Green Gang
The Green Gang (Chinese: 青幫; pinyin: Qīng Bāng) was a Chinese secret society and criminal organization, which was prominent in criminal, social and political activity in Shanghai during the early to mid 20th century.[1]
History
Origins
As a secret society, the origins and history of the Green Gang are complex. The society has its roots in the
During the upheavals of the 19th century, including the
Appearance in Shanghai
Shanghai became a favourable place for criminal activity, and the Green Gang in particular, due to several factors. As the Grand Canal fell out of use for grain shipments, replaced by the sea route, Shanghai became an important transshipment point for grain;
Prominence in Shanghai
By the 20th century it had acquired such wealth and power that it had become corrupt, and included many successful businessmen. Under Du Yuesheng, it controlled the criminal activities in the entire city of Shanghai. The Green Gang focused on opium (which was supported by local warlords), extortion, gambling, and prostitution. Shanghai was considered by some the vice capital of the world at that time. [citation needed]
The Green Gang was often hired by
The Green Gang was a major financial supporter of Chiang Kai-shek, who became acquainted with the gang when he lived in Shanghai from 1915 to 1923.[11] The Green Gang shared its profits from the drug trade with the Kuomintang after the creation of the Opium Suppression Bureau.[citation needed] Chiang Kai-shek's brother-in-law and financial minister T. V. Soong also partnered with the pro-Chiang Green Gang to pressure Shanghai banks to buy up national securities. In the last two years of the Nanjing Decade, the Green Gang continued to pressure big business to buy up national bonds, as a means of compensating for the lack of corporate tax imposed by the government.[12]
Last years in Hong Kong
After the defeat of Chiang Kai-shek's regime on the mainland in 1949, the Green Gang left Shanghai and in the early 1950s opened heroin refineries in Hong Kong. In the following years, the organization suffered in struggles against local syndicates over the control of the drug market. By the mid 1950s it had disappeared. Control of the heroin market was then taken by small syndicates of ethnic
See also
- Tiandihui
- 14K Triad
- Bamboo Union
References
- ^ Martin (1996, p. 44)
- ^ Martin (1996, p. 10)
- ^ Martin (1996, p. 11)
- ^ Martin (1996, p. 13)
- ^ Martin (1996, p. 27)
- ^ Martin (1996, p. 45)
- ^ Martin (1996, p. 32)
- ^ Martin (1996, p. 43)
- ^ Wilber, C.M. (1985) The Nationalist Revolution in China, 1923 -1928, Cambridge University Press, p.104
- ^ Mitter, R. (2004) A Bitter Revolution: China's Struggle With the Modern World, Oxford University Press, p145
- ^ "For two years (1916–17) he lived in Shanghai, where he apparently belonged to the Green Gang (Qing Bang), a secret society involved in financial manipulations." (Encyclopædia Britannica entry for Chiang Kai-Shek)
- ^ Taylor, J. (2014) "Chiang Kai-shek and Chinese Modernization", First Printing, p. 40
- ISBN 978-0-8014-4666-5.
Sources
- Martin, Brian G. (1996). The Shanghai Green Gang: Politics and Organized Crime, 1919-1937.
- Wang, Peng (2017). The Chinese Mafia: Organized Crime, Corruption, and Extra-Legal Protection. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Chapter 2 'Gangs as Pseudo-government'.
"Chiang Kai-Shek and Chinese Modernization" by Jay Taylor is an account of the political and economic influence of Chiang Kai-shek during his reign of power, including his relationship with The Green Gang.