Fascinating reading

While doing some research into an ongoing project, I came across some interesting information on the Chinese Triads. Fascinating, really. It shows how the best of original intentions can become twisted, dark, not just criminal but downright evil.

According to the judicial interpretation of the Supreme People's Court, “organizations with characteristics of a criminal syndicate” have the following characteristics: “ (1) a highly structured organization with a leadership, basically stable membership, and relatively strict discipline; (2) pursues economic benefit through illegal activities and possesses a certain economic strength; (3) seeks to shield itself through bribes and threats; (4) its criminal activities bring serious harm to economic and social order. “ [Source: the lawyer Zhou Litai, journalist Wu Wei, Beijing News, Danwei.org, October 18, 2009]

Precursors

The roots of the Triads are found in centuries-old secret societies that date back to 1000 B.C., when peasants were often preyed on by evil leaders and protected themselves by forming "self help" groups. According to legend the first Triads were founded by Chinese monks committed to fighting injustices. Over time these groups, it is said, became so politically powerful they were able to prop up or bring down emperors at their whim.

The earliest triads started as resistance/rebel forces who opposed Manchu rule in China during the Qing Dynasty, as the Manchu ethnic group were regarded as foreign invaders in the predominant Han Chinese society of China then. In the 1760s, the Heaven and Earth Society (天地會) was founded, with its objective to overthrow the Qing Dynasty and restore Han Chinese rule in China. As the society's influence spread throughout China, it branched into several smaller groups with different names, one of which was the Three Harmonies Society (三合會). These societies adopted the triangle as their emblem, usually accompanied by decorative images of swords or portraits of Guan Yu. The term "triad" was first coined by British authorities in colonial Hong Kong, as a reference to the triads' use of triangular imagery.[1] While never proven, it is "highly probable" that triad organizations either took after or were originally part of the revolutionary movement called the White Lotus Society. The bosses of the Triads are called "dragonheads."

Migration to Hong Kong

When the Chinese Communist Party came to power in 1949 in mainland China, law enforcement became stricter and tough governmental crackdown on criminal organizations forced the triads to migrate to Hong Kong, then a British colony.[citation needed] It was estimated that in the 1950s, there were about 300,000 triad members in Hong Kong. By 1951, there were nine main triads operating in Hong Kong and they had divided the land according to their ethnic groups and geographical locations, with each triad in charge of a region. The nine triads were Wo Hop To, Wo Shing Wo, Rung, Tung, Chuen, Shing, Sun Yee On, 14K and Luen. Each of them had its own headquarters, its sub-societies and public covers. After the 1956 riots, the Hong Kong government introduced stricter law enforcement and triads became less active.

Recent developments

Triads have been engaging in counterfeiting since the 1880s. Between the 1960s and 1970s, triads were involved in counterfeiting Chinese currency, often of the Hong Kong 50-cent piece. In the same decade, the gangs were also involved in copying books, usually expensive ones, and selling them in the black market. With the advent of new technology and the improvement of the average person's standard of living, triads have progressed to producing counterfeit goods such as watches, film VCDs / DVDs and designer apparel such as clothing and handbags.

Triads currently engage in a variety of crimes from extortion and money laundering to trafficking and prostitution. They also are involved in smuggling and counterfeiting goods such as music, video, and software as well as more tangible goods such as clothes, watches, and money.

Triads use numeric codes to distinguish between ranks and positions within the gang; the numbers are inspired by Chinese numerology based on the I Ching. "489" refers to the "mountain" or "dragon" master, while 438 is used for the "deputy mountain master". "426" refers to a "military commander", also known as a "Red Pole", overseeing defensive and offensive operations, while "49" denotes a "soldier" or rank-and-file member. The "white paper fan" (415) provides financial and business advice, and the "straw sandal" (432) functions as a liaison between different units. "25" refers to an undercover law enforcement agent or spy from another triad, and has become popularly used in Hong Kong as a slang for "traitor".

Initiation

Similar to the Italian mafia or the Japanese yakuza, Triad members are subject to initiation ceremonies. A typical ceremony takes place at an altar dedicated to Guan Yu, with incense and an animal sacrifice, usually a chicken, pig or goat. After drinking a mixture of wine and blood of the animal or the candidate, the member will pass beneath an arch of swords while reciting the triad's oaths. The paper on which the oaths are written will be burnt on the altar to confirm the member's obligation to perform his duties to the gods. Three fingers on the left hand will be raised as a binding gesture.

Hmm...there's that three again. Other interesting connections to three is the Wiccan Rede or the Christian Divine Trinity. Or even the points of a pitchfork, perhaps? My current project involves another possible reason behind the three, but I digress.

Overseas activities

Triads are also active in other regions with significant overseas Chinese populations, apart from the Chinese mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Triads are known to be operating in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Argentina. They are often involved in helping immigrants enter countries illegally.

Criminal gangs are found throughout China but are most active in Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenyang and Guangzhou as well as Hong Kong. The number of people involved in organized crime on the mainland has risen from around 100,000 in 1986 to around 1.5 million in 2000. New members are often recruited among the 120-million-strong "floating population" of migrant workers.

Triads are the most well-known organized crime group in China, Hong Kong and Macao. In addition to them are other large organized crime gangs. The Big Circles is a loose alliance of criminal gangs founded by former Red Guards of the Cultural Revolution. Their individual names refer to the detention centers where they were "re-educated." They are active in snakehead human trafficking and other criminal operations.

Organized crime gangs are known as “black societies.” The private intelligence firm Stratfor said that, unlike in Russia and Italy, organized crime was “extremely localized.” Many criminals work in small, loosely-knit gangs that are involved in armed robbery, racketeering, smuggling, narcotics trafficking, prostitution, gambling and even contract murder. When groups began to outgrow their local area, the government cracked down with harsh penalties.

Organized crime is growing in China, thanks to factors including economic liberalization, increasing migration, growing inequality and official corruption. People trafficking, drug smuggling, illegal gambling and extortion are all lucrative. “Gang-related crimes have become a threat to social stability and the economy,” a Public Security Bureau official told China Daily last year. “Murder, rape, robbery, kidnapping, assault ... they dare do anything.” One indication of their presence and power in China is the increasing number of bound and gagged bodies that are pulled from the Yellow River and other Chinese waterways.

One of Henan Province 's worst gangs roamed the countryside unchecked for 13 months, robbing farmhouses and killing 76 people. Seven members of the gang, including its leader Peng Miaoji, who personally cut the throat of 40 victims, were captured and executed in December 1999.

Some gangs have close relations with the police and are even run by the police. In March 2007, 10 members of a police-run gang in Inner Mongolia were sentenced to up to 20 years in prison for robbery, rape, gambling and bribery. The gang had been active for more than 10 years.

The Triads are believed to control an empire worth many billions of dollars. The largest and most powerful Triad, Sun Yee On, is believed to have 40,000 members. The unnamed "Dragon Head" of Kong Sun Yee On, was named on Asiaweek’s list of the 50 most powerful people in Asia.

Sun Yee On is believed to be particularly well connected with the Hong Kong tycoons and Communist party elite. One high-level Communist official even referred to them as "patriotic." The second and third largest Triads respectively are Who Sing Who and 14K (14 stands for the road number of a former headquarters and K stands for Kowloon).

Fascinating reading indeed.