History Main / TheTriadsAndTheTongs

The Mafia.... [[RecycledInSpace BUT CHINESE!!]] Subject of a thousand HongKongFilms and a recurrent trope in Western YellowPeril stories, the Triads started life as a Ming-restorationist Secret Society during the 1760s. There was a precedent for this sort of thing working, given the ''Red Turban'' society and rebellion which fractured the Yuan Empire and allowed the Ming to conquer China in the late 14th century, though said society's original intent had actually been to restore the Song Empire.

* ''Film/{{War}}'' involves a conflict between the Triads and the {{Yakuza}} in UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco.

* The Red Dragon Syndicate, ''Anime/CowboyBebop''. Based on Mars, Spike is a former member who faked his death to escape. While the leadership shown is ethnically Chinese, it doesn't appear to be required as multiple mentions are made of how Spike was originally going to take over.
* Mr. Chang from ''Manga/BlackLagoon'' is a member of Sun Yee On, and members of the 14K also make an appearance.
* The Chen Long Tang in ''Anime/DarkerThanBlack''.
* The Bai-Lan "organization" from ''[[Anime/BurstAngel Bakuretsu Tenshi (Burst Angel)]]''. (Sei's [[MafiaPrincess the heiress to the organization]]; the other main characters are technically mercenaries on retainer.)
* The Triads play a role as a rival to the Yakuza in ''Manga/{{Sanctuary}}''.
* [[DudeLooksLikeALady Fang-Fang]] and [[ChineseVampire Ling-Ling]] Huang from ''Manga/RosarioPlusVampire''.
* In the second season of ''Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex'', they show up in an episode where Major Kusanagi visits the territory primarily occupied by (generally Korean and Chinese) refugees. They have a dignified [[TheDon Don]], but the lower ranked gangsters are all common thugs.
* In Creator/MayuShinjo's ''Manga/HaouAiren'', an OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent named Kurumi Akino saves the life of a handsome stranger and nurses him back to health. It turns out he's Uon Hakuron (a.k.a. [[spoiler:Li Shen Wong]]), a dangerous and sexy Triad leader, and soon after said incident she's kidnapped from school and taken to Hong Kong. Did we mention Mayu Shinjo has a thing for {{Fetishized Abuser}}s?
* The 108 Dragons in ''Manga/CryingFreeman''.
* A two-part episode of ''Anime/{{Noir}}'' pits the team against the Hong Yiban triad.
* In ''Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam'', IronLady Stephanie Luio and her group are all but stated to be associated with the Triads. She has goons at the ready and her company is also a front for all sorts of illegal activity.

* In ''[[ComicBook/ThePunisherMAX Punisher MAX]]'' the Triads and the Tongs are one of the many criminal organizations operating in New York City. They have a brief but memorable appearance when Nicky Cavella pays them a visit and teaches them ''why'' you don't fuck with the Cesare Crime Family. Hint: It involves [[spoiler:child homicide]] and soup... [[{{Squick}} please don't ask for more details]].
* In ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'', the judicial system of Hong Tong (the future Hong Kong) has been largely infiltrated and taken over by Triads, much as the Hondo-Cit (Japan) Judges were overtaken by the {{Yakuza}}.

* The villains in ''ComicBook/TheShadowHero'' are a Tong that has degenerated into a mere criminal gang, although the ending implies that it may regain its honour under a new leader.
* In ''ComicBook/TheCouriers'', Special was previously a minion of the NYC Triad gangster Johnny Funwrecker, whose downfall at her hands is presented in the final graphic novel of the series, "The Ballad of Johnny Funwrecker". Additionally, the second novel features Triad thugs working for a corrupt [[UsefulNotes/ChineseWithChopperSupport People's Liberation Army]] officer.
* [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Gotham]]'s secretive China Town has been ruled over by numerous Chinese based gangs over the years. Eventually the Ghost Dragons, who started out as ComicBook/{{Robin|Series}} villains, took control from the fractured Triads and Tongs in the neighborhood. The Ghost Dragons' influence spread further into the city as TheMafiya lost ground.
* In ''ComicBook/TheFurtherAdventuresOfIndianaJones'' #28, Dr. Jones runs afoul a Tong who want the Chinese mummy he is in San Francisco to collect.

* ''Film/InfernalAffairs'' and its sequels. The first film was remade into ''Film/TheDeparted'', with the Triads replaced with TheIrishMob.
* ''Film/ShanghaiGrand'', remake of the triad drama ''Shanghai Bund'', revolves around two friends' rise in power in a Shanghainese triad and their eventual downfall caused by betrayal and backstabbings.
* ''Film/YoungAndDangerous'', a series of films based on a comic. Blamed for [[DamnItFeelsGoodToBeAGangster glamorizing Triad life]] among young people.

* ''Film/ABetterTomorrow''. Mark Gor (Big Brother Mark) inspired a generation of Chinese kids to walk around in dusters and sunglasses while chewing on toothpicks. Mark Gor (and every "criminal" that Creator/ChowYunFat played afterwards) is a romantic in a cynical world, who steadfastly holds onto notions of brotherhood and honor, and would gladly lay down his life to [[PapaWolf protect innocent women and children]].

* The 1985 film ''Film/YearOfTheDragon'' (based on the novel by Robert Daley, screenplay by Oliver Stone and director Michael Cimino) tells of the struggle between a controversial New York police captain and an ambitious young Triad member, both of whom upset the 'live and let live' status quo between the Triads and the police.
* ''Film/{{Push}}'' featured the triads as baddies.

* ''Shanghai Triad'' by Zhang Yimou.
* Their money is stolen, kicking off the main plot of ''Film/NunsOnTheRun''.

* Creator/JeanClaudeVanDamme takes on the Triads in the movie ''Film/WakeOfDeath''.

* Featured in ''Film/FromParisWithLove''.
* The Creator/BusterKeaton silent film ''Film/TheCameraman'', in which Buster the newsreel cameraman goes to film a parade in Chinatown and winds up capturing a shootout between rival gangs (the "Tong War"), may be the TropeMaker.
** Not the TropeMaker, since Sessue Hayakawa had starred in ''The Tong Man'' in 1919.
* The French film ''Les Anges Gardiens'' has a club owner trying to rescue his late friend's son (and millions) from the Triads.
* The main villains of ''Film/LethalWeapon4''. Their leader, Wah Sing Ku (played by Creator/JetLi in one of his only villain roles), seeks to free the real founders of the Triads, the Four Fathers, with the use of CounterfeitCash.
* Film/KickAss and Justice Forever crash a Triad-run poker game to take down a human trafficker early in [[Film/KickAss2 the second movie]]. The Motherfucker also hires an ex-Triad enforcer (whom he dubs [[CaptainEthnic Genghis Carnage]]) to be part of the Toxic Mega Cunts.
* ''Film/CityOfIndustry'': The Triads are one of the gangs allied to the bad guy, a robber who betrayed his partners after a jewelry store heist.
* The Triads are the main villains in the Mark Wahlberg film ''Film/TheCorruptor''.
* A Chinese gangster makes a brief appearance in a flashback in ''Film/{{Snatch}}'', attempting to murder local LondonGangster PsychoForHire Bullet-Tooth Tony. Key word is "attempting", because Tony shrugs off every bullet the gangster shoots him with, until he's left screaming "WhyWontYouDie?!", and then [[NeverBringAGunToAKnifeFight Tony kills him with a sword.]] The Triads have a more prominent role in a more recent Creator/GuyRitchie film, ''Film/TheGentlemen.''
* In ''Film/LicenceToKill'', [[BigBad Franz Sanchez]] is negotiating a business deal with Chinese drug barons, hoping to expand his [[TheCartel cartel]] into a Trans-Pacific empire. However, one Chinese gangster, Kwang, is later revealed to be an undercover Hong Kong narcotics officer hoping to entrap him.
* Leon takes out the Triads and Stansfield's [[TheDragon second-in-command]] Malky during a drug deal in ''Film/TheProfessional''.
* ''Film/TheNightComesForUs'' is a martial arts/mob movie dealing with the South East Asian Triad-controlled underworld of Jakarta. In the movie's universe, the Triad has six top enforcers, known as the Six Seas. The hero, Ito, is one of the Six Seas who has [[HitmanWithAHeart turned against his old masters]] to [[BadassAndChildDuo protect a little girl]] he was [[WouldntHurtAChild ordered to kill.]]
* ''Film/TheKillingOfAChineseBookie'': The "bookie" in the title turns out to be the local head of the Triad.

* In David Wingrove's ''Literature/ChungKuo'' series, the Triads become increasingly powerful in the lower Levels

* Tongs were the focus of a couple of episodes of ''Series/KungFu1972''

* A group of Tong serves as the main villain in the "[[Recap/SherlockS01E02TheBlindBanker The Blind Banker]]" episode of ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'' though it's referred to as an ancient Chinese crime syndicate rather than a Chinese-American organization a little over a century old ([[spoiler: and, as with the previous episode's villain, it turns out that Moriarty's {{The Man Behind The|Man}} DragonLady]]).
* An episode of ''Series/{{Castle}}'' features a tong. This example is unusual in that a character mentions that most tongs are legitimate organizations.
* In an episode of ''Series/ArcticAir'' the police are looking for a hitman from Vancouver who is trapped in the arctic community when a snowstorm stops all traffic in and out of town. One of the older mechanics starts telling stories about how nasty and deadly Triad assassins are. His stories are mostly nonsense and the hitman [[spoiler: is actually Caucasian and working for a biker gang rather than any Chinese crime group]].
* The mission that qualified Series/{{Nikita}} for active duty involved the assassination of Victor Han, a member of the Department of Homeland Security in its early days. [[spoiler:In actuality, the assassination was faked in order to remove Han, a triad member, from the intelligence community without pissing off said triad overmuch.]] Fast forward to the present day, and Nikita lays into a triad's New York operations [[spoiler:only to discover Victor Han is in charge]].
* In the ''{{Series/Monk}}'' episode "Mr. Monk Gets Cabin Fever", [[DefectiveDetective Adrian Monk]] accidentally stumbles upon a gangland murder in San Francisco's Chinatown district. This forces Monk to seek federal {{witness protection}} by hiding in a remote cabin in the woods. Meanwhile, Monk's cop friend [[TheDitz Randy Disher]] is dating a [[FemmeFatale pretty woman]] [[DragonLady of Chinese descent]], [[TheMole who's secretly aligned with the local Triad]] [[HoneyPot and tricks Randy into leading her gangster friends to Monk's hideout]]. This results in a shootout between the Triad hitmen and law enforcement.
* ''Series/Daredevil2015'' and ''Series/IronFist2017'': Madame Gao ostensibly is a Triad boss, who smuggles heroin into the United States using Rand Enterprises. During the first season of ''Daredevil'', she uses her connections with Wilson Fisk and the Ranskahov brothers to distribute the heroin on the streets of Hell's Kitchen. After the Ranskahovs are killed and Fisk is put in prison, Gao continues the operation using her role as a leader of the Hand.
* Triad gangs show up in ''Series/IronFist2017''. In the second season, one of the major plots is a growing war between two gangs, the Golden Tigers and the Yangshi-Gonshi as a result of the power vacuum left by the Hand's elimination in ''Series/TheDefenders2017'', a war that Davos eventually inserts himself into.
* The HistoricalDomainCharacter Brilliant Chang shows up in the 5th series of ''Series/PeakyBlinders'' as a tentative ally to the main characters. The real Chang was a notorious London-based opium baron, and is sometimes said to have inspired the ''Literature/FuManchu'' novels. Chang is presented on ''Blinders'' as a bit of a MagnificentBastard and certainly [[ALighterShadeOfBlack not the worst person around]].
* ''Series/{{Bosch}}: Bosch's ex-wife Eleanor Wish uses her position as a professional gambler to assist the FBI in their investigation into Triad activities in Los Angeles; this results in [[spoiler: her death in a drive-by shooting]].

* The Triads are one of the biggest powers in ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'', and effectively have all of Hong Kong in their pockets. The {{Yakuza}} are engaged in a vicious rivalry with them in San Francisco.
* ''The Triad Sourcebook'', one of the few supplements for ''TabletopGame/HongKongActionTheatre'', is an invaluable resource on the Triads and their use in Hong Kong action games in general.
* A common enemy and occasionally ally in the contemporary juncture of ''TabletopGame/FengShui''. As with other criminal syndicates in the ''Feng Shui'' setting, they're largely controlled by the Ascended.
* The Martian Triads are one of the major inner-system crime organisations in the ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}} TabletopGame/TranshumanSpace'' setting. While they do the usual organised crime stuff (loansharking, smuggling, protection), the bulk of their income comes from selling restricted and illegal [[ArtificialHuman bioroids]], and they're known to have at least one EvilutionaryBiologist on staff.
* Killing Streets, an expansion for Kindred of the East, describes the TabletopGame/OldWorldOfDarkness take on the state of in-game Triads and how to turn a campaign towards involving them. That's right, [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot Chinese Demon Vampire/Were-whatever Gangsters]].

* The Triads and the Tongs have been featured in every 3D ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' game thus far. You only work with them in ''San Andreas'', however, though you get to wipe them out in ''[=GTA3=]''.
** The DS game ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoChinatownWars'' obviously features them far more heavily than other GTA games. The player is the nephew of a triad leader.

* Triads are mentioned in ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes''... as being wiped out by the Tsoo, a magically tattooed gang of [[GoddamnedBats ninjas and wizards]]. Really.
** Given their focus on ancestor worship and ability to summon said ancestors' spirits, it's likely that in this game's verse the Tsoo actually came first and that a lot of the Triads were willingly assimilated.
* In ''VideoGame/TrueCrimeStreetsOfLA'' the Triad was your introductory set of mooks. In ''VideoGame/TrueCrimeNewYorkCity'', the Shadow Tong was a more intermediate set.
* The UsefulNotes/{{Bangkok}} mission set in ''VideoGame/MafiaWars'' has the player choose to ally him or herself with the Triads or the {{Yakuza}}, affecting which missions become available.
* ''VideoGame/{{Stranglehold}}'', in keeping with its cinematic predecessor ''Film/HardBoiled'', has Tequila going up against two of these along with a Russian crime syndicate.
* Rubi of ''VideoGame/{{WET}}'' travels to Hong Kong on several of her missions, and thus has to fight these guys several times during the course of the game.
* The Triads play a semi-major role in the last 3rd of the plot of ''VideoGame/MafiaII''.
* The White Mountain Triad is a minor faction in ''VideoGame/AlphaProtocol'', and its leader, Hong Shi, is a source of intel, missions, and resources during the first half of the Taipei mission hub.
* The very first set of levels in ''VideoGame/HitmanCodename47'' involve stirring turmoil between the Red Dragon and Blue Lotus Triads by killing key members during negotiation attempts as part of a plan to get close to and assassinate the Red Dragon leader, Lee Hong. Those were [[VideoGameRemake remade]] in ''VideoGame/HitmanContracts''.
* ''VideoGame/HongKongNinja'' depicts the city in the future under total control of the triads, whose leader, Scorpion, had allied himself with a rogue ninja clan. Triad mooks dressed in slick suits, carrying pistols and looking a lot like extras from some John Woo film, are a recurring enemy type.
* ''VideoGame/SleepingDogs'' is set in Hong Kong's criminal underbelly, with the protagonist Wei Shen being an undercover cop trying to infiltrate the [[{{Expy}} Sun On Yee]] gang.

* VideoGame/{{Strider}} Hiryu confronts a large-scale Chinese Mafia terrorist strike in the first stage of ''[[VideoGame/StriderArcade Strider 2]]''.
* The criminal Baoliusung Gang from the second ''VideoGame/{{Tenchu}}'' game.
* ''VideoGame/FarCry4'': Pagan Min, as well as his top lieutenant Yuma Lau and most of his Royal Guard, originally belonged to a Triad-run drug cartel headed by Pagan's father operating in the Golden Triangle. It's mentioned that after Pagan killed his father and usurped control of the gang, he butted heads with the Triad's "old guard" for dominance, but lost and was run out of Southeast Asia as a result.
* In ''VideoGame/AkatsukiBlitzkampf'', the ScaryBlackMan, Dawei Ye Lue and the DarkActionGirl, Marilyn "Sue" Dajie are members of the fictional ''Black Hand'' Triad under the leadership of a man named In Fu. Their Story Modes are kickstarted when In-Fu is murdered [[spoiler: by Marilyn under orders of the witch, [[ManipulativeBastard Mycale.]]]] It's also strongly implied that [[spoiler: In Fu was a clone of the BigBad Murakumo, and was offed because he was developing his own agenda.]]
* Naturally present in the Chinatown level of ''VideoGame/DeadToRights''. They return for the 2010 reboot, though for some reason most of them, including their boss, have a MonsterClown motif as well.
* ''VideoGame/ShadowrunReturns: Hong Kong'', given the setting, features them pretty heavily. Your main benefactor and boss, Kindly Cheng, is a Straw Sandal (a middle-manager) of the fictional Yellow Lotus triad and the background lore mentions an escalating turf war between Yellow Lotus and (also fictional) Red Dragon. Several of your runs involve hits on the Red Dragon, like kidnapping one of their Red Poles (a military commander) and pulling a FalseFlagOperation to put heat on them from a MegaCorp.

* The Snake Flower Triads are one of the villains in the first ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza}}'' game, led by Lau Ka Long, who returns in the third game. The Triads once again play a role in the [[VideoGame/Yakuza6 sixth game]] as one of the groups trying to go after Haruka and her child due to the fact that [[spoiler:the child's father is secretly one of the sons of the boss]]. In ''Videogame/YakuzaLikeADragon'' the Yokohama Liumang are one of the three big criminal factions of Ijincho, with their leader Tianyou Zhao serving as a major supporting character and eventual party member after their plotline is resolved.
* The "Slingshot" DLC for ''VideoGame/XCOMEnemyUnknown'' introduces Shaojie Zhang, a former member of the Triads who defects to XCOM after acquiring a dangerous piece of alien technology.
* In ''VideoGame/KaiserreichLegacyOfTheWeltkrieg'', the Triads have become very influential in the Legation Cities, and part of their focus tree involves dealing with the Triads. Alternatively, the player may choose to have the Triads launch a coup and outright ''take over'' the Legation Cities, making the Triads a nation-state in their own right.
* In ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines'', the Tong are a major presence in Los Angeles' Chinatown, thanks to [[spoiler:the ChineseVampire Ming Xiao backing them to destabilize the area and allow her Kuei-Jin faction to gain a foothold]]. The player character has to rescue a powerful businessman's kidnapped daughter from the Tong and later gives a Tong leader a hard lesson about MuggingTheMonster.

* Chan Chuang is the leader of one of [=LEGO=] City's two main gangs in ''VideoGame/LEGOCityUndercover''. He seems to be a friendly, polite individual, in contrast to the rest of his men. Key word is "[[FauxAffablyEvil seems]]", because he has a HairTriggerTemper, [[SuddenlyShouting AND IS HEAVILY PRONE TO RAISING HIS VOICE WHENEVER ONE OF HIS DUNDERHEADED UNDERLINGS BOTCHES THEIR WORK]]! He also keeps a [[BunniesForCuteness rabbit that he strokes]] in order to sooth his temper, [[KillerRabbit though that rabbit attacks him behind Chase's back]].

* A few Triad members appear in "Sneak Peek", an episode of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'', where the Triad leader Jimmy Lin attempts to talk to the DA, and is filmed by journalist Ian Peek.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks'' episode "Attack of the Killer Kung-Fu Wolf Bitch", [[DarkActionGirl Luna]] recalls through a {{flashback}} that the first of her [[DomesticAbuse abusive boyfriends]] was a Hong Kong mobster named [[TheDon Kenny Wu]]. Aside from being a criminal, Kenny clearly wasn't a nice guy; for example, [[DisproportionateRetribution he angrily slapped her just for]] [[SeriousBusiness undercooking a piece of chicken that came out too cold]].

* Triad gangs show up in ''Series/IronFist2017''. In the second season, one of the major plots is a growing war between two gangs, the [[KnifeNut Golden Tigers]] and the [[AnAxeToGrind Yangshi-Gonshi]] as a result of the power vacuum left by the Hand's elimination in ''Series/TheDefenders2017'', a war that Davos eventually inserts himself into.

* Tongs were the focus of a couple of episodes of ''Series/KungFu''

* In Creator/MayuShinjo's ''Manga/HaouAiren'', an OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent named Kurumi Akino saves the life of a handsome stranger and nurses him back to health. It turns out he's Uon Hakuron (a.k.a. [[spoiler:Li Shen Wong]]), a dangerous and sexy Triad leader, and soon after said incident she's kidnapped from school and taken to Hong Kong. Did we mention Mayu Shinjo has a thing for {{Bastard Boyfriend}}s?

him for dead.

* ''Film/DeathRace2008'' has a prison gang leader, aptly named "14K" who's described as "First generation Chinese-American, tenth generation Triad".

As mentioned earlier, the traditional punishment is death by a hundred cuts, or getting ambushed and hacked up which is easier and quicker. Hong Kong triads [[KnifeNut especially love their cleavers,]] given the difficulty of obtaining guns in Hong Kong. A {{machete|Mayhem}} is fine too. Overseas groups may use guns, automatic weapons and explosives, if they don't find them dishonorable.

* In ''VideoGame/AkatsukiBlitzkampf'', the ScaryBlackMan Dawei Ye Lue and the DarkActionGirl Marilyn "Sue" Dajie are members of the fictional ''Black Hand'' Triad under the leadership of a man named In Fu. Their Story Modes are kickstarted when In-Fu is murdered [[spoiler: by Marilyn under orders of the witch, [[ManipulativeBastard Mycale.]]]] It's also strongly implied that [[spoiler: In Fu was a clone of the BigBad Murakumo, and was offed because he was developing his own agenda.]]

* In ''VideoGame/AkatsukiBlitzkampf'', the ScaryBlackMan Dawei Ye Lue and the DarkActionGirl Marilyn "Sue" Dajie are members of the fictional ''Black Hand'' Triad under the leadership of a man named In Fu. Their Story Modes are kickstarted when In-Fu is murdered [[spoiler: by Marilyn herself under orders of the witch, [[ManipulativeBastard Mycale.]]]] It's also strongly implied that [[spoiler: In Fu was a clone of the BigBad Murakumo, and was offed because he was developing his own agenda.]]

* In ''VideoGame/AkatsukiBlitzkampf'', the ScaryBlackMan Wei and the DarkActionGirl Marilyn "Sue" Dajie are members of the fictional ''Black Hand'' Triad under the leadership of a man named In Fu. Their Story Modes are kickstarted when In-Fu is murdered [[spoiler: by Marilyn herself under orders of the witch, [[ManipulativeBastard Mycale.]]]] It's also strongly implied that [[spoiler: In Fu was a clone of the BigBad Murakumo, and was offed because he was developing his own agenda.]]

* In ''VideoGame/AkatsukiBlitzkampf'', the ScaryBlackMan Wei and the DarkActionGirl Marilyn Sue Dajie are members of the fictional ''Black Hand'' Triad under the leadership of a man named In Fu. Their Story Modes are kickstarted when In-Fu is murdered [[spoiler: by Marilyn herself, under orders of the witch: [[ManipulativeBastard Mycale.]] It's also strongly implied that [[spoiler: In Fu was a clone of the BigBad Murakumo, and was offed because he was developing his own agenda.]]

* In ''VideoGame/AkatsukiBlitzkampf'', the ScaryBlackMan Wei and the DarkActionGirl Marilyn Sue Dajie are members of the fictional ''Black Hand'' Triad under the leadership of a man named In Fu. Their Story Modes are kickstarted when In-Fu is murdered [[spoiler: by [[TheStarscream Marilyn herself]], under orders of the witch Mycale.]] It's also strongly implied that [[spoiler: In Fu was a clone of the BigBad Murakumo, and was offed because he was developing his own agenda.]]

* Part of the backstory of the titular doctor of ''Literature/DrNo''. He started out as the treasurer for a Tong, before running away with their money to continue his career. They chopped his hands off when they found him and left * The YellowPeril variant is referenced, and averted, in ''Literature/EastOfEden'', in which Adam Trask's Chinese servant Lee tells Adam and Samuel about going for help to his "family association".

It should be noted that "Chinese Mafia" is both an oversimplification and misconception of Triads and Tongs, as neither have that much presence in China itself. Triads have some influence in certain regions of China, but operate most extensively outside of mainland China, as Mao's regime dismantled traditional secret societies during the Cultural Revolution, and the Tongs are largely a western phenomenon with most members being of the Chinese diaspora. Within the actual People's Republic of China there are criminal outfits called Black Societies, [[TheSyndicate which wield significant but subtle political power and clout with local law enforcement]], and Dark Forces, which are [[GangBangers less organized, less powerful]] gangs (both terms being awkward translations of weird Chinese terms), neither having any relationship to traditional Chinese mysticism. Essentially, Triads are ethnically Chinese criminal societies [[RuthlessForeignGangsters abroad]].[[note]]Most prominently in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau, with heavy presence in Southeast Asia, though they also have minor footholds in Japan, Korea, Russia, Australia, Europe, Hawaii and, thanks to Chinatowns and the Tongs, continental USA and Canada.[[/note]]

After contributing to the fall of the Qing Empire in the 1911 revolution, without resurrecting the Ming (as had been their original intention), the Triads now found themselves without a purpose and there was a split between the Mainland and overseas branches. The Mainland group is what we now commonly refer to as the Triads, while the overseas group became known as the Hongmen. The mainland Triads now turned to crime as they were unable to reenter normal society. After the Communist takeover, many Triad members moved to Hong Kong and Taiwan to escape new measures against organized crime. Hong Kong's Triad problems peaked in the 1970s, helped by [[DirtyCop police corruption]].

It should be noted that "Chinese Mafia" is both an oversimplification and misconception of Triads and Tongs, as neither have that much presence in China itself. Triads have some influence in certain regions of China, but operate most extensively outside of mainland China, as Mao's regime dismantled traditional secret societies during the Cultural Revolution, and the Tongs are largely a western phenomenon. Within the actual People's Republic of China there are criminal outfits called Black Societies, [[TheSyndicate which wield significant but subtle political power and clout with local law enforcement]], and Dark Forces, which are [[GangBangers less organized, less powerful]] gangs (both terms being awkward translations of weird Chinese terms), neither having any relationship to traditional Chinese mysticism. Essentially, Triads are ethnically Chinese criminal societies [[RuthlessForeignGangsters abroad]].[[note]]Most prominently in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau, with heavy presence in Southeast Asia, though they also have minor footholds in Japan, Korea, Russia, Australia, Europe, Hawaii and, thanks to Chinatowns and the Tongs, continental USA and Canada.[[/note]]

* ''Film/RomeoMustDie'' has an African American gang and a Chinese gang butting head over waterfront property.

* Creator/BusterKeaton silent film ''Film/TheCameraman'', in which Buster the newsreel cameraman goes to film a parade in Chinatown and winds up capturing a shootout between rival gangs (the "Tong War"), may be the TropeMaker.

* Time marches on. A "Tong" in Chinese can mean group, organization, association, club, etc. The likelihood of Tongs containing members who speak Chinese (or at least were ethnically Chinese born) is high, but the odds of it being a criminal organization is no higher than an Italian Restaurant today being a Mob front.

* ''Literature/PortraitInSepia'': Tao Chi'en has been doing his best to rescue girls from sexual slavery in Chinatown, and it is politely tolerated. But when he gets involved with a pair of American missionaries who disrupt [[HumanTraffickers the people in charge of the business]] send out a hit on him and [[spoiler:attack him while he is out on the street with his granddaughter, leaving him for dead.]]

* The YellowPeril variant is referenced, and averted, in ''Literature/EastOfEden'', in which Adam Trask's Chinese servant Lee tells Adam and Samuel about going for help to his "family association".

* The Triads in Hong Kong are a persistent thorn in Dirk Struan's side in James Clavell's ''Literature/TaiPan''. Unknown to him, several Chinese characters are members, including [[spoiler: his illegitimate son]].
* Hong Kong Triads feature in ''Literature/DarkHeavens'', led by [[spoiler: Simon Wong.]]
* Key to the plot of Creator/MichaelConnelly's novel ''Literature/NineDragons'', in which Harry Bosch's daughter is kidnapped by a Triad gang.
* In ''[[Literature/AlexRider Skeleton Key]]'' a branch of the Triads called the Big Circle attempts to set up a betting scam at Wimbledon, but Alex uncovers the scam and ruins it. A Big Circle agent later attempts to assassinate Alex in revenge.

* Part of the backstory of the titular doctor of ''Literature/DrNo''. He started out as the treasurer for a Tong, before running away with their money to continue his career. They chopped his hands off when they found him and left him for dead.
* ''Literature/CrosstimeTraffic'': Despite the German occupation of the United States, the Chinese Triads still operate in the San Francisco of ''Curious Notions''.

* The Inner Demons from ''VideoGame/SpiderManPS4'' are a criminal organization comprised mostly of Chinese immigrants, many of whom were former [[RuthlessForeignGangsters Triad mobsters]] back in the old country. However despite initial appearances, they're not really a normal street gang which engages in illegal activities for monetary profit; but are actually more like [[FarEastAsianTerrorists fanatical terrorists]] who serve a cult-of-personality centered on their boss [[BigBad Mr. Negative]], who orders them to commit acts of violence and destruction around New York City, all as part of his [[RevengeBeforeReason personal vendetta against]] [[CorruptPolitician Mayor]] ComicBook/NormanOsborn.

* In ''VideoGame/AkatsukiBlitzkampf'', the ScaryBlackMan Wei and the DarkActionGirl Marilyn Sue Dae Jie are members of the fictional ''Black Hand'' Triad under the leadership of a man named In Fu. Their Story Modes are kickstarted when In-Fu is murdered [[spoiler: by [[TheStarscream Marilyn herself]], under orders of the witch Mycale.]] It's also strongly implied that [[spoiler: In Fu was a clone of the BigBad Murakumo, and was offed because he was developing his own agenda.]]

* The Red Dragon Syndicate, ''Anime/CowboyBebop''.

* [[DudeLooksLikeALady Fong-Fong]] and [[ChineseVampire Ling-Ling]] Wong from ''Manga/RosarioPlusVampire''.

* The Snake Flower Triads are one of the villains in the first ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza}}'' game, led by Lau Ka Long, who returns in the third game. The Triads once again play a role in the [[VideoGame/Yakuza6 sixth game]] as one of the groups trying to go after Haruka and her child due to the fact that [[spoiler:the child's father is secretly one of the sons of the boss]].