Sheyan Clan

Overview

The Sheyan clan is a Manchu surname listed in Volume 59 of the official genealogy of the Manchu clans of the Eight Banners, compiled during the Qianlong reign. They originally resided in Feiyalang'a. Narhun of the Bordered Yellow Banner submitted to the Qing dynasty at the beginning of the dynasty. His great-grandsons Tuwanai and Mandai served as cavalry captains; his great-great-grandson Weng'ai served as an infantry captain; his fourth-generation descendant, Wushiqi, served as a Qiduwei; and Fu Ning served as a deputy commander of the Imperial Guard.

The cavalry captains were lower-ranking military officers in the Eight Banners, involved in the management and training of their assigned banner troops; the infantry captains were part of the infantry organization, related to urban security; and the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard assisted in commanding their assigned guards. The "deputy" part is part of the official title and should be retained according to the genealogy; Fu Ning cannot be rewritten as the full-fledged commander of the Imperial Guard.

"Wushiqi" is a personal name, not a number representing fifty-seven officials. Great-grandson, great-great-grandson, and fourth-generation descendant are generational information in the genealogy; these members cannot all be changed to be sons of Narhun, nor is there evidence to prove that their military positions were inherited consecutively under one title. This section provides clues about the clan, ancestral home, and military service of later generations; the names of Fei Yalang Adiwang, the Manchu spellings of each name, the complete lineage, and the dates of office still need to be verified by the original engraving and archives.