This past weekend local Suzhou news had an “expose” about the Chonqing Mafia gangs. The Economist magazine also covered the dragnet, which netted more than a hundred big fish and little minnows. A couple things that interested me from the TV report was that very high level police were involved in protecting the gangs. Another was that some of the people – including a middle aged woman – were well-paid company executives, as well. And then there is at issue that none of the bosses, nor any of the minions the police lined up in front of judges, were good looking. Now, having been reared on a steady diet of Hong Kong Black Society movies, from Chow Yun Fat through my man Ekin Cheng (pictured above), handsome and stylish boss in the Young and Dangerous movie series, I am sorely disappointed that none of these anti-heroes are, well, suave.

That said, I do recall one nightclub several years ago in Jiangsu Province in which most of the Black Hands were handsomely dressed in tight black T-shirts and black jeans, at least half of them bald (what could be cooler than that?). A couple bleach-blonde Russian women in revealing skirts draped themselves across the more robust of the crew. One fellow I took as their boss was dressed in a black double-breasted suit. Anyway, I do have to admit they all looked quite dapper as the police led half a dozen of them plus the double-breasted boss across the dance floor in single-file and out for what I can only gather would be further “discussions.” I was sure, though, they’d be returning later for their drinks and molls: none had been handcuffed as they made their exit.