History of the Triads

The Triads were started as a resistance to the Manchu Emperor of the Qing Dynasty (the ethnic Manchus were regarded as a foreign occupation at the time).

In the 1760s, a society called the Tian Di Hui, “The Society of Heaven and Earth”) was formed in China. Its purpose was to overthrow the Manchu-led Qing Dynasty and restore Han Chinese rule. As the Tian Di Hui spread through different parts of China, it branched off into many groups with many names, one of which was “Sanhehui”, literally “Three Harmonies Society”, referring to the unity between Heaven, Earth and Man.

Over several centuries, what are known as triads today developed from a patriotic society to a criminal organisation. Following the Wuchang Uprising on October 1911 and the subsequent overthrow of the Qing Dynasty China the following year, the Hong Society’s primary purpose were thus accomplished.

An unfortunate consequence of this new-found victory was the society’s loss of a primary purpose; further compounded ironically by the fact that most (if not all) missed out on the opportunity to participate in the actual uprising, thus leaving many of them angry and depressed. Unable to revert back to normal civilian lives after spending years living in grave danger and extreme violence as outlaws, many ex-rebels reunited to form a cult which later came to be known as the Triad.

Having lost the usual donations and support from the public with the collapse of the Qing dynasty, members of the newly-formed cult resorted to money extortion from the unwilling public through all possible means.

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