In the 20s and 30s of the 20th century, secret societies became widespread in China. Being one of the elements of the traditional social structure, they emerged only at the most acute moments of historical development and represented a kind of reaction of the population to changing living conditions, when traditional relations and lifestyle were broken. In the" time of troubles "of the 19 - 20s, China turned into a" federation "of militaristic fiefdoms, constant internecine wars were waged that ruined peasant farms,"taxes were increased 30 times, well-to-do peasants became poor, poor people became beggars" 1, terror and banditry raged in the country. According to the composition of participants in the period described, there were three types of secret societies: mixed, peasant and declassified elements2 . Mixed societies are most widespread .3 The secret society movement was so powerful that all the political forces of the time - the CCP, the Kuomintang, and the militarists-had to reckon with it. In 1927, the secret society "Heavenly Gate" had 300,000 members and covered more than 20 counties .4 In Changshan County, Shandong Province, " a certain landowner and gentry, Ma Shiwei, declared himself emperor... he spoke on behalf of a secret society founded by him in 1911, the number of which by 1929 had reached 100 thousand people. " 5 In 1929, in Henan Province, a peasant army consisting of members of secret fraternities captured 12 and besieged 17 county6 cities . Especially popular at that time were the monarchist tendencies in the movement of secret societies, which was reflected in their slogans: "Down with the Kuomintang, long live the autocracy! The old system of distinctions - mandarin ball and peacock feathers-should be restored. " 7 And this is not accidental, because for most of the population, in retrospect, life in the era of imperial China, i.e. before the Xinhai Revolution, seemed more acceptable. Therefore, most members of secret societies (with the exc ... Read more