Utilising individual interviews and focus group discussions, primarily from two Chinese cities, 'The Chinese Mafia' contributes to the understanding of organized crime and corruption in the Chinese context, filling a significant gap in criminological literature, by investigating how extra-legal protectors - corrupt public officials and street gangsters - emerge, evolve and operate in a rapidly changing society. China's economic reforms have been accompanied by a surge of social problems, such as ineffective legal institutions, booming black markets and rampant corruption. This has resulted in the rise of extra-legal means of protection and enforcement: such is the demand for protection that cannot be fulfilled by state-sponsored institutions.