The Heaven and Earth Society Upsurge in Early 1880s French Cochinchina
Date
2010
Authors
Cooke, Nola
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Centre for the Study of the Chinese Southern Diaspora, The Australian National University
Access Statement
Open Access
Abstract
In early 1880s Cochinchina, Heaven and Earth Society factional rivalry suddenly erupted
into two years of unrest, in S©c Tr?ng Province especially. What was this upheaval about?
Using previously unpublished archival materials, this article argues that the trigger for this
upheaval was the early 1880 decision to replace the opium revenue farm with a
government monopoly on opium from January 1882. It analyses what the archives show
and suggest about the Tiandihui in Cochinchina and about its likely links with important
Chinese businessmen like Ban Hap, the Tan Keng brothers, Wang Tai, and others. The
article concludes that these men (or others like them) instigated this unique upsurge in
secret society violence as an attempt to win control of the S©c Tr?ng area, a known outlaw
haven with a large Chinese population, as a base for large-scale opium smuggling after the
revenue farm was abolished.
Description
Keywords
Heaven and Earth Society, Chinese secret societies, French Cochinchina, S©c Tr?ng; Ban
Hap; Tan Keng Sing brothers; Wang Tai; Chinese business history
Citation
Collections
Source
Chinese Southern Diaspora Studies
Type
Journal article
Book Title
Entity type
Publication
Access Statement
Open Access