Yan Yanjun

Overview

Wu Yanjun appears in the Wu clan entry of Volume 77 of the *the Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, where he is originally written as "Wu Yan Jun". He belonged to the Bordered Yellow Banner under the jurisdiction of the *Baoyi Guanling* (a branch of the Eight Banners). His family had lived in Shenyang for generations, but the year of their submission is unknown. The original entry does not list his own official position, only noting that his son, Wu Hongzuo, once served as a stable assistant. This position belonged to his son and cannot be written as Wu Yanjun's own official title.

The Bordered Yellow Banner was one of the Eight Banners' organizational structures. "Under the jurisdiction of the *Baoyi Guanling*" indicates the personnel's affiliation, involving population and corvée management. "Under the jurisdiction of the *Guanling*" indicates a subordinate relationship, not that father and son held the same position. Shenyang was the family's ancestral home, but the location of Wu Hongzuo's stable management office is not recorded, so the location of the official residence cannot be directly deduced from his original residence.

A stable assistant was a position assisting in the management of livestock stables, and cannot be simply translated as an adjutant in charge of the imperial horse stables. The Qingfeng Division system, as recorded in Volume 165 of the *Qinding Daqing Huidian Zeli* (Qin Ding Da Qing Hui Dian Ze Li), explicitly states that stable masters and deputy stable masters were also appointed for cattle and sheep pens, and stipulates the selection, appointment, and provision of these personnel. This example illustrates that the "stable" duties covered not only horses; however, it does not prove that Wu Hongzuo served in a specific cattle or sheep pen. Further verification is needed regarding his affiliation, the specific livestock he kept, and the dates of his appointment.