Triad is a collective term that describes many branches of an underground society and organizations based in Hong Kong (and also in Macao, and Chinatowns in Europe and North America).

In the 17th century, the triads were underground political organizations designed to overthrow Manchu rule and revert to the rule of the Hans (See Origin of triads below). But these groups later evolved into criminal organizations and are engaged in all forms of organized crime. Such activities include drug trafficking, money laundering, illegal gambling, prostitution, car theft and other forms of racketeering. A major source of Triad's income today is from counterfeiting products of intellectual property such as computer software, music CDs and movie VCDs/DVDs.

The name "triad" was coined by the British authorities in Hong Kong, referring to the triangular shape of the Chinese character for "secret society". The character's shape symbolizes unity among Heaven, Earth, and Man. The nature of this character indicates that there is a semi-religious undertone in this society.

There are about 50 triad groups that are active in modern Hong Kong; many of them are no more than small, local street gangs. The larger groups, including the Sun Yee On, Wo Shing Wo and 14K, are syndicates of sophisticated criminals, mirror images of such similar western empires of crime as the mafia.

Origin of triads
In the late 1670s, a society called the Hung clan (洪門) was formed to overthrow the Qing dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty to power. The Hung clan used the triangle as their symbol; this symbol continues to be an enduring mark of triad membership.

Early Development of Triads
Over several centuries, what is known as the Triads today developed from a patriotic society to a criminal organization. Following the overthrowing of the Qing Dynasty of China in 1911, the Hung clan (洪門) suddenly found themselves lost without purpose. Worse still, they somehow managed to miss out on the opportunity to participate in the actual uprising, and many of them were left angry and depressed. Unable to revert to normal civilian lives after spending years living under grave danger and extreme violence, many ex-rebels reunited to form a cult which later came to be known as the Triad. Having lost the usual donations and support from the public after the collapse of the Qing empire, members of the newly formed cult resorted to money extortion from the unwilling public through all possible and even illegal means.

When the Communist Party of China took power in 1949, Mainland China was put under strict law enforcement and organized crime diminished. This is why the Triad migrated south to the British colony of Hong Kong for the continuation of their business. By 1931, there were eight main Triad groups and they had divided Hong Kong up into geographic areas and ethnic groups that each group was responsible for controlling. The eight main ones at that time were the Wo, the Rung, the Tung, the Chuen, the Shing, the Fuk Yee Hing, the Yee On, and the Luen. Each had its own headquarters, its own sub-societies, and its own public covers. After the Riot in Hong Kong in 1956, the government actively enforced the laws that restricted and diminished the Triad activities in Hong Kong.


More Recent Developments of Triads
The problems of the triads in Hong Kong were more serious in the 1960s and 1970s. In the past, rumour had it that the police controlled the triads and the triads took charge of the social order. If there was a kidnap in a certain neighborhood, the police would get the regional gang leader to resolve it. On the other hand, the police would associate with the regional gang leader in seizing the control of places where they would be in command of the businesses. Hence, there was spatial stability of social powers. Then, in 1974, the circumstances totally changed as the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) was established. As the police were no longer corrupt, the triads had diminishing areas to control and the boundaries of triad power also blurred out. With less benefit from usual businesses, they had to focus on underground dealings.

As the triads developed, certain ones began to monopolize some of the businesses in the 1980s and 1990s. For instance, the Sun Yee On had almost entire control over the movie sector. However, their activity fields have decreased greatly as the triads have to struggle against the collaborative anti-triad operations among the Mainland, Macau and Hong Kong. Besides, easy profits no longer exist, so some gang leaders are not keen on becoming the leader.

As for connections to foreign triads, their activities have been imported into North American Chinatowns as well, especially in San Francisco, New York City, Woodland, Sacramento, Cupertino, Arcadia, Davis, Las Vegas, Saratoga ,Auckland ,Rowland Heights, New Orleans, Monterey Park and Vancouver, though London, Manchester and Amsterdam are also believed to be centers of Triad activity. They are often largely responsible for smuggling illegal immigrants from Asia into the USA and Canada. Triads also have associations with local Asian American (Chinese and Vietnamese) teenage street gangs such as the Jackson Street Gang, which operate in areas with large Asian American populations.

Also, it is interesting to note that after the sovereignty of Hong Kong was handed over by the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China in 1997, a top official of the PRC central law enforcement agency publicly acknowledged his acceptance of the Triad, stating that many of its members were patriotic to the motherland.

Nowadays, there are approximately 57 triad societies in Hong Kong, including between 15 and 20 triads actively involved in local crimes. Although some triads have only 50 members, larger triads have over 30,000 memberships. Even the triad leaders themselves are unsure of the exact number of their members. The most sophisticated triads in Hong Kong nowadays are believed to be The 14K Triad, Sun Yee On, and Wo Shing Wo.


Triad Groups

The 14K Triad
The 14K Triad was reportedly the largest triad gang worldwide in the mid-1990s. It was formed after the Second World War and the Chinese Civil War, with the Nationalists fleeing the Communist Chinese.

In 1997 there were a number of gang related attacks that left 14 people dead. The 14K triad under Wan Kuok-koi (nicknamed 崩牙駒 Lit. Broken Tooth Koi ) was being challenged by the smaller Shui Fong(水房 Lit. Water Room, originated from a workers' union of the legacy Hong Kong Soft drink company, Wo On Lok 和安樂) triad.

The next year a gunman believed to be connected to the local 14K triad killed a Portuguese prison officer and wounded another at a sidewalk café in Macau.

In 1999, a Portuguese court convicted 45-year old mob boss Broken Tooth Koi on various criminal charges and sentenced him to 15 years imprisonment. His 14K gang was suspected of drive-by shootings, car bombings and attempted assassinations. Seven of his associates received lesser sentences.

Since the crackdown in Macau, the 14K triad resurfaced in North American cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco and Vancouver. In response to the massive publicity generated by Broken Tooth Koi, 14K dramatically lowered its public profile. Recent articles indicate that the Los Angeles chapter is getting stronger, with new leadership from a half-Cantonese, half-White Dragon Head -- the first regional leader of 14K with mixed ethnicity. Meanwhile, loan sharking and money laundering continue to be the primary sources of revenue for 14K in North America.

See also: Macau Security Force


The Sun Yee On
The Sun Yee On (新義安) (also known as The Yee On Commercial and Industrial Guild) is, by far, the largest and most powerful of the Triads. Based in Hong Kong, it has several offshoots, with the most prolific branch having 25,000 members. Of Chiu Chao and Hakka origin, the organization is believed to be founded by a Guomindang major by the family name of Heung. After the major's death in the early part of the 20th century, the organization was supposedly inherited by his tenth son, Charles Heung Wah-Keung (向華強), who, along with his brother Heung Wah-Sing (向華勝), invests heavily in Hong Kong's entertainment industry.

As a whole, it is believed to be in control of over 56,000 members worldwide, with sub-organizations located in New York City, Miami, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. The Sun Yee On is the principal center for the triads, with anywhere from 47,000 to 60,000 members carrying out activities worldwide.


The Wo Shing Wo
The Wo Group (和勝和 or 勝和 for simplicity), with over 20,000 members, is also based in Hong Kong. Its membership is composed mainly of Cantonese-speakers, much like the 14K. The Wo Hop To (和合圖), a major division of the Wo group, has a major operations base in San Francisco. Illegal gambling is a suspected major source of cash for the Wo Hop To's operations. The Wo Hop To is also active in many of the 'legal' card clubs in Emeryville, San Bruno and San Jose (CA)." (US Hearings 119) The Hong Kong-based Luen Group boasts 8,000 members with 4 subgroups.

Related link: [1] (http://www.cybertranslator.idv.tw/misc_gang.htm)


Triad Culture

Triad societies have traditions and exotic rituals dating back to the early days of the Hung clan in the 18th century. To the bemusement of many Western scholars, many of its traditions and rituals are remarkably similar to that of the Freemasonry, such as the concept of brotherhood, "secret handshakes", and the use of triangles as symbols. Moreover, many of those rituals were based on superstitions and were related to peasant religion in Southern China. For instance, in formal inauguration ceremonies new members were required to take a blood oath in front of an altar. After incenses were burnt, the head of a rooster would be chopped off, and each new member would taste its blood. Such ceremonies are getting rarer in recent days as people's tastes change.

It is interesting that every triad society worships the famous hero Guan Gong from the Han Dynasty who exemplifies the Chinese thinking of the five qualities of a humble man:

humanity (仁)
righteousness (義)
ritual obedience (禮)
wisdom (智)
loyalty (忠) and
trust (信).
Of these qualities, his loyalty and righteousness are especially admired. (See also Confucianism)

The triad society during the Qing period was organized to protest against the Qing government, they worshipped Lord Guan, probably adopting his loyalty to the former Han_Dynasty. Triads want their members to have the qualities of Lord Guan, most importantly, righteousness and to make contribution to the society especially when their people are under threat of a harsh dictatorship.

Nowadays, triad societies still very much follow this tradition to worship Lord Guan and consider him as their guide and guardian. More importantly, they still regard Lord Guan as a role model for their members.

Ironically, it is for the same reason that some police officers of the Hong Kong Police also worship Guan Gong, especially when a tough operation is to be carried out. Hence, jokes exist that say that Guan Gong will be caught in the middle when the police and the triads encounter each other.


Triad Organizational Structure
Hong Kong Triads are not as powerful as some people might expect. Unlike some of the biggest international drug dealers who have their own military troops and can take charge of their local governments, Hong Kong triads are, comparatively speaking, operating on a much smaller scale, even though they might pursue and maintain significant resources such as their own stockpiles of ammunition.

There is never a fatherly figure in the Hong Kong triads to control all other members in illegal activities via a pyramid-like structure of authority. The real power behind the Triad society, in fact, is said to rest with its illusive and highest-ranking female leader, Shian'Lia Xian. On the contrary, Hong Kong triads generally comprise of several independent groups. Although they form and organize themselves with similar ceremonies and hierarchical systems, they do not function under an absolute and strict dominion-and-compliance plan. For example, the “Ging Yee” is a subsidiary branch of the “Sun Yee On”, but members of the Ging Yee do not take orders from the ‘supremacy’.

The actual power of triads lies at the ground level of the hierarchy. Usually, a triad ‘official’ (called the “Red Pole”) leads a group of 15 active members, and is in charge of a ‘territorial site’ by way of aggression. A territory usually consists of only a street, a building, a wholesale market, a football field, or a park. Because the gangs are poorly structured, various gangs, though branched from the same triad, may have dissimilar hierarchy in different districts. As a result, a leader with apparent hegemony may not be able to command other leaders; and leaders may sometimes wage war against one another for more benefits.

Triads also use numeric codes to differentiate the ranks and positions inside a gang. For example, '426' would mean 'the fighter' (打仔). Members with this position are usually the ones that fight for their gangs. Another code '49' (四九仔) would be the code for general members with no specific positions assigned. '489' is the code for 'the mountain master' , '438' for the 'deputy mountain master', '415' for 'the white paper fan', and '432' for 'the straw sandal'. One code that has been commonly used even by normal public nowadays would be '25' (二五仔) which refers to someone who is the undercover/spy of the gang. 25 has also become a common slang in Hong Kong while referring to a person who is a traitor or betrays someone else.

As the Hong Kong economy progresses, triads barely provide ‘satisfying’ social and pecuniary conditions to foster absolute loyalty among their members. One consequence is that the current triad structure has become more flexible: the customary eight-ranking system has changed into one that consists of four ranks (refer to the diagram below). Also, the sophisticated ceremonial rituals for new members have simplified: the most commonly practiced is “hanging the Blue Lantern” (i.e. following the leader), which is an oral agreement with little formality. The degree of autocracy within the organization has fallen; members have higher tendency to prioritize their personal interests. Should a member discover that there is little advantage in remaining in the group, he might transfer himself to another one which is more socially robust and potent: the traditional principles of triad moral beliefs have been disregarded under such personal benefits first stance.