Are there Triads in modern day Shanghai?

I was with friends eating in a Chinese fast food near Fudan University and then out of nowhere we heard the crashing of plates and banging of doors. We did not mind this as we were especially hungry that dinner. This went on for quite some time though.

But then, this man got up (puffy leather jacket with cigarette and all) and walked our way. He was pacing back and forth and then suddenly he started grabbing the chairs and display pots near the entrance. What he did next really made our hairs rise. He blocked the glass entrance with the furniture. Not the orderly blocking people normally do during closing time. [But then if you were to lock the doors, you would just use a key and a lock.]

My back was towards the situation the whole time. I dare not turn my head as everyone grew silent, and the restaurant’s music was switched off. “We are being taken hostage!” I was thinking the whole time. The manager and the servers were just standing there doing nothing. Probably the most amusing thing that point in time was I was still eating my wonton noodle soup.

My friend was already texting our other classmates in the case something happens to us. And it was really nerve-wracking. You do not know if you could even move nor breathe for fear that the man will notice you and pull something out of his puffy leather jacket. [Hey, you can never tell.]

It was definitely a thing for the movies, yet this was happening in real life. In the end, the side door was unlocked; and we immediately scurried towards it without looking back.

My friend returned a few days after and asked the servers what the thing was all about. The server’s reaction was vague. She just said, “糟糕了！”

We are in Shanghai after all, so this whole thing made me think of the Chinese triads. In Chinese movies (Hong Kong films more actually), things like this happen all the time. Ever heard of the term 黑社会or literally black societies? << 上海滩>>The Bund, anyone?

Ask your parents, they might be very familiar with this Hong Kong period drama that inspired a lot of film adaptations and sequels. In a nutshell, it tells of 2 triad members who fell in love with the big boss’ daughter. There’s action, gambling, blood—and oh yeah, sex too.

I watched the remake with Andy Lau in it—entitled what else—<<新上海滩>>. [But my mom especially liked Chow Yun Fat’s version.] And yes, there is also “Once Upon a Time in Shanghai” and Zhang Yimou’s “Shanghai Triad”. So you really cannot fault me for thinking about the worst possible thing!

There’s also “Election” starring Tony Leung (!!!) which was also set within Hong Kong’s triad society.

I guess you cannot blame the Chinese directors for making money out of gangster movies.  The Kowloon Walled City Park was actually notorious as the hideaways of the triad gangs. And there is an area in Mong Kok (still in HK) that played host to many of these scenes (in the movies of course).

Many of the “girlie” bars are said to be operated by them. And they would charge you exorbitantly (some say—even escort you to the ATM if you do not have enough cash). I just got that last tidbit from hearsays. Or I might be just watching too many movies.

According to what I have been reading, Chinese secret societies were formed for self-preservation’s sake. Wikipedia said, Qing Dynasty started it all. Seriously, many of the locals opposed the Manchurian rule and wanted to return the throne to the Hans. And well then, smaller groups were formed. Come 1949, due to the rise of the Chinese Communist Party, these small groups were forced to migrate to Hong Kong and operated from there on. Let me just quote—

By 1951, there were eight main triads operating in Hong Kong and they had divided the land accordingly to their ethnic groups and geographical locations, with each triad in charge of a region. The eight triads were 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.

Sun Yee On: The largest triad in Hong Kong with an estimated 25,000 members. In addition to activities in Hong Kong, intelligence reports since 1994 seem to indicate that they dominate the government of Guangdong Province on the mainland.

Wo Group: There are around nine subgroups in this triad grouping with a total membership of around 20,000. Different subgroups have been known to ‘specialize’ in different activities, the Wo Shing Yee controls dockworkers, and the Wo On Lok specializes in loan-sharking, the Wo Hop To runs protection rackets, and so on. The original Wo group triad was the Wo Shing Wo, and it is the longest established triad in Hong Kong.

14K Triad: Also with roughly 20,000 members, the 14K originated with the fight by the Kuomintang against communism. Chiang Kai-Shek ordered that a league of all triad societies be established and used to fight communist forces using guerrilla tactics. The ’14′ in the name refers to the address of the original headquarters of this effort. There are over thirty subgroups to the 14K, and it remains one of the most powerful triads internationally.

Oh, organized crime looks very glamorous in the movies. But it really is not. According to Asia Times Online, the triad phenomenon is actually a global concern. Francesco Sisci presents another view point with regards to this—

The danger is that criminals create an economy parallel to the legal economy, creating entanglements that can influence the orderly proceedings of the official one. Criminals may develop political muscle to defend their illegal business interests that might bind and influence the international order, lending resources and safe havens to terrorists.

The economic reforms inspired by Deng Xiaoping eventually opened the floodgates for a market economy. But they did so without any regulatory base; changes in actual operations preceded changes in the rules. Regulations were, and still are, drafted on the basis of concrete cases – regulators try to see how things work first and then regulate based on the actual experience.

Before Deng, everything not expressly permitted was forbidden (the opposite of Western laws, under which, in keeping with the Roman tradition, everything not expressly forbidden is permitted). From Deng onward there were hefa (literally “legal”), feifa (“illegal”) and something in between that had no name but, if one was forced to, was referred as weifa (roughly “not in the law”). The three terms established three sets of behavior: the hefa was something surely and definitely approved, and it was the only sure thing, while the feifa and weifa could move.

The feifa was something forbidden but, because of the ongoing structural reforms, many things that were in a given moment forbidden could easily become weifa or hefa. For instance, there was the subletting or even the sale of the house where one lived that was allotted to one but in theory still belonged to one’s working unit. These things occurred but were widely tolerated although they were not strictly legal, or hefa.

Many social actions – arguably most of them – in China are still weifa, as many social behaviors were and still are in a no-man’s land. Meanwhile the general legal culture has moved toward the Roman conception (everything not expressly forbidden is permitted). However, there was, and still is, general confusion between what is legal and what is illegal, and there is an even larger confusion between what is morally right and morally wrong, as both Confucian and communist values have been shattered and new values have not been established in their place.

There is an elaborate ceremony to be a member of the triad. I would not know for sure how it is done of course. But I found the following 36 triad oaths to be quite interesting. This came from W.P. Morgan’s Triad Societies in Hong Kong (1960).

• After having entered the Hung gates I must treat the parents and relatives of my sworn brothers as my own kin. I shall suffer death by five thunderbolts if I do not keep this oath.
• I shall assist my sworn brothers to bury their parents and brothers by offering financial or physical assistance. I shall be killed by five thunderbolts if I pretend to have no knowledge of their troubles.
• When Hung brothers visit my house, I shall provide them with board and lodging. I shall be killed by myriads of knives if I treat them as strangers.
• I will always acknowledge my Hung brothers when they identify themselves. If I ignore them I will be killed by myriads of swords.
• I shall not disclose the secrets of the Hung family, not even to my parents, brothers, or wife. I shall never disclose the secrets for money. I will be killed by myriads of swords if I do so.
• I shall never betray my sworn brothers. If, through a misunderstanding, I have caused the arrest of one of my brothers I must release him immediately. If I break this oath I will be killed by five thunderbolts.
• I will offer financial assistance to sworn brothers who are in trouble in order that they may pay their passage fee, etc. If I break this oath I will be killed by five thunderbolts.
• I must never cause harm or bring trouble to my sworn brothers or Incense Master. If I do so I will be killed by myriads of swords.
• I must never commit any indecent assaults on the wives, sisters, or daughters, of my sworn brothers. I shall be killed by five thunderbolts if I break this oath.
• I shall never embezzle cash or property from my sworn brothers. If I break this oath I will be killed by myriads of swords.
• I will take good care of the wives or children of sworn brothers entrusted to my keeping. If I do not I will be killed by five thunderbolts.
• If I have supplied false particulars about myself for the purpose of joining the Hung family I shall be killed by five thunderbolts.
• If I should change my mind and deny my membership of the Hung family I will be killed by myriads of swords.
• If I rob a sworn brother or assist an outsider to do so I will be killed by five thunderbolts.
• If I should take advantage of a sworn brother or force unfair business deals upon him I will be killed by myriads of swords.
• If I knowingly convert my sworn brother’s cash or property to my own use I shall be killed by five thunderbolts.
• If I have wrongly taken a sworn brother’s cash or property during a robbery I must return them to him. If I do not I will be killed by five thunderbolts.
• If I am arrested after committing an offence I must accept my punishment and not try to place blame on my sworn brothers. If I do so I will be killed by five thunderbolts.
• If any of my sworn brothers are killed, or arrested, or have departed to some other place, I will assist their wives and children who may be in need. If I pretend to have no knowledge of their difficulties I will be killed by five thunderbolts.
• When any of my sworn brothers have been assaulted or blamed by others, I must come forward and help him if he is in the right or advise him to desist if he is wrong. If he has been repeatedly insulted by others I shall inform our other brothers and arrange to help him physically or financially. If I do not keep this oath I will be killed by five thunderbolts.
• If it comes to my knowledge that the Government is seeking any of my sworn brothers who has come from other provinces or from overseas, I shall immediately inform him in order that he may make his escape. If I break this oath I will be killed by five thunderbolts.
• I must not conspire with outsiders to cheat my sworn brothers at gambling. If I do so I will be killed by myriads of swords.
• I shall not cause discord amongst my sworn brothers by spreading false reports about any of them. If I do so I will be killed by myriads of swords.
• I shall not appoint myself as Incense Master without authority. After entering the Hung gates for three years the loyal and faithful ones may be promoted by the Incense Master with the support of his sworn brothers. I shall be killed by five thunderbolts if I make any unauthorized promotions myself.
• If my natural brothers are involved in a dispute or law suit with my sworn brothers I must not help either party against the other but must attempt to have the matter settled amicably. If I break this oath I will be killed by five thunderbolts.
• After entering the Hung gates I must forget any previous grudges I may have borne against my sworn brothers. If I do not do so I will be killed by five thunderbolts.
• I must not trespass upon the territory occupied by my sworn brothers. I shall be killed by five thunderbolts if I pretend to have no knowledge of my brothers’ rights in such matters.
• I must not covet or seek to share any property or cash obtained by my sworn brothers. If I have such ideas I will be killed.
• I must not disclose any address where my sworn brothers keep their wealth nor must I conspire to make wrong use of such knowledge. If I do so I will be killed by myriads of swords.
• I must not give support to outsiders if so doing is against the interests of any of my sworn brothers. If I do not keep this oath I will be killed by myriads of swords.
• I must not take advantage of the Hung brotherhood in order to oppress or take violent or unreasonable advantage of others. I must be content and honest. If I break this oath I will be killed by five thunderbolts.
• I shall be killed by five thunderbolts if I behave indecently towards small children of my sworn brothers’ families.
• If any of my sworn brothers has committed a big offence I must not inform upon them to the Government for the purposes of obtaining a reward. I shall be killed by five thunderbolts if I break this oath.
• I must not take to myself the wives and concubines of my sworn brothers nor commit adultery with them. If I do so I will be killed by myriads of swords.
• I must never reveal Hung secrets or signs when speaking to outsiders. If I do so I will be killed by myriads of swords.
• After entering the Hung gates I shall be loyal and faithful and shall endeavor to overthrow Ch’ing and restore Ming by co-coordinating my efforts with those of my sworn brethren even though my brethren and I may not be in the same professions. Our common aim is to avenge our Five Ancestors.

About the above incident, was I just overreacting? Well, a part of me wants to say yes. But then, we are in Shanghai after all…let me know what you think!