According to myth, the Chinese triads are descended from a large group of Shaolin monks who supported the Qing dynasty (1644-1912) but were later persecuted by it. However, opinions are divided as to the extent to which these Shaolin monks fulfilled their alleged important role in that resistance. The triads are considered a group of criminal organizations, or secret societies, similar to the Western mafia. Worldwide, the triads play a dubious role as secret brotherhoods with political, criminal, paramilitary and mystical aspects. A triad is one of numerous Chinese crime syndicates with many branches, including in China, of course, but also in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau. The ‘tentacles’ reach as far as the United States and South America. But the triads are also active in Europe, including the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain and the British Isles.
Contents
- Secret societies through the ages
- The concept of ‘triad’
- Origin of the Chinese Triads
- Power struggle
- Brotherhood
- Initiation and organization of the Chinese triads
- Confidentiality promise
- The lantern
- The Golden Triangle and the Boxer Rebellion
- Post-war triads
Secret societies through the ages
Secret societies are timeless and appeal to the imagination. After all, there is something hidden, something sneaky about the organizational structures of these groups, and it smacks of conspiracy. It is said that certain knowledge is cherished that people outside those fraternities are not allowed to know about. The earliest shamanism from the Old Stone Age ( Paleolithic ) was the basis for the rise of the first mystical societies. It may even be said that shamanism was the seed of early religions.
Occultism / Source: MartaCuesta, Pixabay
From occultism to crime
Over the centuries, secret societies have been met with misunderstanding. Many societies have fallen into disrepute, including Opus Dei. Other examples of secret societies are Freemasonry, not to mention the Theosophical Movement, founded by HP Blavatsky (1831-1891), who, thanks to her determination and her great spiritual and mystical oeuvre, ensured that concepts such as karma and reincarnation became commonplace in the Western world. think.
Mafia and triads On the other hand, there are secret societies that have been set up with a political, paramilitary and/or criminal purpose. In the latter case, the Italian and American mafia are a striking example of this. It is generally believed that in all secret societies activities take place that cannot tolerate the light of day. That is certainly the case with criminal brotherhoods. This obviously applies to the mafia, but also, for example, to the Chinese and Hong Kong triads with well-organized branches worldwide.
The concept of ‘triad’
Some of the best known Chinese triads are the White Lotus Society and the Tongue. The name triad can be traced back to the general description of a number of secret Chinese brotherhoods or associations, also called hui . The word triad means group of three, or ‘cooperation between three’, where the word three refers to ‘heaven, earth and man’. The traditional triads therefore use triangular symbols. This is a free translation of the Chinese concept of San Ho Hui (Triple Union Society). There are currently (2019) between 60 to 80 societies (triads) with many tens of thousands of members. The current triads can be traced back to the Heaven and Earth Society (Tiandihui) or its affiliated hui , including the Sandianhui (Three Dots). The earliest origins of the triads are actually shrouded in mystery.
Shaolin Temple (Songshan, China) / Source: Bywb, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA-4.0)
Origin of the Chinese Triads
There are many origin myths about the triads and their development. One is related to a group of Shaolin monks, affiliated with a family. During the period that Emperor Kangxi reigned (1661-1722), these Shaolin monks initially supported the Qing dynasty (1644-1912) to thwart an invasion of Tibetan tribes. However, they were later very destructively persecuted by the Qing Dynasty due to power jealousy, which turned the Shaolin against the Qing Dynasty. According to another legend, the Xi Lu legend, the triads were founded to overthrow the Qing dynasty, also called Manchu Ching, and restore the Ming dynasty overthrown by the Qing dynasty.
Power struggle
The Manchu (Qing dynasty) were a warrior people from Manchuria. In 1644 they invaded China, conquered the entire country in a very short time and expropriated the original ethnic population. Resistance arose among the largely expelled Han Chinese who did not want to live under Manchu rule. During that period, resistance groups with martial and mystical-religious characteristics formed among ordinary people.
Brotherhood
In the southern Chinese province of Fujian, these groups grew into the hui in the traditional sense of the word, or ‘secret societies’. Their goal was to defeat the Qing dynasty, or Manchu rule. They used the color red (the color of the Ming) and the family name (Hung) of the Ming kings. For that reason the first triads were also called Hung Min. Other triads were and are the White Lotus Society, the Tongue and the Tiandihui (Heaven and Earth Society). The latter brotherhood was founded in 1761, with the Guanyinting Temple (Temple of the Goddess of Mercy) in Gaoxi, southeastern Fujian province, playing a major role. Characteristic of the triads from the early period of the hui was the lack of a central authority. There was even more cooperation, but the individual hui were independent and operated independently.
Initiation and organization of the Chinese triads
The rituals are striking, such as the blood oath that obliges every member as a blood brother to support the secret society in good and bad times. The concept of ‘blood brothers’ is one of the key tenets of many Chinese triads, or ‘sworn brotherhood’ ( guanxi ), usually ritualized with a blood oath. Another important aspect of the initiation structure of the triads is seniority. Respect for the elderly in the organizational structure is a great asset, combined with accumulated experience. Traditional in the current authority pyramid of many triads, each hui has three chief officers. They are in charge in the triad. The boss is flanked by the two other chief officers, also called the Incense Master and the Pioneer. They guarantee the smooth running of the ceremonies, where the Incense Master is also the guardian of the core principles and mystical aspects of the relevant house . The Pioneer is responsible for administrative affairs and management departments, including stock and weapons management and weapons inspections.
Shanghai (Old Town) / Source: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons (PD)
Confidentiality promise
Many hui today still prefer traditional weapons, including swords, daggers and machetes. Five officers in the administrative pyramid fall under the authority of the three chief officers. A triad traditionally has eight officers in total, corresponding to the auspicious number eight in Chinese thinking. Numerology is essential in the triad philosophy and is reflected, among other things, in the code numbers with which the higher-ranking members are designated. The lower managers are responsible for social tasks, such as arranging funerals of members. In particular for the overseas members who had indicated that they wanted to be buried in their homeland after their death. In addition to the blood oath, other Initiation Rituals are also an important aspect of the hui . One of these is taking an oath of secrecy. The protection promise according to the principle ‘one for all, all for one’ is also important. In earlier times, the armed branch of the triads consisted largely of men from poor families. They had little social perspective, which meant they quickly became involved in criminal activities.
The lantern
Initiations of the triad members are complex, lengthy and interspersed with mystical characteristics. The ‘hanging of the lantern’ is an example of this, an initiation rite in which ‘novices’ are tied together to strengthen the bond of brotherhood. Wrapped in incense fumes, numerous vows are taken, almost forty in total.
The Golden Triangle and the Boxer Rebellion
From the mists of the origin myths emerged the triads that originally fought against a royal dynasty from Manchuria and over the centuries turned into criminal secret societies with a strict hierarchy and numerous initiation rituals. The 1970s and 1980s were a flourishing time for the triads. The Golden Triangle, with an area of over 900,000 km², includes areas in Thailand, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. In the decades mentioned in Southeast Asia, the triads there accounted for the largest share of the trade in illegal heroin production. The smuggling methods were numerous, ingenious and very creative, as is the case today. They were also involved in the smuggling of endangered animal species and products, such as tiger whiskers and elephant tusks and related products that were (and still are) important in traditional Chinese medicine.
Politics The triads were also very active politically in earlier times. One of the largest uprisings is known as the White Lotus Rebellion, in the late nineteenth century. This rebellion was led by a Buddhist hui (White Lotus). The uprising was related to increasing population growth and migration in previously open agricultural areas. The result was overexploitation and erosion in combination with a declining economy. Another well-known triad uprising was the Boxer Rebellion (1899-1901), aimed against Western influence in trade, politics and technology, in which the triads fought alongside the Chinese nationalist movement. It was a turbulent period in China’s history. A period in which the dynasties declined and from which the Western powers profited commercially.
Hong Kong / Source: Ralf Roletschek, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-3.0)
Post-war triads
The majority of the triads are anti-communist and very nationalistic. It was therefore not surprising that the triads supported the nationalists in their fight against the communists in the post-war period. A well-known triad that was gaining popularity at that time was the 14K triad. A Hong Kong triad with international connections, divided into 30 groups with a total of approximately 20,000 members. After the communists took power, the triads faced oppression and their power in mainland China was largely broken. Nevertheless, numerous transnational organized crime syndicates with traditional roots operate in modern China. Furthermore, the traditional triads are very active in Hong Kong, Vietnam, Taiwan, Myanmar up to and including Singapore, in fact throughout Southeast Asia. Their overseas branches reach almost every corner of the world, in Western countries often in areas with a large Chinese diaspora.
read more
- What is a secret society?
- The origins of secret societies
- Shamanism – the first secret society
- The Secret Society of Pythagoras
- Does Shangri-La really exist?