Yan Qiwei

Overview

Yan Qiwei was a member of the Bordered Yellow Banner under the jurisdiction of a bondservant (baoyi) during the Qing Dynasty. The Yan family had long resided in Shenyang, but the year of their submission is unknown. Volume 77 of the *Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners* records that his great-grandsons Hailiang and Haiying both served as scribes. While both belong to the great-grandson level listed in the original text, the genealogy does not specify whether they were brothers or belonged to different branches, nor does it list Yan Qiwei's individual official position.

A scribe (bithesi) was a government official, a Manchu term related to *bithe* (book, document). Government offices needed to record government orders, population, finances, and official correspondence in writing, thus employing specialized personnel for copying and registration. Whether they also handled translation or specific Manchu-Chinese texts depended on the organization and available positions; the title alone could not define a single individual's job.

The Bordered Yellow Banner refers to the banner color, and "bondservant under the jurisdiction of a bondservant" indicates the family's affiliation and organizational structure. One should not mistake a "bondservant under the jurisdiction of a bondservant" for a governing official. The former position of Hai Liang and the current position of Hai Ying at the time of compilation have different temporal implications. The same title does not necessarily indicate the same post, nor does it constitute evidence of hereditary succession. Yan Qiwei's main text should focus on his known identity and the records of his descendants' official service; his birth and death dates and specific official positions still await supplementation from other historical materials.