Li Shifu

Overview

Li Shifu appears in Volume 75 of the Qing Dynasty's *Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*. The original text states he was a member of the Bordered White Banner's bondservant class, and his family had lived in Mujia Fort for generations. The year of their submission is unknown. "Bondervant class" refers to a specific organizational affiliation and does not necessarily indicate that Li Shifu himself held a position as a bonder; this entry also does not record his personal official title. The original text focuses primarily on describing the officials and examination-related status of his descendants.

The genealogy records that his great-great-grandson, Li Lanfu, was a Qianzong (a military officer) at the time of compiling the genealogy; his fourth-generation descendant, Fobao, was an ambassador; Li Wenbin was a student; and Li Wenkui was a Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations); his fifth-generation descendant, Li Dong, was also a Juren. Qianzong and ambassador are official positions within different systems, while student and Juren refer to their academic achievements or status in the imperial examinations. The latter two cannot be simply described as official positions. This entry also provides several clues about the family's descendants in military affairs, grassroots administration, and the imperial examinations, but it does not specify their exact career paths or places of service.

Li Shifu's ancestral home should be "Mujia Fort" as recorded in the original text, and it is inappropriate to equate it with a modern location of the same name without verification. The phrase "the year of his return is unknown" in the original text means that the precise year the subject joined the banner system cannot be deduced from the official titles of his descendants. As an independent entry, Li Shifu can accurately describe the banner affiliation, family residence, and generational records recorded in the genealogy, rather than using general texts about the Eight Banners system to replace missing personal details.