritance having institutional significance. Songjina held both an official position and a hereditary title, while Baishou's inheritance of the hereditary title did not necessarily prove that he had succeeded his father as Xiaoqixiao.

This entry uses Tong Jinai as the family's starting point, but the actual military achievements came from his great-grandson, and cannot be written as Tong Jinai himself conquering Yunnan. The ancestral home in Heilongjiang is a historical geographical clue, but it is insufficient to determine the modern county or village. The dates of the change of administrative affiliation, Tong Jinai's birth and death dates, and his various military achievements and awards still need further investigation. No connection should be established between Guo Erben and other similar surnames based on phonetic similarity.