Nara clan

Nara is one of the eight prominent Manchu clans (著姓) listed in the General Genealogy of the Eight Banners Manchu Clans (八旗滿洲氏族通譜). It is also the surname of the ruling families of the four Hūlun tribal nations — Yehe, Ula, Hada, and Hoifa — during the late Ming period. The clan was also distributed across many regions of Manchuria and gradually conquered and incorporated into the Eight Banners by Nurhaci. During the Qing dynasty, the Nara clan produced numerous nobles, officials, generals, and imperial consorts, most notably Empress Dowager Cixi, who dominated Qing politics for more than forty years. After the fall of Qing, descendants commonly adopted the Chinese surnames Na (那), Ye (葉), Bai (白), Nan (南), and others.