They appeared in “Big Trouble in Little China” as the good guys, and I had heard of them as being ‘good guys’ in the London Chinatown. But a google search gives little information except that they have some connection to organised crime.
So do the ‘Fighting Tong’ exist, and can they be considered the ‘good guys’. Are they linked to Chinese Triads or are they otherwise criminal in nature?
I would fight if someone tried to use these tongs on me.
Tongs are hard to compare to traditional Western groups. Sort of like urban gangs, some true “social club” elements, etc. Many were definitely into criminal behavior. A city with a large Chinese population could have many tongs, with resulting “tong wars”.
Some tongs could be better than others, improving the community, others could be far worse. So calling them “gangs” could be a slur, or could be an understatement.
Thanks ftg do you know if the use of the word fighting in ‘fighting tongs’ indicates a particular Tong group, or is it used just to discribe any Tong that is linked to one or more Kung Fu schools. The Fighting Tong I remember from London Chinatown were involved in the Chinese New Year cellibration, as they were the Lion Dancers (An activity traditionally linked to Kung Fu practicioners).
Chain and winch?
That’s one hell of an impaction problem??
What the heck is a fecal tong anyway?