Ming and Ch'ing Dynasty China

[zombiewhacker]

Currently I'm researching late-medieval Chinese history (specifically the 1600 and 1700s) and curiously a lot of the books I've read pay little or no interest to the issue of crime. How safe was it to walk the streets in provinces like Guangdong and Fujian back in the Ming and Ch'ing eras? How about the capitol of Beijing itself?

Another area that intrigues me is whether China during these periods ever suffered from organized crime. What little information I've come across deals with the Heaven and Earth society, which if memory serves evolved in the late Ch'ing dynasty. But what about before the rise of the Triads? Did organizations of similar design exist in previous centuries, and how pervasive were they? The resources I've come across so far make no mention of the subject.

[jiang cheng]

In the native china itself, it is very rarely for the anti Qing triads to organise crimes that would hurt the Hans or the native chinese unless the person proven to be a threat to their ambitions. The meaning of the organisation was lose and they become secret societies as they fellowed the majority of the chinese to seek for a fortune. Majority of the time, they would be busy with selective recruitment and plot against the manchurians and etc. Meaning that majority of the commoners may not even have any dealings with them.

One would wonder how they get their funds? I have no answer to it. I suspect and speculate that there are a few sources.

1.) Sponsorship from the direct members - Some of the members may be rich and that they could contribute through work and financial. The amount could be either one time huge amount or periodic contribution.

2.) Extortion or robbery against the non native or non han chinese - Of course this is one source of funding that they could use. But come to think of it, it requires a lot of work and effort as the rich would likely to have some bodyguards which may weapons.

3.) Some legal business - any source of business where the front look like any usual family business but the funds could be use to fund against the anti manchurians activities.

4.) Donations from supporters - Unlike the direct members, these people could be the rich and the famous who wanted a non manchurian government. They want to do something for the people without risking their own life so the best they could do is to have donation of some sort without any names been recorded. The triads understand that and the supporters could either make a one time donation or there could be chances of a periodic donations.

[zombiewhacker]

I haven't checked these boards in a while, but thanks for your response!