The triads originated from secret societies formed in the 18th and 19th centuries, some influenced by white lotus societies of the 14th century, with the intent of overthrowing the foreign then-ruling Qing dynasty. In the 20th century, triads were enlisted by the Kuomintang KMT during the Republican era to attack political enemies, including assassinations.
Following the founding of the People's Republic of China and subsequent crackdowns, triads and their operations flourished in Macau , Hong Kong , Taiwan , and overseas Chinese communities.
Since the Chinese economic reform , triads and other triad-like "black societies" re-emerged in mainland China. The generic use of the word "triads" for all Chinese criminal organizations is imprecise; triad groups are geographically, ethnically, culturally, and structurally unique. The Triad, a China-based criminal organization, secret association, or club, was a branch of the secret Hung Society , a secret society formed with the intent of overthrowing the then-ruling Qing dynasty.
Triads therefore first began as part of an organised patriotic movement to overthrow ethnic Manchu Qing rule, which was considered tyrannical and foreign to the Han ethnic majority. At the turn of the 19th century, Chinese triads were involved in revolutionary and underground activities designed to subvert the ailing Qing, which was considered corrupt and incapable of reform.
Triads were also enlisted by the Kuomintang KMT during the Republican era in order to assassinate political opponents and attack political enemies. After the proclamation of the People's Republic of China in , secret societies in mainland China were suppressed in campaigns ordered by Mao Zedong.
