▁Ti and ih ui ▁( 关 于 天 地 会 的 起 源 问 题 ) ▁in ▁ 1 9 6 4 . ▁Using ▁his ▁research ▁on ▁Q ing ▁dynast y ▁arch ives ▁hous ed ▁in ▁Be ij ing , ▁a ▁previously ▁neglect ed ▁source ▁for ▁the ▁topic , ▁C ai ▁advanced ▁a ▁vast ly ▁different ▁interpretation ▁of ▁the ▁orig ins ▁of ▁the ▁Ti and ih ui ▁( He aven ▁and ▁Earth ▁Society ) ▁and ▁the ▁importance ▁of ▁secret ▁soci eties ▁in ▁Chinese ▁history . ▁His ▁work ▁is ▁considered ▁to ▁have ▁opened ▁a ▁new ▁chapter ▁of ▁scholar ship ▁in ▁the ▁field , ▁but ▁further ▁research ▁was ▁ham per ed ▁by ▁the ▁Cultural ▁Revolution ▁( 1 9 6 6 – 1 9 7 6 ). ▁After ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁the ▁period , ▁C ai ▁and ▁his ▁former ▁student ▁Q in ▁Ba o qi ▁emer ged ▁as ▁leaders ▁in ▁the ▁field ▁in ▁China . ▁The ▁work ▁by ▁C ai , ▁Q in ▁and ▁others ▁over turn ed ▁the ▁find ings ▁of ▁earlier ▁Republican - era ▁sch ol ars . ▁They ▁concluded ▁that ▁the ▁Ti and ih ui ▁was ▁founded ▁in ▁ 1 7 6 1 ▁and ▁not ▁in ▁the ▁early ▁Q ing ▁dynast y , ▁and ▁that ▁the ▁roots ▁of ▁the ▁Ti and ih ui ▁and ▁other ▁secret ▁soci eties ▁lay ▁in ▁mut ual ▁aid ▁and ▁not ▁national ▁politics ▁as ▁previously ▁thought . ▁ ▁T ogether ▁with ▁Philip ▁Bill ings ley , ▁C ai ▁pione ered ▁research ▁on ▁the ▁links ▁between ▁the ▁War l ord