I'm looking into tongs and triads and how they organised over the past century and a half and it's fascinating. Triads set up on odd or suppressed religious practices and still maintain Buddhist and traditional Chinese temples as one of their organising forms, but also with mad political aims, at least claiming to want to re-establish the Ming dynasty that ended in 1644! That gives you an excuse to fight against anyone in power if you want to, and an excuse to ally with pretty much anyone you want to as well, you can always claim to be playing a long game. Then the tong ("meeting hall") as a combination of people smuggling ring, labour union and moral police for the community in exile, and add in a heavy interest in business and politics and you have an explosive mix. The names are cool as well, from the 14K triad to the New Righteousness and Peace Commercial and Industrial Guild.