Guoerji Clan

Overview

The Guoerji clan is a Manchu surname listed in Volume 57 of the officially compiled *Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, scattered throughout areas including the Guoluo River region. Aixinbao of the Plain White Banner resided in the Guoluo River region for generations, surrendering to the Qing dynasty at its beginning and serving as a military officer. His son, Qilanbao, served as an infantry officer. This is a relatively clear record of father and son holding positions within this clan's entry; the two positions belonged to different military units and were not synonyms for the same post.

Another group of individuals includes Suertai of the Plain Yellow Banner, whose ancestral home was Jilin Ula; Adu of the Plain Red Banner, whose ancestral home was Hada; Albu of the Bordered White Banner, whose ancestral home was Baidune, and Hartu, whose ancestral home was Ula; and She and Aitu of the Bordered Blue Banner, whose ancestral homes were Jilin Ula. The genealogy lists this group as individuals who returned from Khorchin during the Kangxi era, and this cannot be rewritten as a group that surrendered together at the beginning of the Qing dynasty.

The Guoluo River mentioned in the clan's general description is only one clue to their distribution; the ancestral homes and migration records of each individual branch must be preserved. The Guard School was involved in the management and guard duties of the guards, while the Infantry School was part of the infantry organization; this interpretation of official titles explains the difference in the positions held by Ai Xinbao and his son, but it cannot fill in the unrecorded official positions of other members. The modern correspondence of the Guoluo River, the bloodlines of each branch, and the specific process of their withdrawal from Khorchin still need to be verified, and a complete genealogy cannot be pieced together based on names or flag colors.