51 Amazing Facts On Zheng Yi Sao: The Chinese Pirate Queen

Ching Shih was the commander of one of the largest pirate fleets in human history!

The journey of Ching Shih from being a young girl pushed into prostitution to the commander of hundreds of pirate ships is a truly inspirational one. Ching Shih was a very successful pirate queen who had as many as 800 ships under her command.

Her influence was such that no ships passed through the South China Sea without paying ransom to this female pirate. At the same time, she was also able to subdue the emperor of the Qing dynasty through the might of her Red Flag fleet!

Ching Shih was born as Shih Yang in 1775. She was born into poverty in the Guangdong province of China. Hence, she was pushed into prostitution at a very young age.

However. Shih Yang was able to turn the odds in her favor and she eventually changed her life.

She worked at the Cantonese port city, where there were 'flower boats'. Her beauty quickly made her very famous and eventually, when she met the famous commander of the Red Flag Chinese pirates, her life changed completely! Keep reading to learn more about Ching Shih's rule over the Red Flag fleet and her career as a pirate captain!

Who was the female Chinese pirate?

Ching Shih was the famous pirate queen who was able to turn her fate around and become the commander of the largest pirate fleet known to mankind.

She was born in the Guangdong province, which was a poverty-stricken part of China. Before she became a pirate leader, Ching Shih faced many hardships in life.

It was a popular custom in those days to send girls off into prostitution right after they hit puberty.

Since Ching Shih was not born into a particularly well-off family, even she was forced into prostitution.

She was a beautiful woman and hence, people from all parts of the country would visit her.

She even made contacts with some very powerful people of China, such as members of the royal family and the military commanders.

Her name was known far and wide and her influence was magnificent.

Around this time, when her fame was already at its height, Ching Shih met Zheng Yi, who fell in love with her beauty and grace.

Zheng Yi was so attracted to her that he proposed to her to marry him.

We must also note here that Zheng Yi was in fact the pirate commander of the Red Flag Fleet, which was very powerful at the time.

When he asked for Ching Shih's hand, her condition was simple. She stated that she would only marry him if he were to make her an equal partner in the Red Fleet.

At this time, the Red Fleet was very small and consisted of just around 200 ships. However, after Ching Shih joined the pirate fleet and incorporated numerous additions to the legal setup, the fleet grew in size exponentially.

From 200, the fleet now consisted of 1800 ships in a matter of just a few months.

The new rules that Ching Shih set up were regarding honor within the community and the men and the treatment of the female captives.

At the same time, Ching Shih was a very strong-minded female pirate when it came to the interception of all the loot.

According to the new rules that she set up, none of the loot could be kept until it had been registered with the commander.

An understatement of the loot was then treated with a strong hand. Often, men had to lose parts of their bodies as a punishment for their crimes against the commander.

Even though her methods were very violent, they are what made her one of the most successful pirates in the world!

After Zheng Yi's death, all the pirate ships unofficially came under the control of Ching Shih.

From this point onwards, she and her adopted son, Chang Pao, took over the Red Flag Fleet and even defeated the Chinese emperor on many fronts.

The South China coast was completely under her control and no navy ships could pass without her consent.

Who is the most famous Chinese pirate?

Ching Shih or Zheng Yi Sao was the most successful pirate in China. She was a very powerful woman and had command over a large number of ships.

At the same time, she was very clear about her governance methods and created a set of rules which further allowed her to expand the fleet to nearly 10 times what it was when she initially got married to Zheng Yi.

She introduced a set of laws that were violent at the very least and did not allow people to anyone to overstep her or her husband.

The primary rule was that no member of the fleet would pass their own orders or try to disobey the commander and his wife. At the same time, she was very clear about the position of each woman that was abducted and brought into the fleet.

Ching Shih made sure through her laws that no woman was mistreated and that no crimes were committed against anyone. This, presumably, came from everything that the young Ching Shih had to face when she worked in a brothel.

The trickling of loot from her hands was also impossible since Ching Shih made sure that there was proper inspection and registration of all the looted materials.

Anyone who failed to register the loot was treated with a strong hand and even their body parts were chopped off.

The selection of the body part was based on the intensity of the crime and the degree to which it needed to be punished.

Ching Shih had a very eventful life. While she was the commander of the pirates on the Red Flag fleet, she was the queen of the seas and the most powerful commander.

After the Portuguese navy had defeated the fleet and she and her pirates were given benefits by the Qing dynasty, she decided to move to Macau and start a gambling house of her own.

In this way, Ching Shih ended her life nearly in the same way as she had started it.

She passed away when she was around 68 years old and was with her children at the time of death.

What happened to the Chinese Pirate Queen?

Ching Shih's life started as a tragedy and she changed the course of her fate through sheer courage and determination. She is known as one of the greatest pirates in the history of humankind since she was even able to bring down an emperor.

Ching Shih's marriage to Zheng Yi was the turning point in her life. After her marriage, the Red Flag Fleet grew exponentially and she was eventually able to become the pirate queen.

Since the couple was unable to conceive an heir to the fleet, they adopted a young fisherman by the name of Chang Pao or Cheung Po. When Zheng Yi passed away in a thunderstorm near Vietnam, Ching Shih's master plan was revealed.

Shortly after Zheng Yi's death, Cheung Po took over the fleet.

Not only this, but Cheung Po also married Ching Shih soon after Zheng died. There are many conspiracy theories that suggest that this was all planned by Ching Shih.

Many people believe that Ching Shih's adopted son was actually her lover since it was always absurd that the couple adopted a young man instead of adopting a baby.

Once the pirate ships were under the control of the newlyweds, they rapidly gained power. Ching Shih and her husband were also blessed with children later on.

At one point in the history of the Red Flag Fleet, the British and Portuguese navies were struggling greatly in order to make their ships pass through the South China Sea.

It was at this point that the emperor of the Qing dynasty sent his Mandarin navy to subdue the pirate fleet. However, this navy was highly unsuccessful in doing so and eventually became a part of Ching Shih's fleet.

At this point, even the emperor attempted to send them an amnesty deal.

Ching Shih had to accept this amnesty when the Portuguese fleet overpowered them. After this, Ching Shih or Zheng Yi Sao no longer remained the ruler of the seas.

Her husband became a commander for the emperor's navy and lost his life at duty.

Later on, Zheng Yi Sao and her children moved to Macau. There, they lived happily and maintained a gambling business with all the riches that Zheng Yi Sao had looted over the years!

When was the Chinese Pirate Queen born?

The Chinese pirate queen or Shih Yang, was born in 1775 in a small province of China known as Guangdong.

She was from a very humble background, and the course that her life eventually took was a product of sheer will and excellence.

She was forced to support her family by working at a brothel from a very young age.

However, she did not let this break her spirits. She was more than ready to take this challenge and even created her own fame.

She was famous in political and other influential circles because of her beauty and grace. Even people from the royal palaces visited her.

Hence, when Zheng Yi proposed to her to marry him, the choice was not as simple. She took this as an opportunity to turn her life around and was utterly successful in her endeavors. She asked the pirate for equal responsibilities and powers in the fleet.

Unfortunately, there are two versions of the story when it comes to what happened next. One of the versions says that the pirate was so smitten by Shih Yang's beauty that he accepted her terms.

The second narrative is completely contradictory and states that he had her abducted from the brothel.

Irrespective of the narrative we choose be believe in, her fate was about to change for good through this marriage.

She was a boon to the pirate fleet as its numbers increased from hundreds to thousands.

The fleet became the most dreaded one in the world and dominated the South China Sea.

At the same time, Shih Yang created her grasp over the commander (her husband) in such a way that she was able to manipulate him and achieve her own goals.

This shows that she was a woman with indomitable will and the desire to win against all odds.

She passed away at the age of 68, at her own gambling house in Macau!