The term of Hongbang reminds people of the color red, which in Chinese is pronounced as "Hong." Originally, "Hong" was written with a different character and was also called "Hongmen," and was derived from the Tiandihui. The founder of Hongbang was called Cai Dejhong, his teacher Hong Ying, as a scholar, gained the jinshih title in the fourth year of Emperor Chongjhen's reign. After the Ming was replaced by the Cing, Cai following Kosinga relocated in Taiwan. In 1661, Cai established the first office of Hongbang in Taiwan called Cintaishan Mingluntang. In order to expand its influence, Cai led four members and secretly returned to Putian County of Fujian, and formally acknowledged the monk Jhih Tong of Shaolin temple to be their martial arts teacher. When the Emperor Yongjheng ascended the throne, he was informed that the Shaolin temple in Fujian was fomenting a rebellious conspiracy. So Yongjheng sent troops to burn down the temple.

       Cai was able to flee away, and he arrived at Hubei Province. He made friends with the scholar Chen Jinnan, who just resigned his job from the capital, and together they drew up a blue print to overthrow the Cing Dynasty. In 1734, Chen Jinnan hosted a ceremony in a place called Honghuating, to formally establish the organization called Hongmen. The members who participated in this ceremony all agreed to name this place, Honghuating, as their birth place and to name this day, the 25th of the 7th month, to be their common birthday. They addressed each other as brother, and created a special argot to be their common means of communication.

       In 1749, the 14th year of Emperor Cianlong's reign, members of Hongmen gathered at Gaomiaosih in Huijhou of Guangdong Province to plan for a revolution. They elected Su Hongguang to be their new leader, because Chen Jinnan had already died. Su changed his name to "Tian Youhong" and renamed the organization to be "Sanhehui" literally meaning the three gathered harmoniously, in which "the three" referred to the sky, the earth and the people.