Chinese immigrant secret societies in Western cities
Tong
A tong is a type of organization found among Chinese immigrants predominantly living in the United States, with smaller numbers in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
In Chinese, the word tong means 'hall' or 'gathering place'. These organizations are described as secret societies or sworn brotherhoods and are often tied to criminal activity. In the 1990s, in most American Chinatowns, clearly marked tong halls could easily be found, many of which have had affiliations with Chinese organized crime.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.