Customer Reviews

The Dragon Syndicates: The Global Phenomenon on the Triads

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As an outsider attempting to study, then explain the history of Chinese secret societies and organized crime, Mr. Booth obviously conducted extensive research. For this he should be commended.

Yet, as a native-speaking Chinese , I was confused by the translations, which were inconsistent throughout the book. More importantly, it appeared that major crimes were also reported, simply to include them but totally missing their true origin, motive and intent.

For a better understanding of Asian organized crime and its impact on our communities, readers are encouraged to pick up "Chinese Playground" by Bill Lee, "Fires of the Dragon" by David Kaplan, and "The Dream Shattered" by Du Phuoc Long.

The "Dragon Syndicates" is well written, compelling reading and detailed without being ponderous. Mr. Booth writes not only about the Chinese Triads and the many crimes that support their membership around the world, but also of the history of these secret societies.

From two thousand years ago, the author describes the beginnings of the Triads, the relationship they have had in the history of China as well as the rest of the world. I was amazed to learn of the significance of the Triads in the major political events throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.

My practice as a Private Investigator in the upper levels of corporate issues and litigation has brought me into a familiarity of dealings with such issues as organized crime around the world. Many of the matters that corporations are faced with today must be viewed in the light of dealing with these crime syndicates.

I have also traveled in Hong Kong and Macau which are locations discussed in many aspects of this history of the Triads. And as such found it especially interesting to relate the places I have visited with their discussion in the book.

I very much recommend this book to anyone with an interest in global affairs, global crime or the history of China.

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. I found this book almost by accident and thought for a long while. Certainly, I knew of the Triads, but was their full story worth reading? Eventually, I decided to buy Martin Booth's book. Dear heavens, what a good choice I made! The book proved to be a thrilling and captivating account of an underworld empire of whose actions and dealings we often hear, usually not realizing the existence of the powers behind them. It is truly fascinating - and once you read it, you will see a lot of things and events in today's world differently. Not only that; you will also have to take a different look at world's history, since the book - in a particularly fascinating and captivating part - shows the involvement of the Triads in major historical events, and the way they literally shaped a considerable part of the world. Thrilling and highly recommended, just for everyone, not only for those interested in true crime. And for the latter - a must read.

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.

One problem from the outset: There are these wonderful things that have been in use for a while called Chinese characters. The author's spellings were so inconsistent (Pinyin/ Wade Giles/ Yale Romanization for Cantonese), that it was just really hard to be clear sometimes. (I can understand Mandarin, as many of the people who likely read this book can. And even for those who couldn't understand, the characters would have made for some nice decoration. At the minimum, they would have not made me guess what was being written.)

He was also a bit liberal with the use of a.......... not-so-nice way to say "prostitute" and a......... not-so-nice way to say "defecate." If he had cleaned up the language of the book, it would not have dimished it in any way.


The rest of the book was great.

1. It shed a lot of light on that dirtbag, Chiang-Kai Shek. A lot of people imagine that he was some good guy that happened to lose control of China because of some financing by the Russians (this was the thesis of Jon Halliday and Jung Chang), but it turns out that he had quite a hand in his own problems, too. He was also not a very nice man. It seemed that the only real problem that the KMT had with the CCP was that they might have gotten in the way of opium profits. He also demonstrated some of the good things that the CCP has done-- and why they are so willing to execute people that violate drug laws. (The first generation of leadership was there when drugs were allowed to run loose.)

2. Wow! I didn't know that 35 million died in the Taiping Rebellion. That was more than either the Great Leap Forward OR The Cultural Revolution.

3. The book read like a cross between a Sidney Sheldon novel and a history book. Some history books are just so concerned with getting the names and dates right that they forget that they have a reader (who is rapidly losing interest in the book), but it seems like this gives us enough intrigue to keep reading. The characters are fleshed out enough that we can actually imagine them. It is not easy to keep track of all the names and dates and events (as it is not in any history book in which you don't read as a major), but if a good pop history text should leave the reader with a deep impression, then this is it.

4. A lot of people whine about "model minority" this or that, but this book puts paid to that myth. It seems like everywhere Chinese people go, they leave problems behind in one place (famine and other civil unrest) and then extend the same/ new problems (drug trafficking/ human trafficking) to their new places of residence. "Dragon Syndicates" could be read about its ostensible topic or it could be read as a way to pour water on the Model Minority Mythology. Thomas Sowell has also used the Chinese as an example of what to do (for people who come to a country as immigrants), but this might let some of the air out of example.

5. The author demonstrated that Hong Kong was not always the clean place that we think of it to be. And that it took *time* to clean it up. A LONG time, in fact. And that most of the corruption was from the Chinese infiltrating the police force.

6. So CKS wasn't a willing US ally after all! I am going to be digging into a biography of Chiang Kai Shek after this book, but this definitely gave me some things to watch out for in that soon-to-be read book. The US committment to Taiwan only came along as a last resort (on the behalf of the Chinese on the island).

7. The Triads started out as one thing (a way to overthrow the Ming) and morphed into something totally different (criminal syndicates).

8. This book also ended up as an accidental case for the complete legalization of drugs. (After all, the major source of revenue for all these syndicates, and that which took up the most space in the book, was narcotics revenue.)

It could have gone in many other directions. Some things that I might like to have seen expanded (but were likely beyond the scope of this book) were:

1. How sloppy, ineffective governments create conditions ripe for Mafioso/ Triad activity.
2. Perhaps Booth could have thrown in a few charts detailing the (brilliant) narcotics supply chains as appendixes.
3. Are there any places that Chinese people have been that they *didn't* bring Triads and crime with them?
4. A few quotes of Eric Hoffer (who wrote THE book on mass movements) would not have hurt. Or even a bit of analysis (such as how movements mutate into other things once their ostensible purpose is achieved).
5. It could have talked in some detail about how the best way to keep law enforcement clean is to keep them away from drug prohibition enforcement. (And conversely, a reliable way to generate corruption is to use them in the service of drug law enforcement.)

All in all, this is a great book and well worth the second hand purchase price. It shouldn't take more than 3-4 afternoons of very easy and fun reading.

Martin Booths "The Dragon Syndicates: The Global Phenomenon of the Triads" is a very comphrensive account of the Triads which starts with study of chinese history, and works its way all the way up to modern day Triad activity. This is a very informative type of read, at times may find it lengthy, but the author provides a very detailed account of the history of the Triads. The numerous accounts of secret societys of many types is fascinating, whether it be merchants banding toghether to protect themselves, or others fighting for patriotic causes, or as more recently criminal groups working to build wealth and wealth alone. I was surprised at how deeply involved these societies were/are involved in chinese politics, culture etc and at the extent to which the Triads have spread globally. I also liked the picture inserts in middle of book, which among other things showed Triad Cermonial ware, Weapons, surveillance pictures. Martin Booth's " The Dragon Syndicates: The Global Phenomenon" is a book worth having, one that you can reread many a time.

This is a very informative book, that at times reads like a text book, on The Triads, past and present. Some of the information in the book really took me by surprise because it seems too unreal to be true. Information on Chiang Kai Shek, Philippine President Marcus, pirated Chinese CDs, the Yakuza, and The Society of God Worshippers really surprised me. Some of the information in the book like the Tongs, the 14K connection with the Wah Ching gang, the Hong Kong triads activities involvment in vice, the Shaolin Monastary, The White Lotus Society and the Boxer Rebellion, Triad origins and rituals, and a myriad of other related issues deepened my knowlege after reading this book. The one thing that I disliked about the book is that at times it does get confusing with all the English translations of Cantonese and Mandarine names and words. It got me confused a few times and I had to look up some of the words again in the index. But over all it has been informative and a fascinating study.

Insightful, comprehensive--Booth put in an incredible amount of research and also an unmatched sensitivity to the issues addressed. Initially when I saw this book, I questioned its authenticity due, I'm afraid to admit, in great part to the fact Booth is not Asian. But unlike the bulk of non-Asian authors writing about Asia, he has an incredible understanding of the culture and heritage--not the kind of understanding learned by a few quaint encounters or one from a sociology degree, but a well-rounded grasp.

A lot is covered in this book and I am more than pleased with my purchase. It serves as an invaluable reference in my library and I've recommended the book to everyone I know interested in the hak sh'e hui (triads).

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.

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. Today it is most likely to be over $2 trillion, annual, of which 50 percent or so is profits. The impact of their trade, which is narcotics based, on the moral fibre of people everywhere is incalculable. It does not take a rocket scientist to understand that this type of money translates into massive political, financial, legal, judicial, and law enforcement corruption in all countries, including the United States. So far, there has been too little attention placed on the Chinese Triads and their contribution. Dragon Syndicates is an excellent start towards filling the gap. Its history is excellent. It makes clear the reason organized crime exists is that it is politically protected and very rapidly becomes integrated with the political and financial structure. The weakness in the book is its failure to understand the present-day government involvement, especially in the case of China, which while it outlawed internal use of drugs in 1949, as described in the book, at the same time it nationalized the poppies and began using opium and heroin to undermine other societies, most notably Japan and the United States (See The Peking Bomb by Gerd Hamburger and Psycho-chemical Warfare by A.H Stanton Candlin). The State-Triads connection has grown and can now be seen in the marketing of designer drugs, produced in military labs, and in the coordination with the Yakusa, Mafia, and Russian Organized Crime, in which the intelligence services play a major role. The threat posed by international organized crime and the need to recognize and respond is clearly evident in the Dragon Syndicates. This book is especially useful in showing how tremendous the Triad-supported crime has grown in the United States since 1965, when immigration controls were significantly relaxed. This is especially apparent in places like New York, San Francisco, and the Pacific Northwest. The book is also excellent in showing the variety of activities -- from narcotics, to white slavery, loan sharking, pornography, arms sales, money laundering, and piracy of computer software. The book is a valuable and insightful read. See also Drug Politics by David Jordan.