Their sense of fashion left as much to be desired as their sense of morality
A tong is a rough Chinese-culture equivalent of a street gang. The “Fighting Tongs” of China were more than just petty criminals and street thugs, they also combined many of the characteristics and societal roles of a community center or a charity mission. Well, so did western street gangs from the Mafia to the Latin Kings, but the Figthing Tongs came a lot closer to actually meaning it. They were organizations that provided for the welfare of the friends and family of their membership, held social events, and provided mutual protection against the predations of…other gangs. They also tended to beat the utter living crap out of each other on a regular basis over control of illicit activities such as prostitution, gambling, and drugs. When the Eastern Bloc moved into space, the Tongs of China moved with them, and they provided competition and allies to various branches of the Yakuza on many worlds in the Bloc and on New Tokyo.
Season Eight Alternate Timeline[]
Once the Eastern Bloc conquered the Federation and became the Middle Kingdom, the Tongs tried to spread out into new territories as well. However, they were mostly defeated and absorbed into the expanding Yakuza umbrella organization.