Qing Imperial court portraits of senior Manchu military officers; known as Bannermen; mid-18th century.

From the time China was brought under the rule of the Qing dynasty (1644 - 1683); the banner soldiers became more professional and bureaucratised. Once the Manchus took over governing; they could no longer satisfy the material needs of soldiers by garnishing and distributing booty; instead; a salary system was instituted; ranks standardised; and the Bannermen became a sort of hereditary military caste; though with a strong ethnic inflection.

Banner soldiers took up permanent positions; either as defenders of the capital; Beijing; where roughly half of them lived with their families; or in the provinces; where 18 garrisons were established.

The largest banner garrisons throughout most of the Qing dynasty were at Beijing; followed by Xi'an and Hangzhou. Sizable banner populations were also placed in Manchuria and at strategic points along the Great Wall; the Yangtze River and Grand Canal.