China's secret societies throughout history

[Aetherous]

http://www.wakingtimes.com/2014/12/16/hidden-history-chinas-secret-societies/

[thelerner]

Everything I know about Chinese secret societies and the White Lotus,

I learned from Jet Li movies. Thus I doubt the accuracy <of my knowledge cause its movie based>

Edited December 17, 2014 by thelerner

[Zhongyongdaoist]

Everything I know about Chinese secret societies and the White Lotus,

I learned from Jet Li movies. Thus I doubt the accuracy.

 

You doubt the accuracy of the Jet Li movies, or of the cited article?

 

I see no reason to doubt the article and find the "French Connection" which it introduces interesting. I have a three volume set from the 1920s called The Hung Society by the, at that time, well known and respected Masonic authors, J. S. M. Ward and W. G. Stirling. It is a fairly detailed account of the Triad Society as it existed in Singapore in the early Twentieth Century. Some of the original sources were the British Police active in Singapore, though the authors used their Masonic backgrounds to gain the trust of Chinese members of the Triad, who were very helpful in the research on the book.

 

I don't have much time to elaborate now, but secret societies throughout Chinese history, absolutely!

[silent thunder]

It would seem, the more oppressive and authoritarian the regime in control, the more power and attraction is drawn to secret societies as a way of anonymously resisting that oppression.

 

The Tao is surely correct in its assessment of long term effective leadership. To effectively lead, be invisible. The more you press, the more resistance you encounter, indeed the more you create.

[silent thunder]

It hit me the other day, reading a post by CT...

 

If trying to affect change, it makes little sense to fight against... anything really.

Rather, focus all energy on what your intended path is...

To spend energy fighting against things, creates more energy of friction and increases the extremities of duality and takes energy away from moving toward your intended progress.

[C T]

The triads of today are nowhere near as principled and upright as their founding brothers.

 

Speaking from personal experience based on encounters with them over the years, i have found them to be ruthless, vengeful, immoral, easily corruptible, and without conscience. In this day and age, their activities span all things illegal, from human trafficking (the biggest money spinner) to gambling to drugs to smuggling contraband to money laundering, extortion (they call it 'protection') and guns for hire.

 

These Tongs, or cells, have connections all across South East Asia, and they target everything vulnerable in sight. I have had the opportunity to clash with some hard triad goons during my brief stint as a police detective, and can say that they are the craziest, most inhuman group of people around when they are gathered en masse, but in singling them out and subjecting them to interrogative protocols, they turn instantly into back-stabbing squealers without a moment's hesitation, just to save their own skin. This is one of best weapons the authorities have at their disposal in the gathering of intelligence. If not for this, who knows how much more organised organised crime in Asia will be.

[Aetherous]

The triads of today are nowhere near as principled and upright as their founding brothers.

 

Yes, that's the only way I've heard of "triads" until stumbling upon this article today...as something similar to gangs or to the mob.

[Cookie Monster]

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Edited May 4, 2021 by Ocean Form

[Taomeow]

The triads of today are nowhere near as principled and upright as their founding brothers.

 

Speaking from personal experience based on encounters with them over the years, i have found them to be ruthless, vengeful, immoral, easily corruptible, and without conscience. In this day and age, their activities span all things illegal, from human trafficking (the biggest money spinner) to gambling to drugs to smuggling contraband to money laundering, extortion (they call it 'protection') and guns for hire.

 

These Tongs, or cells, have connections all across South East Asia, and they target everything vulnerable in sight. I have had the opportunity to clash with some hard triad goons during my brief stint as a police detective, and can say that they are the craziest, most inhuman group of people around when they are gathered en masse, but in singling them out and subjecting them to interrogative protocols, they turn instantly into back-stabbing squealers without a moment's hesitation, just to save their own skin. This is one of best weapons the authorities have at their disposal in the gathering of intelligence. If not for this, who knows how much more organised organised crime in Asia will be.

 

I think it's true for all secret societies that gained influence, whether in the east or in the west. To infiltrate them and to change their nature has been the main and most successful tool used by their opposition, whether by the governments (obviously) or by their moral and ideological enemies often subsidized by governments and other powerful entities (e.g. corporations). The same thing happened to the masons in the West -- they didn't start out as what they eventually became. Or the communists, once a secret society.

 

By the way, this is a human activity that comes naturally, it appears -- every society known has always teemed with secret ones -- purportedly the largest numbers ever having been formed in Africa. I can easily understand the dynamics. When I was 8, I formed a secret society, KVP (an abbreviation -- I won't go into what it stood for, since it will be hard to translate), whose goal was to resist oppression by teachers and assorted adult disciplinarians, to embarrass and inconvenience bullies, to shock and surprise the timid by secret acts of kindness, as well as engage in assorted acts of mischief with no clear political or moral agenda, just for its own sake. We had six members, all girls. We were on the loose for three years, and never got caught, ratted out, or even suspected, because I chose my generals wisely. We also didn't move on to any criminal activities. Then my family relocated to another part of the city, and that was the end of KVP. If I had the kind of energy now that I had then, I'd do it again.

Edited December 21, 2014 by Taomeow

[C T]

How interesting, the creativity of intelligent children, knowing the intricacies of secrecy even at that tender age, and learning how to leverage the element of surprise and mystery to their advantage..

[Cookie Monster]

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Edited May 4, 2021 by Ocean Form

[Taomeow]

Yes, lineage is everything -- has always been, will always be -- though there's no guarantee it will always be genuine, LOL.

 

We claimed our origin from this guy:

 

 

So, among other things, we would secretly slip notes into school bags, workbooks, even the teacher's journal, or into people's pockets, or drop them in mailboxes, etc., with riddles, tantalizing pieces of the puzzle, threats or promises, and sign them, Agents of Fantomas. For the most incorrigible we used a short poem that went something like,

 

What I seek,

I hereby reveal:

I need a corpse,

you fit the bill.

 

And drew an image of the blue-masked villain for the signature.