Snakeheads, mules, and protective umbrellas: a review of current research on Chinese organized crime

Abstract

China's red-hot economy in recent decades has not only brought the country unprecedented wealth and political prominence in the world but also created ample opportunities for criminal enterprises to flourish. A review of recently published literature reveals that two types of transnational criminal activitieshuman smuggling and drug trafficking -received a fair amount of empirical attention in the research community. Other crimes, however, although carrying equally significant cross-national implications, have received scant attention. Thanks to a handful of empirical studies in recent years, the notion that traditional Chinese crime syndicates dominated transnational criminal activities has largely been dispelled. Most of those involved in transnational crimes (at least in human smuggling and drug trafficking) were found to be otherwise ordinary individuals who exploit their social or familial networks to take advantage of emerging opportunities. The criminal underworld in China appears to be growing along two separate tracks, with transnational organized crimes operating on one track and locally based criminal organizations on the other. Both groups of criminal entities are not known to cross paths in any systemic way. Research on Chinese organized crime (either locally based or transnational) has remained rather limited. Future research needs to emphasize empirical strategies to explore these and other pressing transnational criminal activities, as well as to solidify recent findings.If the Chinese economy can be viewed as a dragon roaring and blazing throughout the world, transnational criminal enterprises of Chinese origin are also thriving in its wake. After the Communists took over the country in 1949, for decades criminal organizations all but disappeared in China [22]. However, amidst the economic Crime Law Soc Change (2008) 50:177-195

Establishing Trust in the Illegal Wildlife Trade in China

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Enduring Menace: The Triad Societies of Southeast China

“…The Broader Context: Chinese Organized Crime 96 In popular culture, the word "triad" is shorthand for any form of Chinese organized crime. This is a fallacy.…”

Cannibalism and Gang Involvement in the Cinematic Lives of Asian Gangsters

“…Such a perspective, while accurate, overlooks a major source of data about gangs in Asia: films. Consequently, this paper utilizes Asian gangster films as data to discern how public attitudes toward and about gangs may be shaped by the consumption of such films (Zhang and Chin, 2008). Although the present study concentrates on a biased sample of Asian gangster films, the overall findings provide valuable insight into the reasons why adolescents may decide to become gangsters.…”

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