Suocheli Clan

Overview

The Suocheli clan appears in Volume 62 of the *Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, a Manchu surname whose ancestral home was Ula. The genealogy records that the Shuose family belonged to the Bordered Blue Banner. Shuose surrendered to the Qing dynasty at the beginning of the dynasty and served as a defense officer; his son Ese served as a Qiduwei, Duose as a clerk, and Tuoli as an assistant secretary. The separate titles of the three sons indicate that both military and civil positions existed within the same family.

Defense officers and cavalry captains belonged to the Eight Banners military system. Cavalry captains managed and led soldiers and participated in training at the grassroots level. Clerks and assistant secretaries were common department-level civil positions in Qing dynasty government offices, handling administrative affairs, memorials, and official documents. Assistant secretaries were usually below secretaries. The same title could be held in different ministries; the original genealogy does not specify the specific government offices where Duose and Tuoli served.

The Bordered Blue Banner and the Plain Blue Banner were two different banners. Although both used blue as their identifier, family affiliation must be distinguished according to the original text. Ula is a historical geographical name related to the area along the Songhua River in present-day Jilin Province, and it is inappropriate to directly abbreviate it to a modern village. The years of service, affiliated institutions, and ancestral home of Shuose and his son are pending verification; their known father-son relationship and four positions are retained separately.