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What are banners in the administration of Inner Mongolia?

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Wide autumn valley with golden grass in the foreground and low, tree-covered mountains of the Greater Khingan Range in the distance under a clear sky. — Inner Mongolia Da Hinggan (Greater Khingan) Range, southeast of Hailar, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China.

In the administrative structure of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, banners (qi) and autonomous banners (zizhiqi) serve as local administrative units. These units are situated below the level of leagues (meng) and prefecture-level municipalities (dijishi). While they function today as standard administrative subdivisions in Mongolian and some other minority group areas, the term originates from the historical Banner system, a military and administrative organization used by the Manchu to control China during the Qing dynasty.123