Mei Liang

Overview

Mei Liang was a bondservant under the Plain White Banner during the Qing Dynasty. His family had lived in Shenyang for generations, but the year of their submission is unknown. The official genealogy of the Manchu clans of the Eight Banners, Volume 78, under the entry for the Mei family, records that his grandson, Mei Shizhuo, served as a prefect, and his great-grandson, Mei Feng, served as a scribe; however, Mei Liang's own official position is not recorded.

A prefect was an official in charge of local governance at the prefectural level. In the Qing Dynasty, prefectures were divided into directly governed prefectures and subordinate prefectures. The official records in the *Draft History of the Qing Dynasty* state that a prefect was responsible for the governance of a prefecture, and that the assistant prefect and the prefectural judge were responsible for duties such as grain administration and water conservancy. The original entry does not specify the name of the prefecture Mei Shizhuo served in or his term of office; therefore, his general duties cannot be expanded to include his achievements in a particular place, and his later changes in rank should not be extrapolated to an undetermined period.

A scribe is usually transliterated from the Manchu word *bithesi*, referring to a person who handles documents; it can be interpreted as a clerical official. His work included tasks such as copying, organizing, and handling Manchu and Han language affairs. The specific government office Mei Feng worked for is not recorded, so it cannot be concluded that he translated a book or document solely based on his official title.

The Plain White Banner belonged to the Upper Three Banners, and its bondservants' affairs were related to the Imperial Household Department. The title "Guan Ling Xia Ren" (GuanLingXiaRen) was a population and corvée official position, not an official title for a Guan Ling. The Mei family materials also preserve information on local administrative and clerical positions, indicating that their appointments should be listed separately for grandsons and great-grandsons, and cannot be pieced together into Mei Liang's personal resume.