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Pathway of Hong Kong pupils’ well-being runs through relationships

Family describes painful return to Wang Fuk Court to retrieve belongings of late wife and mother

Wang Fuk Court residents make long climb to retrieve family treasures, bid farewell

The history of Hong Kong triads

Hong Kong society

Suspected members of triad societies are guarded by officers in Tung Tau Estate, Kowloon, in 1973. Hong Kong’s triads have evolved from secret societies into global criminal networks. Photo: SCMP

Lifestyle

Chinese culture

The origin of triads, from secret societies and brotherhoods to global criminal networks

An illustration of a Buddhist temple or shrine with statues of (from left) Guan Yu, Liu Bei and Zhang Fei. Photo: Universal Images Group via Getty Images

An illustration of the Taiping rebellion in the mid-19th century.

The Kowloon Walled City, a densely populated, lawless maze where the triads thrived, pictured in 1991. Photo: SCMP

While Hong Kong triads are now known for their criminal enterprises, their roots lie in secret societies that stretch back hundreds of years.


Inside 14k: how a Hong Kong triad grew into a global crime syndicate

Police arrest suspected 14K triad members at a restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, in 1995. The 14K began life as an openly pro-Kuomintang society in mainland China before becoming a global criminal organisation based in Hong Kong. Photo: SCMP

Kuomintang Lieutenant General Kot Siu-wong was the founder of what would come to be known as the 14K.

The 1956 Hong Kong riots resulted in 59 deaths while more than 500 people were injured. Photo: SCMP

(From left) Gordon Lam, Zhang Jin and Sean Lau in the 2017 film Dealer/Healer.

From its roots in mainland China to expansion in Hong Kong and beyond, we look at the history of one of the most notorious triad societies.


Hong Kong is considered one of the safest cities in the world today – but it has not always been so. There have been periods throughout contemporary history when its streets were ruled and terrorised by gangs. In this series, we look at the history of Hong Kong’s major triad societies and how they shaped the underworld of organised crime and inspired the city’s pop culture.


Series

The history of Hong Kong triads

The origin of triads, from secret societies to global criminal networks

While Hong Kong triads are now known for their criminal enterprises, their roots lie in secret societies that stretch back hundreds of years.

Inside the 14k, the Hong Kong triad that went global

From its roots in mainland China to expansion in Hong Kong and beyond, we look at the history of one of the most notorious triad societies.