Hero Gangster Fantasy

When you're a triad office-bearer, your motto is: those who live by the chopper die by the chopper.

Such was the fate of the "alleged" Wo Shing Wo triad Red Pole Chow Shun-ying, known as the King of Piracy. When his Mercedes-Benz was rear-ended in Yau Ma Tei, he and a friend got out to inspect the wreck. Three men in the other car attacked with knives; Chow later died in the hospital.

The story illustrates the reality behind the "hero gangster" fantasy perpetuated in Hong Kong cinema. The truth is less romantic: you have to fight to make a buck and end up getting whacked while checking your bumper.

That's not much of a legacy.

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