Chapter 17 Is there a "triad" in Hong Kong?

In the past, I didn't watch Hong Kong movies, I didn't like them, and I couldn't understand them. The reason was very simple, either they were crazy about men and women, or they were vulgar and funny.Later, "Infernal Affairs" came out, and I knew that I couldn't watch it, and I didn't pay attention to the justice and evil in Hong Kong without watching it, so I bought a ticket and went to the cinema.Looking at it seriously, it’s not bad, it’s quite worrying, but since then, Hong Kong society is full of robbery, violence, gangsters, gangsters, and vicious fights between police and robbers. This impression has always made me feel that Hong Kong has a "triad society". Moreover, the "underworld" overshadows the sky and is so powerful that it is almost everywhere.

However, when I came to Hong Kong in 2004, I looked around and my eyes were tired, but where are the robberies and violence?Where is the shadow of Hong Kong's "underworld"?No one in the world is wearing a windbreaker, wearing sunglasses, chewing gum, and behaves arrogantly. On the contrary, the order on the street is very safe, and the armored vehicles drive very naturally, like a private car It's not as exciting as ambulances and fire trucks roaring past. After the 1980s, Hong Kong society gradually shrouded in a civilized atmosphere, the security situation improved, and the sign of "one of the safest cities in the world" was soon hung on the chest.At 12 o'clock in the middle of the night, single women walk at night, and the husbands have forgotten to tell their wives to be more careful; when shopping in the mall during the day, the handbag (school bag) is lost on the counter in a flash, and suddenly remembers to go back and look for it. They are still in place or let the salesperson see that they have been properly kept for you.Entering the 21st century, it may be a bit exaggerated to praise Hong Kong with such words as never closing doors at night and not picking up lost things. However, Shenzhen and Guangzhou are so close to Hong Kong. Go back there and have a try. Single women don’t dare to be alone in the middle of the night. Walking at night, that is, going to the street during the day, everyone will worry about being stolen or robbed; the schoolbag was left on the counter, let alone lost, just let go a second ago, turned to pick something, turned around, and it was gone.Once I went on a business trip to Guangzhou and carried a heavy suitcase in my hand. I put it on the side of the road and waved for a taxi. The process took no more than five seconds at most, but when I turned around again, the huge suitcase had disappeared. That box was full of books, and it was very difficult for me to walk alone with it.

Of course, if you talk about the "underworld", the "underworld" is completely different from the "robbers" and "thieves" in a society. Occupy territory, control a certain area or certain groups of people.So is there still a "triad" in Hong Kong today?If so, what form do they take?Does it pose a huge threat to society? One day in April 2005, my colleagues and I went out for an interview. Because we had to bring equipment and couldn’t take a bus, we hailed a taxi on the street as usual.When I got in the car, I was sitting in the front row, and suddenly I noticed that the driver's left hand was a little different?On closer inspection, the index finger was almost broken off at the root, and his hand was so big that the lack of a finger was particularly conspicuous.I endured it again and again, but finally I couldn't help asking: "Master, I'm sorry, your hand..." The driver saw me asking, and didn't care about it. His face looked relieved, and his voice was like Hong Zhong. : "Ah, you are asking about my hand? Cough, I was injured, a knife wound. I used to work in the 'underworld', and I accidentally got tricked."

"Underworld"?Ears, my ears immediately turned into rabbits again.My heart skipped a beat.After searching for a long time, I thought that there is no such horror in Hong Kong now, why... for a moment, I regained my composure and realized that there is no danger around me. Isn't the big brother of the "underworld" who has switched careers and opened a taxi now?The mood returned to the same level as before, but I still didn't want to miss this rare opportunity, so I put my nose on my face and asked: "'Underworld'? Now you say, is there any 'underworld' in Hong Kong? If so, why can't I see it?" ?”

The driver laughed: "I can let you see that the market in Hong Kong can still be so calm? Nowadays, which society does not have 'triads'? You don't have any in the Mainland? But the 'triads' in Hong Kong are really much less right now. Why? Days It's hard, being a 'black' can't support a family, look, haven't even I quit my job?" If you look at the data, the problem of Hong Kong's "underworld" was indeed serious in the 1960s and 1970s, with a stable structure and a clear sphere of influence. At that time, the Hong Kong police helped the "underworld" grab territory and settle disputes. They do everything; but now, there are probably only 12 to 15 of the most active organizations in Hong Kong's "underworld". The organization is also different from before, it has become looser, and horses are generally mobs. Many people used to be "lifelong gangsters", but now they are only "part-time jobs"...

"From black for life"? "part time"?It's the first time I've heard of it. According to the explanation of an "anti-triad expert" from the Hong Kong Police Station: If you look at the number of "triads" in Hong Kong, there are still 100,000 people, but the police only have 27,000. However, the Hong Kong police can completely control the situation.Why?Because the "underworld" in Hong Kong now generally has to hire "temporary workers" to "do things". The days of raising a large group of horse boys for a long time are gone forever, and no one has this ability anymore.

Since horse boys in Hong Kong are "hired" temporarily, how much does it cost for a horse boy to be hired by the "underworld" once? My question is straightforward. At least one to two hundred Hong Kong dollars. This price will vary with the nature of the "appearance" event. The most important occasion is 500 yuan, not including food, transportation expenses, medical expenses, legal fees, resettlement expenses, etc. cost of.So now the price of a fight among the "underworld" in Hong Kong is too high, and if you fail to bankrupt yourself in a fight, ordinary organizations can't afford to "spend money"——

At the end of 2006, I went to interview the chairman of a Chinese-funded Hong Kong company. Everyone talked about the important role that the insurance industry can play in a stable society. The boss recalled his first permanent residence in Hong Kong from 1985 to 1992. The scene at that time, said: "At that time, Hong Kong could see relevant reports of banks being robbed and gold shops being robbed on TV every month, but now, the situation is much better, and sometimes you can't see it once a year." Hong Kong's "underworld" has disappeared on a large scale. I don't know whether it should be attributed to the unprecedented strength of this society's "underworld" (including cooperation with the mainland), the continuous prosperity and stability of the economy, or the high prices that the "bosses" simply cannot afford. Ma boy?However, since Hong Kong's "underworld" once had "glory in the past", it has evolved to the present, and some people say that it has entered an era of "rationality" + "commerciality".Among them, "rationality", according to the general law, I guess it may be directly related to the cost. If a "boss" of the "underworld" changes careers and starts to do legal business, the capital investment is far cheaper than when he "played black" in the past, then Of course, the "boss" doesn't have to take desperate risks, and can't live without "bloody" for years; but what does "commercial" mean here?Is it just a change in the way of "nurturing" and "free-ranging" as mentioned above?

In Hong Kong, there is still a "jargon" in the "underworld" called "sun horse". The English word is show off force, which translates into Mandarin as "show off force".Now Hong Kong seldom has a large-scale "gang fire" organized by the "underworld" throughout the year, and it is generally changed to "spotting horses". Of course, the purpose of "showing horses" is not for fighting, but to use this method to add some "voice" to the inevitable negotiations between the two parties.Compare the rules of the game: whoever can attract more people and has a strong "lineup" will gain the upper hand at the negotiating table in no time.Therefore, although the people brought here are also called "horses", they generally do not have weapons in their hands (it is more expensive to buy weapons), and most of them do not know each other.In this way, the "boss" of the "underworld" in Hong Kong has spent money to hire hundreds of people, and the two sides have entered into a stalemate. Naturally, the society rarely hears gunshots.

At 3 p.m. on August 20, 2006, Ho Chun-yan, the 55-year-old vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Democratic Party and member of the Legislative Council, came with his companions at 5 p.m. I went to the McDonald's restaurant in the basement of "Avicy Building" located in Queen's Road Central.Suddenly, four strange men wearing peaked caps and holding softball bats quickly rushed into the store. Without warning, they swung their bats and beat He Junren roughly, and then fled the scene quickly.This incident immediately caused an uproar in Hong Kong society.The first time I saw this news, I had some kind of collision with the "underworld" in my head, and I suddenly became very vigilant: "Look, hold on, hold on, Hong Kong's 'underworld' is still the real thing." Dead?" However, the police stated in subsequent investigations that although the "beating of He Junren" was a "planned" violent act, there was no indication that it was related to the "underworld".

He Junren was beaten on the spot with bleeding from his mouth and nose, and his face was swollen. He was quickly sent to Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong. However, not long after the treatment, he also entrusted his companion to explain to the media: "I believe this incident does not involve personal grievances. It is likely to be related to his official duties in the Legislative Council or the lawyer's office." He Junren also did not mention "underworld" at all. It seems that Hong Kong's "underworld" has really disappeared, or has a fundamental alienation in concept?