Chinese secret societies, originally formed in the late 17th century to overthrow the Manchu Qing dynasty and restore its Chinese Ming predecessor. The various societies forming the Triad shared a similar ritual and acted both as fraternal and criminal organizations. They grew in strength during the Taiping Rebellion, and thereafter played an erratic and violent role in China. Some Triad branches assisted Sun Yat‐sen, while others exerted strong political influence in such cities as Shanghai. In recent years the Triad Societies have been involved in drug smuggling on a worldwide basis.