political games
[URL=“https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3025147/mahjong-parlours-and-fujian-gangsters-how-peaceful-new”]
Mahjong parlours and ‘Fujian gangsters’: how the peaceful New Territories town of Tsuen Wan became a flashpoint in Hong Kong’s protests
The former industrial suburb was rocked by clashes between anti-government protesters and suspected triads on successive weekends
Outbreaks of violence and subsequent clashes with police have shocked locals, who believed town to be safe
Mandy Zheng
Published: 10:00am, 31 Aug, 2019
Located near the coastal line with sufficient water resources, Tsuen Wan gained popularity among mainland business owners in the mid-20th century, who established cotton mills and enamel factories in the region. Photo: Martin Chan
“Compared with Central, the only thing Tsuen Wan doesn’t have is luxury stores,” Eva Chan Yee-wah jokes.
For the 26-year-old Tsuen Wan resident, her neighbourhood is time-worn yet vibrant and well-established.
“My friends and I seldom leave here to hang out, because we’ve got everything – tons of shopping malls, great food, a museum and a library, even bars for those who crave nightlife.”
But things have somehow changed since a month ago.
“Now I don’t go out alone at night any more,” says Chan, a young mother.
It all started when locals witnessed a violent incident at 11pm on August 5, during which protesters got into fights with a group of men dressed in white and wielding knives. At least four people on either side were injured, some with deep lacerations and bloody wounds.
Earlier that day, a strike against the now-shelved extradition bill took place at eight locations around Hong Kong, including Tsuen Wan. It was the first time that the western New Territories town had seen protesters besieging a local police station, and eventually confronting suspected “Fujian gangsters” based in the area.
Another brawl took place a week later in the small hours of August 12, when men dressed in white T-shirts attacked black-clad protesters, an incident that soon escalated into a bloody conflict where each camp used weapons such as knives, glass bottles, bricks and bamboo sticks.
The scene broke out at Yi Pei Square, home to the Fujianese community which is widely regarded as pro-government. Some from the area are rumoured to be members of local gangs who took part in the former clash between protesters and residents.
When protesters took to the streets in Tsuen Wan again last Sunday, some raided Mahjong parlours and gaming centres at Yi Pei Square, as they believed these were owned by triads.
One of the textiles factories that thrived in Tsuen Wan in the late 20th century. Photo: Handout
When police soon came to stop them from vandalising businesses, an officer fired a shot into the air amid chaos at nearly 9pm, marking the first time live ammunition had been used in the 12 weekends of anti-government protests.
“I was astonished when I learned the police actually fired. I never thought Tsuen Wan would become this unsafe,” says local resident Lee Sheung-man, 26.
So why is Tsuen Wan known as a notorious hub of mahjong and gambling parlours controlled by Fujian gangs, which other districts are their strongholds, and how has this one has turned into a recent protest battlefield?
A triad hub?
Hong Kong saw a flood of mainland Chinese immigrants in 1949 after the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Located near the coast with sufficient water resources, Tsuen Wan soon gained popularity among mainland Chinese business owners, who established cotton mills and enamel factories in the region. By 1971, it had become the largest industrial area in Hong Kong, accounting for about 20 per cent of the city’s total output value.
A view of Tsuen Wan in the early 1960s. Photo: Handout
As job opportunities increased, workers from Shanghai and Fujian swarmed into these factories and gradually formed clannish communities. Since then, the Yi Pei Square area has turned into one of the neighbourhoods with a distinguished population of Fujianese immigrants.
“Yi” literally means “the second” in Cantonese, and Pei Square is a unique example of residential design in Tsuen Wan. Typically in such a neighbourhood, four lines of tenement buildings laid out in the shape of a square create an encompassed area, at the centre of which residents can gather and hang out, free from disturbance from the outside world. There are restaurants and leisure facilities on the ground floors of the buildings.
Tsuen Wan Town Hall. Photo: Edmond So
This design is likely to have been inspired by the walled city in ancient times, which could be traced back to the Tang dynasty, according to an advisory report commissioned by Tsuen Wan District Council in 2010. There are four closely located Pei Squares in the area, the first one being home to a South Asian community, and the other two famed for their dai pai dongs and noodle shops.
The Mills, located in the former Nam Fung cotton factory in Tsuen Wan. Photo: K.Y. Cheng
Though it has hidden gems for gourmets, the Pei Square area is also notorious for being “jumbled”, says Eva Chan. “It has long been rumoured that Yi Pei Square is a triad camp. When I was a kid, my mum would warn me that I shouldn’t go there alone.”
Tsuen Wan West MTR station, one of two which serves the town. Photo: Handout
“They own a couple of mahjong parlours and restaurants, and it’s said that they also earn money from protection rackets and illicit brothels,” Chan says.
Local news reports show that in the past few years, police have raided illegal prostitution and mahjong gambling venues at Yi Pei Square.
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