Eight Banners

The Eight Banners were the military and social organization of the Manchu people who conquered China and established the Qing dynasty in 1644.

Originally organized under eight colored flags (plain and bordered versions of yellow, white, red, and blue), the system divided Manchu society into hereditary units that served as armies, administrative bodies, and social registers.

Bannermen received land grants and stipends in exchange for military service.

His family had been in the Bordered Yellow Banner for generations.

The system gradually expanded to include Mongol and Han Chinese banners, creating a distinct ruling class that maintained separate identity from the general Chinese population until the dynasty's fall in 1912.