‘Pockmarked’ Huang Jinrong: gangster, tycoon and gendarmerie captain
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I was fascinated by the influence Huang Jinrong had during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, where his business thrived in all sectors and held substantial power at the time. My research leads me back to old Shanghai, the equivalent of New York in China — where all is possible with hard work, tenacity, and occasional backstabbing.
Huang Jinrong was a classic example of a gangster in the 19th century. Starting out as an owner of a fruit store, Huang Jinrong contacted many detectives working in the French concession accepting bribes in nearby teahouses. Since he was Chinese and had the skills to deal with gangsters he made many friends in the teahouses. Always trying to climb the social ladder, Huang Jinrong applied to join the French concession gendarmerie when they announced they wanted more local Chinese to maintain order. Surprisingly, he joined the gendarmerie at the age of 24.
The self-made detective
Huang Jinrong started from the bottom of the gendarmerie, accompanying detectives to collect estate taxes and work as an enforcer of the detectives. With his hard work and dedication, he was promoted to gather intelligence on gangsters.
He returned to the teahouses and his connections which brought him valuable information. With this information, he helped solve many cases of burglary and murder. But in some cases it was Huang Jinrong orchestrating the crime.
Using his position and his gangster connections to his advantage, he organized drug trafficking, gambling and other businesses. After he rescued the wife of a French official he was awarded a golden medal and promoted to become the only Asian captain of the gendarmerie.
Criminal empire
Despite not as well known as Du Yuesheng, Huang Jinrong had many connections to the notorious Green Gang, helping their business in the French concession with his power in the gendarmerie. The Green Gang’s power grew exponentially and it infiltrated different agencies in the French concession. As the pro-Japanese regime established under Wang Jingwei, Huang Jinrong refused to betray his country, and used the Green Gang in the fight against the Japanese. Using his connections, he brought down many Japanese officials and organized supply raids and ambushes for the Kuomintang with his intelligence from the underworld.
New order
As the war of resistance against Japanese aggression ended with Japanese retreat in 1945, Huang Jinrong at 78, it seemed like near the apex of his career. Despite the gradual collapse of the Green Gang with Du Yuesheng fleeing to Hong Kong, Huang Jinrong remained in Shanghai and started to reshape the Green Gang into a legitimate business. He published an apology after the People’s Republic of China was established. They found Huang Jinrong to be valuable in stabilizing Shanghai and he started doing public service to try to atone for his actions, but his past caught up with him as people wanted retribution. Huang Jingrong died on June 20, 1953, at the age of 86.
Legacy
Huang Jinrong lived a legendary life that matched his peers Du Yuesheng and Zhang Xiaolin, as he protected the new republic in China. After the Japanese occupied Shanghai, he founded one of the biggest cinemas and was a patriot until his death. He regretted his actions as he became older, and tried to repent.
The new administration forgave his actions. He told his followers to help the government, and gave his businesses to the government after his death.
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