Fu Tiangui

Overview

Fu Tiangui was a bannerman of the Plain Yellow Banner during the Qing Dynasty, whose family had lived in Shenyang for generations. Volume 78 of the official genealogy of the Eight Banners Manchu Clans, compiled during the Qianlong reign, records that he served as a third-class imperial bodyguard, but the year of his submission is unknown. The Plain Yellow Banner was one of the Upper Three Banners, and "bannerman" was a category within the bannerman system; these two refer to his banner affiliation, while "third-class imperial bodyguard" is the specific position clearly recorded in the original text.

The imperial bodyguard system distinguished officials by rank. A third-class imperial bodyguard in the standard imperial bodyguard system was a fifth-rank official, responsible for duties such as rotating shifts for guard duty and accompanying the emperor. However, the original text does not record Fu Tiangui's duty locations, the reasons for his appointment, or the time of his promotion, so his institutional responsibilities cannot be expanded into a confirmed personal achievement.

His son, Fu Zuomei, served as a garrison commander, and his grandson, Fu Zhaoliang, served as a centurion. In the Qing Dynasty's Green Standard Army system, garrison commanders managed camp affairs and provisions, while centurions participated in camp and outpost management. These two positions belonged to a different official system than the palace guards of the imperial bodyguard system. The original book does not specify the garrison where Fu Zuomei and Fu Zhaoliang were stationed, nor does it record any instances of three generations marching together or fathers and sons inheriting the same position. The official titles of the father, son, and grandson should be retained separately.