the Green Gang – in China as in Shanghai – was not a unified, centrally-led criminal organisation. It was closer to loose structure of independent gangs, sharing traditions and common system. This meant that Green Gang groups were coexisting, cooperating when needed and competing for power otherwise. Among the numerous groups born from the Green Gang, some leaders had their group being significantly influent in Shanghai. In the 1920s, three (or four, depending on the approach) Green Gang centres of influence can identified in the Shanghai underworld:
- Zhang Renkui’s Big Eight Mob in the International Settlement,
- Huang Jinrong’s group in the French Concession,
- Gu Zhuxuan’s faction in Chinese Zhabei plus its Hongkou section in the International Settlement.