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Fujianese organized crime

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Fujianese organized crime
Founding locationFujian, China
Years active1900s–present
TerritoryGlobal Chinese communities
EthnicityHoklo people (Han Chinese)
Criminal activitiesViolence and bribery, collaboration with police brutality
AlliesTriad (Hong Kong)
Big Circle Gang
Yakuza
Yamaguchi-gumi (Japan)
American Mafia
Chinese Communist Party
Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions
Grand Alliance for Safeguarding Hong Kong
RivalsAnti-communist, Hong Kong pro-democracy protestors:
Hong Kong and Kowloon Trades Union Council
HK First
Professional Commons
People Power
League of Social Democrats
Action 18
National Socialism Association
China Youth Service & Recreation Centre

Fujianese organized crime or Fujian gang (simplified Chinese: 福建帮; traditional Chinese: 福建幫) refers to crime syndicates, similar to triad gangs, composed of Fujianese people. The term primarily refers to Fujianese immigrant gangs in Hong Kong, but can also refer more broadly to Fujianese community associations or to native crime syndicates in the province of Fujian.

In recent years, Fujian gangs have come under global attention due to their role in attacks against Hong Kong pro-democracy protestors such as 2019 Yuen Long attack and the attack in North Point on 8 November 2019.

History

20th century and prior

Between the Qing dynasty and the reform and opening-up era of the People's Republic of China, many residents of mainland China, including those from Fuqing, Fujian, smuggled out of China. Fuqing emigrants and Fujianese in Japan faced difficult conditions and therefore organized community associations, which later evolved into the Fuqing Gang (Chinese: 福清帮; pinyin: fúqīngbāng), also called the Fulong Gang (Chinese: 福龍幫), a crime syndicate that became active internationally and monopolized underground casinos in Tokyo as its main source of income.[1] Hong Kong media reports indicated that the Fuqing Gang collaborated with the Japanese Yakuza, the American Mafia, and Triads operating in mainland China in the operation of underground casinos and the trafficking of illegal drugs in East Asia.[2]

Prior to the 1960s, a large exodus of Fujianese people moved from mainland China into North Point. It, along with Yuen Long, are regarded as the "territories" of Fujian gangs by Hong Kong media, with iron-vote support for their left-wing ally Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions. Early in the 1950s and 60s, the two districts, especially North Point which occasionally dubbed as the "Little Fujian" for once housing many Fujianese-run storefronts, served as the main "base of operations" for the pro-Beijing camp.[3][4][5] The Fujianese supported left-wing labour associations and students during the 1967 Hong Kong riots, and the Chinese Goods Centre (Chinese: 華豐國貨) served as the command centre for the leftist.[6]

21st century

A vandalised Best Mart 360 storefront due to alleged links to Fujian gangs
Wang Zhimin, then-director of Hong Kong Liaison Office from Fujian.

On 20 July 2019, during the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests, the radical pro-Beijing group "Grand Alliance for Safeguarding Hong Kong" (Chinese: 守護香港大聯盟) organised an assembly in support of the police, in which Shek Kang-chuen, founder of Hong Kong Economic Times, advocated violent attacks on anti-government protestors.[7] The day after, scores of anti-government protestors were attacked in Yuen Long.[8] A similar assault on protestors occurred in North Point on 11 August, in which some assailants identified themselves as Chinese or Fujianese.[9] On 17 August, Grand Alliance supporters, including Fujian gang members, gathered again to show their support to authorities.[10]

Following the violent assaults on protestors, Chinese state-run enterprises and businesses run by Fujianese were targeted. Among those was Best Mart 360, whose founder's links to Fujianese community associations led to vandalism, arson attacks, and looting of the company's approximately 360 branches.[11][12] In September and October of the same year, Best Mart 360 denied any relationship with "Fujian gangs".[13][14] Following the violent incidents, pro-Beijing sources praised the Fujianese in Hong Kong for demonstrating "patriotism",[15] while state media People's Daily and Global Times called for "patriots who love Hong Kong" to take to the streets and "prepare to battle".[16][17]

The director of the Hong Kong Liaison Office Wang Zhimin, a former member of the People's Liberation Army from Xianyou, Fujian, was suggested to have deep ties with Fujian gangs. On 4 January 2020, Wang was recalled by the State Council of the People's Republic of China and replaced by Luo Huining.[18][19]

The main antagonists of the 1999 film, The Corruptor are a powerful and violent gang called "The Fukienese Dragons", which is very similar with the real Fujian gang, both in criminal methods and activities, as well as in the violence and origin of the gang (which as its name gives, are originally from Fujian, China).[20] In the film, this gang, led by violent and volatile gangster Bobby Vu (played by Byron Mann), fights a bloody war for control of Chinatown with a powerful tong, the Tung Fung Benevolent Association (in this case led by Benny 'Uncle Benny' Wong, played by Kim Chan), which is also involved in criminal activities and is the most powerful gang in Chinatown.[21]

See also

References

  1. ^ 福清帮：全球华人第一黑帮的故事 Archived 2020-01-25 at the Wayback Machine，《搜狐》，2017年8月28號 (in Chinese)
  2. ^ 黑社會殺入《城市論壇》 Archived 2020-05-09 at the Wayback Machine，《東方日報》，2012年4月2號 (in Chinese)
  3. ^ 福建幫囤重兵示威者卻步 Archived 2019-10-29 at the Wayback Machine 星島日報 2019年8月12日 (in Chinese)
  4. ^ 北角、福建幫、工聯會 50 年不變 Archived 2020-05-09 at the Wayback Machine 立場新聞 2019年9月16日 (in Chinese)
  5. ^ 驚聞福建幫重賞同鄉來港報復店鋪明知報警沒用提早關門 Archived 2019-10-29 at the Wayback Machine RFI (in Chinese)
  6. ^ 香港六七暴動的親歷者看「反送中」 Archived 2019-10-05 at the Wayback Machine 紐約時報 2019年9月20日 (in Chinese)
  7. ^ 《經濟日報》副社長石鏡泉 上周六守護香港集會曾稱：教仔要用藤條及水喉通 Archived 2019-07-22 at the Wayback Machine，《香港獨立媒體》，2019年7月22號 (in Chinese)
  8. ^ 【元朗黑夜】網傳何君堯向白衫人豎拇指：辛苦你！你哋係我英雄 Archived 2020-03-03 at the Wayback Machine，《香港01》，2019年7月21號 (in Chinese)
  9. ^ 【逆權運動】中五生去北角買書遭愛國福建暴徒十打一 打到爆嘴手指伸唔直 Archived 2019-12-30 at the Wayback Machine，《果報》，2019年08月11號 (in Chinese)
  10. ^ 【逃犯條例】添馬公園集會前大量愛國福建幫聚集大會堂 Archived 2019-08-18 at the Wayback Machine，《香港01》，2019年8月17號 (in Chinese)
  11. ^ "優品360續成攻擊對象 示威者破壞後即走 大媽趁火打劫". 蘋果日報. 2019-10-05. Archived from the original on 2020-01-05. Retrieved 2020-01-30. (in Chinese)
  12. ^ "荃灣重災 吉野家優品吉野家優品360中銀等蒙難 中銀等銀行陷入火海 客戶文件化灰" (PDF). 文匯報. 2019-10-05. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-05-09. Retrieved 2020-01-30. (in Chinese)
  13. ^ "【反修例】優品360分店被圍 公司反駁：未曾參與亦不支持任何暴力". 香港經濟日報. 2019-09-22. Archived from the original on 2020-05-09. Retrieved 2020-01-30. (in Chinese)
  14. ^ "多間舖被砸爛 優品360再發聲明：與福建黑幫無關". 香港經濟日報. 2019-10-02. Archived from the original on 2020-05-09. Retrieved 2020-01-30. (in Chinese)
  15. ^ 我们福建人！爱国！不怂！ Archived 2019-10-29 at the Wayback Machine，《海峡都市报》，2019年8月12號 (in Chinese)
  16. ^ 環時籲愛國愛港市民站出來北角福建幫動員備戰 Archived 2020-05-09 at the Wayback Machine，《中央社CNA》，2019年8月6號 (in Chinese)
  17. ^ 人民快評：期待更多愛國愛港的香港市民堅定站出來 Archived 2020-01-27 at the Wayback Machine，《人民網》，2019年8月8號 (in Chinese)
  18. ^ 【王志民免職】王志民曾形容香港「第二故鄉」　與福建社團關係密切 Archived 2020-01-05 at the Wayback Machine，《明報》，2020年1月4號 (in Chinese)
  19. ^ 王志民提早回鄉　福建幫睇路啦 Archived 2020-01-06 at the Wayback Machine，《立場新聞》，2020年1月5號 (in Chinese)
  20. ^ Irresistible Yun-Fat Finally Gets Chance to Shine in ‘Corruptor’
  21. ^ RogerEbert.com: The Corruptor (Review)
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