Asian Gangsters by WegoDesign

The Mafia.... BUT CHINESE!! Subject of a thousand Hong Kong Films and a recurrent trope in Western stories with East Asian villains (sorta replacing the Yellow Peril), the Triads started life as a Ming-restorationist Secret Society during the 1760s. There was a precedent for this sort of thing working, given the Red Turban society and rebellion which fractured the Yuan Empire and allowed the Ming to conquer China in the late 14th century, though said society's original intent had actually been to restore the Song Empire.

Accordingly the Triads were associated with the colour red and the name 'Hong' because it was part of the first Ming Emperor's reign name (Hongwu, lit. 'superlative martial accomplishment') and the name of one of the society's founders. From the beginning they created an official mythology which claimed that had actually been created during the Ming-Qing wars of the 17th century, after the burning of the southern Shaolin temple, by five survivors of the battle. Some even claimed that one of them was Jee Sin, who was the master of the 5 Elders of Southern Chinese kung fu.

After contributing to the fall of the Qing Empire in the 1911 revolution, without resurrecting the Ming (as had been their original intention), the Triads now found themselves without a purpose and there was a split between the Mainland and overseas branches. The Mainland group is what we now commonly refer to as the Triads, while the overseas group became known as the Hongmen. The mainland Triads now turned to crime as they were unable to reenter normal society. After the Communist takeover, many Triad members moved to Hong Kong and Taiwan to escape new measures against organized crime. Hong Kong's Triad problems peaked in the 1970s, helped by police corruption.

The Hongmen is divided into 180 branches, and is arguably a Freemason-like organization, with an emphasis on patriotism, given the circumstances of its origin. Distinguished politicians such as Sun Yat Sen and Chiang Kai Shek were senior members. It shares traditions with the Triads, since they were one and the same not that far back. They are illegal in Hong Kong due to their relationship with the Triads, but are legal in Taiwan as a secret society. Not surprising, since President Chiang Kai Shek was a member. They exist in China as a political party, and hold the single non-communist ministerial seat. It has branches in other overseas Chinese communities, where it is referred to as Chinese Freemasonry. Its membership is rapidly aging with the change in the times.

Another group are the Tongs (literally "meeting hall", each Tong was named after the hall in which they were headquartered), modeled on the Triads, which arose in the US in response to the need for support organizations for new immigrant Chinese, as well as taking charge of protecting their members from violence from other groups. Some Tongs are fully legitimate organizations, providing charity to needy immigrants, giving them jobs and such. Others are more criminal in outlook, engaging in drug smuggling (opium being the most stereotypical one), prostitution, and racketeering. But usually, the average Tong was composed of both criminal and legitimate branches, with the criminal activity funding the charity (and the charity providing cover for the crimes). Many Triad members would join Tongs on reaching America, causing some Tongs to be strongly influenced by the Triads.

Chinese secret societies are guaranteed to exist anywhere in the world with a significant Chinese immigrant population, from Australia to L.A.

The secret societies used to be governed by strict codes of conduct and an inflexible hierarchical system, but that system has broken down in recent years, leading to behavior that many older members would consider unethical. The traditional secret societies have 36 Oaths which basically say, "don't screw over your sworn brothers, or you will get chopped up with lots of blades." (This phrase is repeated many, many times during the oaths, just to remind you). Doesn't mention anything about the morality of killing innocents. The oaths are sealed with the drinking of blood mixed with wine, and the oath-takers enter into a sworn brotherhood with the rest of the members of their organization. No problems with having more sworn brothers from elsewhere, though.

The traditional hierarchy and rituals, based in esoteric numerology and mythology, are not always followed as strictly or exactly as the old days, but many traditions live on in lingo and ceremony. The leader of a Triad is called the Mountain Master or Dragon Head. Below him are his highest tier lieutenants: Deputy Mountain Master, who acts as the Dragon Head's advisor and proxy, Incense Master, who oversees ceremonies and initiations, and Vanguard, who handles recruitment and assists the Incense Master. The middle officers are the Red Poles, White Paper Fans and Straw Sandals. Red Poles are the gang bosses and war leaders, commanding their own units to attack enemies, defend turf and engage in street crime. White Paper Fans are the consiglieres and administrators, managing and advising on finances, business and legal matters. Straw Sandals are liaisons, organizing and scheduling important meetings or gang fights. At the bottom are 49ers, who are simply the low-ranking initiates under Red Poles, and Blue Lanterns, the miscellaneous thugs, dealers, and contacts who are informally affiliated with or freelance for the group but not properly initiated into the Triad for life. Blue Lanterns tend to outnumber 49ers in modern times, but obviously are less trusted and more expendable. 25er is slang for a corrupt cop or contact in a rival group, serving as spies and informants.

As mentioned earlier, the traditional punishment is death by a hundred cuts, or getting ambushed and hacked up which is easier and quicker. Hong Kong triads especially love their cleavers, given the difficulty of obtaining guns in Hong Kong. A machete is fine too. Overseas groups may use guns, automatic weapons and explosives, if they don't find them dishonorable. Some martial arts, especially some of the Southern Shaolin styles tend to have a reputation as being used by the Triads, especially due to their common origin myth in the Southern Shaolin temple.

The patron god of the Triads is none other than Guan Yu (of both literary and video game note). He is also the patron god of the police... and a patron god for business. Basically, Guan Yu is the god for any high risk endeavour where you want trustworthy 'brothers' watching your back.

It should be noted that "Chinese Mafia" is both an oversimplification and misconception of Triads and Tongs, as neither have that much presence in China itself. Triads have some influence in certain regions of China, but operate most extensively outside of mainland China, as Mao's regime dismantled traditional secret societies during the Cultural Revolution, and the Tongs are largely a western phenomenon with most members being of the Chinese diaspora. Within the actual People's Republic of China there are criminal outfits called Black Societies, which wield significant but subtle political power and clout with local law enforcement, and Dark Forces, which are less organized, less powerful gangs (both terms being awkward translations of Chinese terms), neither having any relationship to traditional Chinese mysticism. Essentially, Triads are ethnically Chinese criminal societies abroad.^note Most prominently in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau, with heavy presence in Southeast Asia, though they also have minor footholds in Japan, Korea, Russia, Australia, Europe, Hawaii and, thanks to Chinatowns and the Tongs, continental USA and Canada.

Compare and contrast with The Syndicate, Yakuza, The Mafia, The Mafiya, London Gangster.

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