How Chinese pirate queen Ching Shih ruled the South China Sea, then sailed into the sunset
Ching, aka Zheng Yi Sao, became China’s most successful pirate during the Qing period, building a fearful empire that terrorised the region
Pirates such as Blackbeard and Jack Sparrow are well known in Western pop culture. But Ching Shih, a woman seafarer from China’s Guangdong province, was just as mighty, if not as famous.
By the late 18th century, the South China Sea had become a haven for pirates. Colonial merchant vessels frequently traversed these waters carrying valuable cargo.
According to American historian Dian Murray, author of the 1981 article “One Woman’s Rise to Power: Cheng I’s Wife and the Pirates”, Ching married Zheng Yi, from a well-known family of pirates, in 1801. She accordingly adopted the name “Zheng Yi Sao”, literally meaning “the wife of Zheng Yi”.
Guangdong pirates of the early 19th century were paralysed by infighting, but Zheng Yi consolidated them, offering a viable escape from poverty.