Modern Shanghai underworld, Series of Studies on Modern Chinese Society

Author: Su Zhiliang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-12-01
Features: What historical soil did the Shanghai underworld sprout from, and what social fortune did it rely on for growth? How were its staggering crimes generated, and what was the structure of their content? Through what means were members selected and reeducated? What were their beliefs, cultural standards, lifestyles, family compositions, communication methods, and the types and characteristics of their main activities? Such questions have yet to receive profound and accurate historical answers. It should be noted that the significance of this exploration lies not only in filling this research gap but, more importantly, in helping people gain a deeper, more vivid, and more comprehensive understanding of modern Chinese society, and providing a mirror for reference in governing contemporary society. Sensitive people can easily observe that in the rapidly changing contemporary Chinese society, due to certain climatic and soil-related coincidences, some factors of the underworld have quietly taken root and are sprouting at a decidedly slow pace. If these evil forces are not suppressed in a timely manner, they may evolve into a metropolitan cancer like the modern Shanghai underworld. This is not alarmist rhetoric. If this work can inspire people to reflect on various aspects of modern and contemporary society, then our purpose will have been achieved. The historical materials used in this book mainly come from newspapers, periodicals, specialized records published before the liberation, memoirs and works written by underworld figures, criminal archives stored by the public security system, and the author's social surveys.