Ching Shih – The Most Feared Pirate in the World

Ching Shih – Super Pirate

When we think about pirates, plenty of images spring to mind – from walking the plank to barrels of grog, tropical Caribbean island hideaways, and chests overflowing with gold. However, the fascinating history of Chinese piracy is less well known. For centuries, the ports of southeast China and the surrounding region were beset by fleets of marauders, making it a perilous place to trade. The most feared of these Chinese pirates was Lady Ching Shih (1775-1844). In fact, she was probably the greatest pirate of all.

From years of plunder to a relaxed retirement

The story of Ching Shih begins in obscurity. As far as we know, she was working in a “floating brothel” as a prostitute when her beauty appealed to famed pirate captain Zheng Yi. Zheng asked her to marry him, and Ching agreed – but only on the condition that she could participate as an equal partner in his growing pirate operation. When Zheng died in 1807, his wife took over.

From 1807 to 1811, Lady Ching “terrorised” the coast of south China, raiding villages around Macao and Hong Kong, battling the Qing, the Portuguese and the British, and never losing a fight. Yet, by 1811, desiring an official marriage to her lover Cheung Po Tsai, she entered negotiations with the Chinese state and agreed to kneel before their officials as demanded by tradition. Despite the carnage that her fleet had caused, she was permitted to retire to run a gambling den in Canton for the next thirty years.

Commander of one of the world’s most feared fighting fleets

At her peak, Lady Ching commanded the massive Red Flag Fleet of some 300 ships and between 30,000 and 80,000 pirates. Not bad for an ex-prostitute. In the Caribbean, piracy was generally (though not always) a male occupation. In China, a female captain could command one of the largest fleets in the world. For comparison, by 1790, the British Navy was thought to be the most powerful in the world, yet it only numbered 16,000 sailors.

Ching Shih was never defeated by the navy of the Qing Dynasty and actually retired from her profession (an extremely rare occurrence in the world of piracy). The extreme discipline that her captains enforced must have helped, but when you are as successful as she was, the amount of booty to distribute to crews must have made sailors keen to follow her lead as well. She was obviously a formidable leader, sailor and businesswoman – and one of the greatest pirates that have ever lived.

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