What began more than two thousand years ago in China has culminated, according to UN sources, in the greatest potential criminal threat the world has ever known. From San Francisco to Amsterdam to Bangkok to Johannesburg, the Chinese Triads today engage in extortion, gambling, international prostitution, illegal immigrant smuggling, money laundering, fraud, corruption, arms, and narcotics. Originally little more than societies founded on mutual self-interest, the Triads have evolved into an international criminal fraternity bound by archaic oaths and quasi-religious rituals that can visit on transgressors and opponents the "death by a thousand cuts." Patriots as well as outlaws, they have counted Sun Yat-sen, the father of modern China, and Chiang Kai-shek in their ranks. They instigated the Tong Wars in America, fought with the Allies against the Japanese in Malaya, colluded with CIA in Vietnam, and escalated the heroin trade to Europe and the United States. Martin Booth here unfolds in full the astonishing history of the Triads. And he has survived to tell the tale.
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From Publishers Weekly
In an indisputably important and extravagantly detailed account, Booth (author of the lauded Opium: A History and Booker-nominated author of the novel The Industry of Souls) examines the history of the notorious international crime groups known as the Chinese Triads, whose roots lie in ancient secret societies with traditions of religious and political dissentAparticularly in the Hung Society of the 18th century. As Chinese emigrants spread around the world, so did the societies, metamorphosing into today's international terrorist networks. The Triads have an oddly checkered history of both criminal activity and patriotism (they supported Chiang Kai-shek and assisted the U.S. during the Vietnam War). Booth's narrative details the dizzying array of their criminal actionsAincluding kidnapping, credit-card fraud, software piracy, international prostitution, illegal immigrant smuggling and Internet pornographyAas it explores the lives and crooked partnerships of such legendary Triad power brokers as the Green Gang's far-rightist Big-eared Du, and the 14K, which maximized the mid-century heroin market. Booth also documents the Triads' infiltration of the business and social mainstream and their current exploitation of the Hong Kong film industry. He deserves commendation for addressing this risky subject (these groups are not above murdering journalists) and for shredding the Triads' centuries-strong web of ritual and patriotism. 16 pages b&w photos not seen by PW. (Aug.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
This colorful popular history of Chinese secret criminal societies, which the author (Opium: A History) collectively labels the Triads, cuts a broad swath through Chinese history from the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) to the present and from the China mainland to the far-flung communities of the Chinese diaspora. The best chapters of the book focus on Hong Kong, where a network of criminal syndicates, held together by blood oaths, patronage, and avarice, has long dominated vice, gambling, and prostitution and engages in extortion, racketeering, kidnapping, counterfeiting, and smuggling. The historical chapters are less convincing. Booth sweeps a large variety of secret societies into his catchall category of the Triads and reduces modern Chinese history to a vast and convoluted criminal conspiracy. Nevertheless, the cast of bizarre characters, the often-gory details of Triad crimes, and the intersection of the criminal and political worlds make for fascinating reading. For larger public and academic libraries.DSteven I. Levine, Univ. of Montana, Missoula
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
Format:Hardcover
This is an excellent book, giving a great insight into Triad culture and its history, and how both are intrinsicly linked to the Chinese mindset. At times it is a little dry, and especially for a Western reader, the names and locations can be introduced so expediently that you have to take a breath and put the names into perspective. However, it is a very solid background read and will have you wanting to read more into the subject matter and the particular persons of historical importance that are discussed.
By Ian Vance
Format:Paperback
Despite the cosmetic and cultural differences that separate the varied multitudes of this earth, some basic precepts hold at the core of nearly all modern civilizations: a distribution system of goods and services, a military, a ruling elite. The presence of secret societies can also be considered among these standards: the banding of individuals to provide support and strength against the competitive wiles of foreigners and mutual enemies. The names of these secret societies--Freemasons, Illuminati, Mafia, Yakuza--are enough to inspire envy and respect and fear and hatred and lust among those not included in their exclusive ranks, thus the popularity of fringe-writers and conspiracy theorists. The Chinese Triads are perhaps the least documented and possess the greatest potential threat of all these myriad societies, for while the others concern themselves with the manipulation of economy and politics, the Triads have of late become steeped in all manners of vice, including the supply of that most insidious and destructive of painkillers, herion.
The Triads originally began as political resistance to the upstart Manchu Q'ing dynasty, then altered their goals in the 20th century to undermine/suppress the spread of the Communist agenda. In the last fifty years these patriotic intentions have been almost totally corrupted by the drive for monetary gain via extortion, kidnapping, graft, prostitution, gambling, drag trafficking, ect. The influence of the Triads is worldwide and they are now branching out into the lucrative possibilities of the Internet's dark underbelly, including child pornography and technologies fraud.
In his book 'The Dragon Syndicates', Martin Booth traces the history of the Triads, chronicling with equal import the legends, rituals, ranks and motivations of these particular secret societies. The task of the author-historian is to combine the political, cultural and social aspects of an era and present these tangled elements in a lucid, flowing format; Booth succeeds admirably in this book, especially considering the elusive nature of the subject. I read this as research for a science-fiction book I'm writing, but found it to be an enjoyable, if ultimately disturbing, read. Well worth the time and money.
By albert wang
Format:Hardcover
This book is riveting and packed with research. Booth seems to have dug into corners that have never been explored before, or certainly not in quite the same way. He makes a strong case for the strength of Chinese organized crime and makes a persuasive argument for it being a truly global problem. This is a highly readable book but also one that manages to be comprehensive at the same time. There is no aspect of the Chinese criminal syndicates tht Booth does not touch upon, and almost always in fascinating detail, in "The Dragon Syndicates."
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4.5 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating and packed with information
This book is riveting and packed with research. Booth seems to have dug into corners that have never been explored before, or certainly not in quite the same way. Read more
Published on Jan 2 2001 by albert wang
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating and packed with information
This book is riveting and packed with research. Booth seems to have dug into corners that have never been explored before, or certainly not in quite the same way. Read more
Published on Jan 2 2001 by albert wang
4.0 out of 5 stars
Important contribution to a critical global problem
One of the most vexing global problems today is gobal criminal capitalism, or international organized crime. Three years ago its gross revenues were estimated at $1.8 trillion. Read more
Published on Oct 19 2000 by Joseph D. Douglass
4.0 out of 5 stars
An indept study of the Triads
This is a very informative book, that at times reads like a text book, on The Triads, past and present. Read more
Published on Sep 28 2000 by Thomas Yan Ong
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good Effort, But Lacking & Confusing.
As an outsider attempting to study, then explain the history of Chinese secret societies and organized crime, Mr. Booth obviously conducted extensive research. Read more
Published on Aug 17 2000
5.0 out of 5 stars
Compelling History With Significant Current Impact
The "Dragon Syndicates" is well written, compelling reading and detailed without being ponderous. Mr. Read more
Published on July 29 2000 by Ian L. Sitren
5.0 out of 5 stars
A thrilling account of a true underworld empire
I have been an avid reader of books on true crime for quite a time. However, as far as books on organized crime went, until recently I concentrated on those dealing with the Mafia. Read more
Published on July 27 2000 by Mr Vess
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