In the late 70s and early 80s of the last century, a gang called the "kitchen knife team" in North China was born and became famous for a while. They are fierce and brutal, do all kinds of evil, and even dare to challenge the Northeast gangsters, and become famous in a fight, known as "the first overlord in North China". The local residents of Tangshan talked about the change of color, and they must carry kitchen knives to defend themselves when they go out, so that the local kitchen knives are out of stock. However, this once-invincible gang collapsed in an operation in 1983. It is rumored that more than 50 key members alone were shot dead on the spot, and hundreds of people were implicated in related cases. What kind of evil deeds did they end up in this way? Why did it go from heyday to demise so quickly? What kind of inspiration does the fall of the kitchen knife team leave us?
If you want to talk about how this kitchen knife team rose, you have to start from that special era.
It was the late 70s and early 80s, and the country was in a special period of transition. The Cultural Revolution had just ended, and the social order was in ruins, and many people could not find jobs and became unemployed. Among these people, some are young intellectuals, some are educated youths who have returned to the city, and some are veterans. Some of them are not highly educated, and some of them are unable to adapt to society for various reasons, so they mix and mingle and become "gangsters" in the streets and alleys.
It was in this context that our "kitchen knife team" was born. Speaking of which, this group of people was not originally called the "kitchen knife team", but two or three young people who had nothing to do. One of them was called "Big Head", who was said to be a veteran and had a good job; There is also a person named "Erbi", I heard that he is a half-baked intellectual young man with a bright brain; There is also a nickname called "hemp pole", the person is as thin as a bamboo pole, but the strength is great.
At first, these three people were just wandering around the streets, looking for faults and fighting when they didn't like their eyes. Who knew that with this dozen, their fame would spread. At that time, the streets of Tangshan were not peaceful, and there were often fights. But as soon as these three men made a move, no one was their opponent.
Once, they encountered a gang of out-of-town thugs bullying locals on the street. The "big head" was not happy when he saw it, and rushed up with the "two cakes" and "hemp sticks". The fight was really hilarious, and it is said that more than a dozen out-of-town gangsters were beaten by the three of them all over the ground looking for teeth, holding their heads and running around.
This battle made them famous in Tangshan. Some people say that they are like sharp kitchen knives, cutting people quickly and ruthlessly, so the nickname "kitchen knife team" spread.
The reputation is out, and naturally there are people who want to join. Those unemployed vagrants and street gangsters saw that they had a backer and came to join them. The "big heads" were also happy to accept these little brothers, and the team soon grew from three people to more than thirty people.
The kitchen knife team is getting bigger and bigger, and their behavior is getting more and more arrogant. From the initial fights and brawls, it slowly developed into extortion, robbery and theft. They often stop passers-by on the street and threaten them to hand over their money. If someone doesn't comply, they will beat them up.
Even more frighteningly, they began to intercept passing vehicles. At first, he stopped bicycles and tricycles, and then he dared to stop cars. They would threaten drivers and passengers with kitchen knives and force them to hand over valuable things.
On one occasion, they stopped a cash truck. At that time, there were four escorts on board the cash truck, all armed with guns. But in the face of the encirclement of dozens of people from the kitchen knife team, these escorts did not dare to act rashly. In the end, the kitchen knife team snatched a large amount of cash and walked away.
In this way, the kitchen knife team has developed from a small gang of three people to a large gang with hundreds of people in just a few months. They are rampant and domineering in the Tangshan area, and no one dares to provoke them. When the people talk about the kitchen knife team, they are all frightened.
By 1982, the kitchen knife team had become the largest gang in Tangshan. Not only did they dominate Tangshan, but they also began to expand into the surrounding areas. At this moment, an unexpected opportunity made them the "first hegemon" in North China in one fell swoop.
The rise of the Chopper Team in the Tangshan area is just the beginning of their legendary story. In the summer of 1982, an unexpected conflict spread their fame throughout North China, even alarming the gangsters in Northeast China.
It was a sweltering summer day, and several key members of the kitchen knife team went to eat at a small restaurant near the Tangshan train station. Not long after they sat down, they heard someone at the next table boasting loudly that they were members of a large gang in the Northeast. The members of the kitchen knife team frowned when they heard this, feeling that these outsiders didn't take the local forces too seriously.
On impulse, the kitchen knife team walked to the table and overturned the table without saying a word. The two sides scuffled together, and soon turned into a large-scale brawl. As soon as the news spread, reinforcements were called from both sides. What started as a skirmish turned into a scuffle between two gangs.
The battle lasted a whole day and a night. With their familiarity with the local terrain and their unique "kitchen knife tactics", the kitchen knife team actually beat the gang members from the northeast to the ground with a numerical disadvantage. In the end, the Northeast gang had to flee Tangshan in disarray.
In this battle, the kitchen knife team became famous in one fell swoop. They not only defeated a strong enemy from the Northeast, but also won the reputation of "Siberian Tiger and Tangshan Wolf". Since then, the kitchen knife team has become famous in the underworld in North China and has been regarded as "the first overlord in North China".
The reputation has been beaten, and the style of the kitchen knife team has become more and more arrogant
They were no longer satisfied with dominating Tangshan and began to extend their tentacles to the surrounding areas. The scope of their operations has expanded to Tianjin, Beijing and other big cities, and they even dare to openly commit crimes in these places.
The most frightening thing about the kitchen knife team is their "blackmail when you see people" strategy. They will stop random passers-by in the streets and alleys, regardless of age, and extort money. If someone resists or refuses, they are severely beaten. Once, they actually stopped a retired old professor, not only snatched the old man's wallet, but also beat the old man to the hospital.
Even more daringly, the kitchen knife team began to intercept passing vehicles and rob them. They would set up barricades on the highway and forcibly stop passing cars. Whether it is a private car or a bus, as long as they stop it, the people on the bus have to obediently hand over valuable items. At one point, they even stopped a truck carrying valuables and snatched hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of goods.
These actions of the kitchen knife team soon caused panic among local residents. People are always scared when they go out, for fear of encountering people from the kitchen knife team. For a time, the public security situation in Tangshan and the surrounding areas deteriorated sharply.
In order to protect themselves, local residents began to buy kitchen knives for self-defense. Kitchen knives became the most sought-after commodity, and kitchen knives were quickly sold out in stores of all sizes. Some merchants even took the opportunity to raise the price of kitchen knives, but even so, kitchen knives were still in short supply.
After this situation continued for some time, the local government finally realized the seriousness of the problem. They began to step up security patrols and increase police presence. However, the Chopper team doesn't seem to take these initiatives seriously. Not only did they not relent, but they intensified it.
Rumor has it that the kitchen knife team has even begun to get involved in more serious criminal activities, such as drug trafficking, smuggling, etc. Although these rumors have not been officially confirmed, they have further exacerbated the fear of the population.
Just when the kitchen knife team was in full swing, an unexpected event completely changed their fate. In the summer of 1983, several leaders of the kitchen knife team decided to go on vacation to Beidaihe. Who knows, this trip turned out to be a turning point for them from prosperity to decline.
The summer of 1983 was supposed to be a time to celebrate for the Choppers. They have successfully dominated North China and are famous. However, a twist of fate came quietly this summer.
In mid-July, several leaders of the kitchen knife team decided to go on vacation to Beidaihe. As a famous summer resort, Beidaihe attracts a large number of tourists every summer. For these gang members, who are accustomed to dominating Tangshan, this is undoubtedly a good opportunity to show off their strength and expand their influence.
The kitchen knife team came to Beidaihe in a mighty way, carrying a large amount of cash and ready to splurge on this resort. However, they seem to have forgotten an important fact: Beidaihe is not their territory, and the rules here are very different from those in Tangshan.
The cause of the incident seems to be very small. Several members of the kitchen knife team meet a group of local young people on the beach. The two sides had a verbal altercation over some trivial matters. In Tangshan, in this case, the kitchen knife team usually teaches each other a lesson directly. However, they underestimated the degree of solidarity of the locals of Beidaihe.
When the people of the kitchen knife team took out the kitchen knives and threatened, the other party did not back down, but quickly gathered more people. Soon, the number of people on both sides increased to several dozen. The situation quickly escalated from a verbal altercation to a large-scale brawl.
The brawl lasted all afternoon. Although the kitchen knife team is fierce, they have lost their home advantage in an unfamiliar place. To make matters worse, their actions caused public outrage among local residents. More and more people are joining the ranks of the kitchen knife team.
By evening, the situation was completely out of control. The kitchen knife team had to retreat to the hotel where they were staying. However, the angry crowd did not stop there. They surrounded the hotel and demanded that the men of the kitchen knife team come out and be punished.
In the chaos, the men of the kitchen knife team began to wave kitchen knives frantically, trying to break out of the encirclement. According to eyewitnesses, the scene was extremely bloody. Dozens of people were slashed, including innocent passers-by and tourists. The entire Beidaihe fell into a panic.
The incident quickly alarmed the local government and police. A large number of police officers arrived at the scene to try to control the situation. However, the situation is beyond their control. In the end, the armed police force had to be dispatched to barely quell the riots.
Statistics later showed that nearly 100 people were injured in the incident, including more than 20 seriously injured. What is even more serious is that this incident occurred in the sensitive area of Beidaihe, which has aroused great attention from the central leadership.
The Beidaihe incident became a turning point for the kitchen knife team from prosperity to decline. First of all, they lost the prestige and deterrence they had accumulated in Tangshan. The failure in Beidaihe made the gangsters in other regions see the weakness of the kitchen knife team.
Secondly, the incident attracted high-level attention. The central leadership expressed serious concern about the public order situation in North China, especially in Tangshan. This led directly to the later severe crackdown on the kitchen knife team.
Finally, the Beidaihe incident exposed the problems within the kitchen knife team. During the retreat, several important members were caught red-handed. During the interrogation, these people confessed a large number of criminal facts of the kitchen knife team, which provided important clues for the follow-up crackdown.
After returning to Tangshan from Beidaihe, the situation of the kitchen knife team deteriorated rapidly. The police began a full investigation into them. Many ordinary people who had been oppressed by them also began to courageously stand up and testify.
The demise of the Chopper Team has become inevitable
However, in the last moments, they still refused to give up. Rumor has it that the leaders of the Chopper Team are preparing to organize a large-scale retaliation in an attempt to regain their strength.
At this critical moment, the public security department decided to take action. In August 1983, a large-scale arrest of the kitchen knife team quietly began. This operation not only completely destroyed the kitchen knife team, but also brought a major turn for the public order in the entire North China region.
On August 15, 1983, on a calm summer morning, the city of Tangshan suddenly sounded a siren. With the cooperation of the local police, the special case team of the Ministry of Public Security launched a huge operation to close the net against the kitchen knife team. This operation was the result of careful planning and careful preparation after the Beidaihe incident.
Before the operation began, the task force conducted a month-long secret surveillance of the main members of the kitchen knife team. They learned about the activities of the kitchen knife team, the hiding place, and the daily whereabouts of important members. In order to ensure the success of the operation, the task force even installed informants within the kitchen knife team to grasp the movements of the gang in real time.
At 4 o'clock in the morning of the same day, the task force simultaneously launched a surprise attack on more than 20 dens of the kitchen knife team in Tangshan City. During the operation, the police deployed more than 500 police forces, including special police and armed police units. They used advanced equipment such as helicopters and armored vehicles to ensure the smooth running of the operation.
At an abandoned factory on the outskirts of Tangshan, the main stronghold of the kitchen knife team, the police met fierce resistance. The core members of the kitchen knife team set up heavy defenses here, and even prepared a large number of explosives. The two sides engaged in a fierce exchange of fire that lasted for two hours. Eventually, under the strong attack of the SWAT team, this stronghold was breached, and more than a dozen key members of the kitchen knife team were arrested here.
At the same time, in an underground casino in downtown Tangshan, the police arrested Zhang San, the No. 2 member of the kitchen knife team, "Scarface", who was gambling. It is said that when the police broke down the door, Zhang San was celebrating with several of his men, unaware of the impending danger. He was subdued on the spot, and a large amount of cash and stolen goods were seized.
In another operation, a thrilling car chase took place while the police were chasing a key leader of the kitchen knife squad. The ringleader drove a modified high-performance sedan and engaged in a 40-minute chase with a police car on a city street. Eventually, at an intersection, the police set up a roadblock to successfully intercept him.
This large-scale net collection operation lasted a whole day. In the evening, the task force announced that all the main members of the kitchen knife team had been arrested. According to statistics, a total of 103 suspects were arrested in this operation, including all core members of the kitchen knife team. At the same time, the police also seized a large amount of stolen money, stolen goods, and a large number of crime tools, including hundreds of kitchen knives.
However, the operation did not end there. In the following week, based on the information obtained from the interrogation, the task force cleared the remnants of the kitchen knife team in the surrounding area. They even traced down the contact points of the kitchen knife team in Beijing, Tianjin and other places, and completely uprooted this gangster organization that once dominated North China.
During this operation, the police also accidentally discovered other serious criminal activities in which the kitchen knife team was involved. For example, in a secret warehouse, the police found a large amount of smuggled goods, including expensive watches, high-end cigarettes, etc. This confirms previous rumors that the kitchen knife team was involved in smuggling.
Even more shockingly, in a safe at the home of the leader of the kitchen knife team, the police found a ledger detailing the gang's activities. The ledger not only records the proceeds of the kitchen knife team's crimes, but also contains the names of some local officials, suggesting that the kitchen knife team may have colluded with some corrupt officials.
The success of this operation did not depend solely on the strength of the police
Many ordinary citizens also played an important role in the process. They bravely stepped forward to provide clues and assist the police in pinpointing the location of the criminals. Some residents even risked their lives to help the police set up roadblocks during the pursuit.
With the collapse of the kitchen knife team, there has been a marked improvement in social security in Tangshan and even in the whole of North China. The place that was once overpowered by the kitchen knife team has regained its peace. People no longer need to carry kitchen knives with them for self-defense, and the streets are no longer full of terrifying legends about kitchen knife teams.
This successful operation not only completely dismantled the terrified gang organization of the kitchen knife team, but also provided valuable experience for the nationwide anti-gang and anti-evil operations. It demonstrates the determination and ability of the public security organs, and also highlights the importance of the cooperation of the masses.
However, even though the kitchen knife team has been wiped out, the social impact they have caused has not been completely eliminated. In the subsequent trial, the various crimes of the kitchen knife team were exposed one by one, which aroused widespread attention and discussion from all walks of life. This once powerful gangster organization finally came to an end under the sanction of the law.
In September 1983, with the arrest of the main members of the kitchen knife team, this gangster organization that once dominated North China finally came to an end. However, the influence of the kitchen knife team has not disappeared, but has triggered extensive discussions and deep reflections in all walks of life.
First of all, the trial process of the kitchen knife team case has attracted great attention from all walks of life. The Hebei Provincial High People's Court set up a special collegial panel to conduct an open trial of the main members of the kitchen knife team. The trial lasted two full months, during which a large number of shocking criminal facts were revealed.
During the trial, the prosecution presented a large amount of evidence, including victim testimony, photos of the scene, tools of the crime, etc. One of the most striking is a hundred-page criminal record detailing all of the Chopper's major criminal activities since its inception. This record not only reveals the criminal methods and organizational structure of the kitchen knife team, but also exposes the inside story of some local officials' collusion with underworld forces.
During the trial, the statements of some of the victims' families were particularly moving. An elderly man who lost his son tearfully recounted in court how his son was brutally murdered by a kitchen knife team. These true stories have caused a strong reaction in society, and people have begun to reflect on what kind of social environment has created such a brutal criminal organization.
In the end, the court handed down a verdict against the 103 defendants of the kitchen knife team. Of these, five of the main leaders were sentenced to death, more than 20 were sentenced to life imprisonment, and the rest were sentenced to more than 10 years in prison. The verdict has received widespread support in the community, and it is widely believed that it reflects the justice and deterrence of the law.
However, the repercussions of the Chopper Squad case go far beyond that. It has triggered people's thinking on many issues such as social security and grassroots governance.
First of all, the rise of the kitchen knife team exposed the weak links in grassroots social governance at that time. During the years when the kitchen knife team was active, the local government and law enforcement ignored it for a long time, and even some officials colluded with it. This phenomenon has attracted great attention from the central government. Subsequently, the central government issued a series of documents, requiring all localities to strengthen grassroots governance and establish and improve long-term effective mechanisms for preventing and cracking down on underworld forces.
Secondly, the case of the kitchen knife team also reflects some problems in the period of social transition at that time. In the early 80s of the last century, China was in the early stage of reform and opening up, and the social order was undergoing drastic changes. In the process, some people took advantage of loopholes in the system and blind spots in law enforcement, quickly amassed wealth, and used illegal means to expand their influence. The Chopper Team is an extreme example of this phenomenon.
In addition, the Chopper Squad case has sparked reflection on the culture of violence. During the active time of the Chopper Team, some young people saw them as heroes and even imitated their actions. This phenomenon has aroused alarm in the educational circles. Subsequently, a number of provinces and municipalities carried out educational activities in primary and secondary schools with the theme of "advocating the rule of law and staying away from violence".
On the media side, the Chopper Squad case has also had far-reaching consequences. Previously, some media outlets had a tendency to exaggerate and sensationalize the underworld when reporting on underworld forces, which invisibly promoted the cult of violence. After the case of the kitchen knife team, the press and publication department issued relevant regulations, requiring the media to adhere to the correct orientation when reporting such cases, and not to glorify criminals.
In the field of literary and artistic creation, the kitchen knife team case has also become a hot topic
A number of novels, movies, and TV series based on the kitchen knife team have come out one after another. Most of these works stand on the standpoint of justice, expose the crimes of the underworld forces, and praise the bravery of law enforcers. Among them, a TV series called "Sword and Sword" caused a sensation across the country, which greatly increased the public's awareness of the rule of law and their enthusiasm to participate in the fight against crime.
In the academic world, the kitchen knife team case has also sparked extensive research. Through this case, scholars have deeply analyzed the social roots and criminal psychology of underworld forces. These research results provide an important reference for subsequent crime prevention work.
With the passage of time, the kitchen knife team gradually faded from people's memory as a specific criminal organization. However, the social problems it reveals and the reflections it provokes continue to influence the development of Chinese society for a long time. To this day, the name "Kitchen Knife Team" is still often mentioned and has become a symbol of the times, warning people to beware of the resurgence of underworld forces.