Wei Li

Overview

Wei Li, also known as Wei Li, appears in Volume 57 of the *Comprehensive Genealogy of Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners* under the entry for the Guo Jia clan. They belonged to the Plain White Banner, and their family had lived in Huifa for generations. The original text states after their entry that they were withdrawn from Khorchin during the Kangxi era; this differs from the earlier records of other members of the same clan who submitted during the early Qing dynasty or the Tiancong era. Kangxi was the reign title used by Emperor Shengzu Xuan Ye of the Qing dynasty.

The book explicitly lists Guo Jia as a Manchu surname, with clan members scattered in places like Suwan. Wei Li's branch is written as Huifa, and Suwan cannot be used as a unified substitute. Huifa is the historical ancestral home; its modern village and family residence still need to be verified. Guo Jia cannot be simply classified as another clan in the area just because their ancestral home is Huifa; the title of the genealogy is the basis for their affiliation.

The Plain White Banner was one of the Eight Banners, responsible for military organization and household registration management; its nature differed from that of Khorchin, the place of origin for their migration. The original book does not specify Wei Li's official position, relatives, or the exact date of his withdrawal, so it cannot be inferred that he was a zuoling (military officer), a bodyguard, or an official in Khorchin. "Hereditary residence" preserves the family's long-term regional ties, while "withdrawal" records the background of a return during the Kangxi era. However, even combining the two is insufficient to reconstruct his life's residence and migration trajectory.