Triad (gang)

Triads

Founded	18th century
Founding location	China, notably Shanghai, Hong Kong, Canton, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, other worldwide Chinatowns
Years active	18th century – present
Territory	China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, United States of America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, France, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, South Africa, Russia
Ethnicity	Chinese, Chinese-American, Chinese Canadian, Sino-Vietnamese, Chinese Filipino, Chinese Malaysian, Chinese Cambodian, Chinese Laotian, Chinese Singaporean, Thai Chinese, Chinese Indonesian, Chinese Australian, Chinese British
Criminal activities	Extortion, assault, racketeering, contract killing & prostitution, illegal gambling, loan sharking, counterfeiting, Copyright infringement, kidnapping, jewelry and gems heists, Hong Kong film industry,Hong Kong music industry, drug trafficking, police corruption, political corruption, money laundering, arms trafficking, health care fraud, online fraud

Sanhehui
Traditional Chinese	三合會
Simplified Chinese	三合会
Literal meaning	Three Harmonies Society
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Sān Hé Huì Wu Shanghainese Romanization Se-gheh-we Yue: Cantonese Jyutping Saam1 Hap6 Wui2 Southern Min Hokkien POJ Saⁿ-ha̍p-hōe

Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Sān Hé Huì
Wu
Shanghainese Romanization	Se-gheh-we
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutping	Saam1 Hap6 Wui2
Southern Min
Hokkien POJ	Saⁿ-ha̍p-hōe

A triad is one of many branches of Chinese transnational organized crime syndicates based in China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and also in countries with significant Chinese populations, such as the United States, Canada, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Spain, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

The starting point for understanding Chinese triads is to make a clear distinction between Hong Kong triad and mainland Chinese criminal organizations. In ancient China, Triad is one of three major secret societies in mainland China. It also created branches in Macau, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Chinese communities overseas. After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, all secret societies were completely destroyed in mainland China through a series of campaigns organized by Chairman Mao. Although post-Mao China has witnessed the resurgence of organized crime groups, they are not triad societies; the proper term for these criminal organizations is "mainland Chinese criminal organizations", which consist of two major types of organization: dark forces (loosely organized groups) and black societies (more mature criminal organizations). Two features that distinguish a black society from a dark force are (1) the ability of achieving illegal control over local markets, and (2) the obtainment of police protection. In short, Hong Kong triad refers to traditional criminal organizations operating in or originating from Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and southeast Asian countries (areas), while organized crime groups in mainland China are better called "mainland Chinese criminal groups".

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Wikipedia