they are still involved in ESL, especially in Dalian and Changchun, Shenyang, any Dongbei area, and many FT's will back me up on that.

Correct. There was that school, Dell's, in Songyuan some while back that was under the collusion of Chinese mafia and an american boss. I know from what a old brit mate told me that the mafia are highly active in Dongbei, and that as a foreigner you have to mind your p's and q's there. Northeasterners have a reputation, especially amongst southern chinese, as not being afraid of and very read to fight.