Organized crime in Taiwan

In Taiwan, the criminal underworld is commonly referred to as heidao (), heibang (), or heishehui (). Members of organized crime are colloquially called xiongdi (), whereas a leader or chief is sometimes called dage (). == History ==

The development of modern organized triads in Taiwan largely goes back to the 1950s following the retreat of the Republic of China to Taiwan. The Four Seas Gang was founded in 1954 and is the second largest gang in Taiwan with 46 branches and over 700 known members. The Bamboo Union was formed by waishengren children of Kuomintang soldiers who wanted to consolidate power against Hoklo Taiwanese. The first members lived on Zhulin Road () in what is now Yonghe District in New Taipei City. It was established in 1957. Former leader Chang An-lo confirmed the 1984 plot to assassinate writer Henry Liu after his publication of an unauthorized biography of president Chiang Ching-kuo. He recounted that intelligence bureau chief Wang Hsi-ling sent gangsters Chen Chi-li and Wu Dun to assassinate Liu, though according to another account, Chiang Hsiao-wu dispatched the gangsters. In response to the public outcry over Liu's murder, the government carried out Operation Clean Sweep, a widespread crackdown that led to the arrest of 2,346 gangsters and confiscation of large quantities of guns and knives. Small-time jiaotou boss Lo Fu-chu was imprisoned and suffered at the hands of other gangs. Three years later, in 1986, Lo created an alliance of local jiaotou gangs named the Heavenly Way Gang (), now the third largest gang, as a benshengren response to the waishengren-dominated gangs. After martial law was lifted in 1987, organized crime saw a surge in the supply of smuggled guns and drugs, resulting from a reduction in maritime patrols. Mob infiltration of business and politics became more common in the 1990s. Taiwan's Ministry of the Interior stated in 2017 that China's Ministry of State Security operates an "external liaison office" in Xiamen which communicates with and provides financial assistance to organized criminal groups in Taiwan. == International activity ==

In 2008, the Bamboo Union was ranked by Foreign Policy as one of the world's most dangerous gangs. It was linked to the kidnapping of Hong Kong businessman Wong Yuk-kwan in 2015. == In popular culture ==

The 1983 American crime novel China Gate chronicles the activities of the Taiwanese underworld from the end of World War II to the U.S. recognition of Mainland China in 1979. Though the novel opens with a disclaimer that its story is total fiction, it was widely praised at the time for its authenticity. The Portland Oregonian claimed that "though fiction... truth is ever present in its plot..."; and with its "connection between Chinese organized crime and American politics in the Far East", unfolding "on a large and believable scale over thirty years", the novel cannot help but establish "a tantalizing touch of exposé". The Taiwanese film Monga (2010) depicts organized criminal activity, such as prostitution, in 1980s Wanhua District. Netflix series The Brothers Sun (2024) starring Michelle Yeoh is also in the gangster genre that portrays the organized crime underworld of Taiwan. Funerals of crime bosses have become a cultural phenomenon, often covered in national media. The funeral of a Tainan local boss was attended by 3,000 alleged gang members, mostly from Taipei. Law enforcement speculated that these visiting groups aimed to use the occasion as a way to recruit members for their respective gangs. In 2023, a YouTube video of a crime boss's 2019 funeral reached over a million views. Criminal Investigation Bureau police asked the site to take down the video, on the grounds that gangs may use it to recruit youth members. == See also ==