Wo Hop To is Triad group based in Wanchai, Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

. The name translates to "Harmoniously United Association" or "Harmonious Union Plan" and is thought to have been founded in 1908 in Sai Ying Pun

Sai Ying Pun

Sai Ying Pun is an area in Western District on the Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. It is part of Central and Western District in district administration....

 as a secret political organization in opposition to the Qing Dynasty

Qing Dynasty

The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....

. They are one of the "Four Major Gangs" (四大黑幫) of Hong Kong, the others being Wo Shing Wo

Wo Shing Wo

Wo Shing Wo is the original Wo Group Triad, and it is the triad with longest tradition in Hong Kong.Wo Shing Wo was established in Sham Shui Po in 1930 and, while maintaining its traditional stronghold in Tsuen Wan, it has extended its influence to Tsim Sha Tsui and Mong Kok.It also operates in...

, 14K

14K Triad

The 14K is a Triad group based in Hong Kong but active internationally. It is the second largest Triad group in the world with around 20,000 members split into thirty subgroups. They are the main rival of the Sun Yee On, which is the largest Triad. The 14K are responsible for large-scale drug...

 and Sun Yee On

Sun Yee On

Sun Yee On is one of the leading triads in Hong Kong and Mainland China, with the most members – more than 40,000 – worldwide....

.

Criminal activity

Wo Hop To specializes in protection rackets and is affiliated with the Sun Yee On

Sun Yee On

Sun Yee On is one of the leading triads in Hong Kong and Mainland China, with the most members – more than 40,000 – worldwide....

 (新義安) Triad.

Activity in the United States

During the early 1990s, Wo Hop To expanded into the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, beginning in San Francisco, California

San Francisco, California

San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...

. The US Wo Hop To was led by Peter Chong (莊炳強) (also known as "Uncle Chong") and Raymond "Shrimp Boy" Chow

Raymond Kwok Chow

Raymond "Shrimp Boy" Chow, born Kwok Cheung in 1960 in Hong Kong, is a Chinese American former triad member who once was the second-highest ranking member of the American branch of the Hong Kong-based triad Wo Hop To...

 (周國祥) a former Hop Sing Boys gang member. The Wo Hop To had plans to control all the Asian gangs in San Francisco and, from there, to branch out into drug distribution nationwide. Wo Hop To chased the Wah Ching

Wah Ching

Wah Ching is a Chinese American Triad Society and street gang also known as "Dub C" originating in San Francisco during the early 1960s. At the time, Wah Ching was organized into one enormous gang...

 gang

Gang

A gang is a group of people who, through the organization, formation, and establishment of an assemblage, share a common identity. In current usage it typically denotes a criminal organization or else a criminal affiliation. In early usage, the word gang referred to a group of workmen...

 out of the Bay Area and the Wah Ching

Wah Ching

Wah Ching is a Chinese American Triad Society and street gang also known as "Dub C" originating in San Francisco during the early 1960s. At the time, Wah Ching was organized into one enormous gang...

 headed to Southern California

Southern California

Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...

. The Wah Ching was the only surviving Chinatown gang during the 1980s. The Hop Sing Boys and Joe Boys were dismantled by police after the "Golden Dragon massacre

Golden Dragon massacre

The Golden Dragon massacre took place in San Francisco, California, on September 4, 1977, inside the Golden Dragon Restaurant. At 2:40 AM a longstanding feud between two rival Chinese gangs, the Joe Boys and Wah Ching came to head when a botched assassination attempt by the Joe Boys at the Golden...

". The Wo Hop To had taken over Chinatown after killing the Wah Ching

Wah Ching

Wah Ching is a Chinese American Triad Society and street gang also known as "Dub C" originating in San Francisco during the early 1960s. At the time, Wah Ching was organized into one enormous gang...

leader Danny Wong.

External links

• SF Weekly Feature Article Profiling Member of Hop Sing Tong -- Raymond "Shrimp Boy" Chow (2007)
• http://www.sfweekly.com/issues/2000-06-14/news/feature_full.html - Information on Wo Hop Sing in the US.
• http://www.illuminatedlantern.com/cinema/archives/triads.php