Yanjili Clan

Overview

The Yanjili clan is a Manchu surname recorded in Volume 58 of the *Comprehensive Genealogy of the Eight Banners Manchu Clans*, an official compilation from the Qianlong era. Their ancestral home was Shenyang and Baidune. Yalang'a of the Plain Blue Banner resided in Shenyang, surrendering to the Qing dynasty at its beginning. His great-grandson, Qidase, served as a scribe and rose to the rank of Deputy Military Officer. He'erqin of the Bordered Yellow Banner resided in Baidune and belonged to the group withdrawn from the Khorchin during the Kangxi era. The historical threads of these two branches appearing in the genealogy differ.

The term "scribe" is a transliteration of the Manchu word "bithesi," involving copying, translation, and handling official documents. "Deputy Military Officer" was a deputy position within the military system, different in nature from a scribe. The positions recorded in the genealogy belong to two of Yalang'a's great-grandsons, which cannot be attributed to Yalang'a himself, nor can the "deputy" be removed and replaced with "Military Officer."

Shenyang held significant political importance during the Later Jin and early Qing dynasties; Nurhaci moved the capital there in 1625. This illustrates the historical context of Yalang'a's ancestral home but does not prove his specific residence or his involvement in the construction of the capital. The ancestral home of Baidune and the withdrawal from Khorchin are both geographical data points and cannot be used to complete the birth, migration, and relocation routes of Erqin. The bloodlines of the two branches, the exact year of withdrawal, and the Manchu surnames still need to be verified.