The gang was founded by Zhang Renkui(張仁奎 / 张仁奎, Zhāng Rénkuí) (1859-1944) born in 1859 in Teng County, Shandong province. Zhang was the most prestigious Green Gang leader of the beginning of the 1920s in Shanghai. A former lieutenant of Xu Baoshan, well-connected to warlord politics, his influence extended as far Subei, southern Shandong and Jiangnan. Member of the Xing Wu Liu Branch, it is estimated that 40% of all members of the Tong generational status were Zhang Renkui’s followers.
The Big Eight Mob’s influence stemmed from their control over opium trafficking and close links to the Shanghai Municipal Police. Shen Xingshan, one of the gang’s bosses, was a notable member of the SMP Chinese Detective Squad. The gang was however in sharp decline in the mid-1920s, loosing steam against the competing French Concession Green Gang.