Mingzhan

Overview

Mingzhan appears in Volume 80 of the Qing Dynasty official compilation, *the Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, under the section "Supplementary Records of the Nikan Surnames of Fushun within the Manchu Banners." Mingzhan was a bondservant of the Bordered Red Banner, residing in Fushun for generations, and surrendered to the Qing Dynasty at its beginning. Mingzhan himself served as the Zhili Military Commissioner; his son, Erqian, served as a guerrilla commander, and his grandson, Chouzi, served as a military officer. The phrase "Bordered Red Banner bondservant" indicates that both the banner color and the bondservant system should be preserved; bondservant status was a formal designation, not an official position, and one could not change their banner affiliation from a Han Chinese name. The military officer was a junior officer in the military battalion, responsible for guarding and escorting the troops; when the genealogy does not list individual deeds, general duties should not be written as actual achievements. The title of Military Commissioner was a local official, such as a Circuit Intendant, who also handled military affairs, often involving administrative supervision within their jurisdiction; "Zhili" indicates the area of ​​service, not a single city today.