Wei Zhongbin

Overview

Wei Zhongbin appears in Volume 77 of the *Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, under the entry for the Wei family. He belonged to the Bordered White Banner's bondservant class, and his family had long resided in Shenyang. They submitted to the Qing dynasty during the Tiancong era. Tiancong was the reign title of Huang Taiji during the Later Jin dynasty, corresponding to 1627-1636. This date indicates that the family's submission occurred before the Qing dynasty entered the Central Plains; the original entry did not provide further specific year and month.

The original record states that Wei Zhongbin's grandson, Wei Youde, served as a sixth-rank bondservant official, and Wei Mingde served as a military officer. His great-grandson, Wei Shilu, was a student. A bondservant official was responsible for managing bondservant affairs, and the sixth rank was explicitly stated in the original entry. A military officer was an official in the military system, involved in the management and guard duties of bannermen. These two positions belonged to his grandson and cannot be combined into Wei Zhongbin's official career.

A student was someone who entered the local official school system through examination, commonly known as a *xiucai* (XiuCai), a qualification rather than an official position; it differed from *juren* (JuRen) and *jinshi* (JinShi). Therefore, Wei Shilu's record reflects his status as a student and examination candidate. The Bordered White Banner indicates affiliation within the Eight Banners organization, while the bondservant status indicates their affiliation within the banner. These two categories are distinct from the academic titles and ranks of students. The original document preserves information on the family's military affairs, bondservant management, and school qualifications, but it is insufficient to determine the complete resumes of each descendant.