Ching Shih: The Pirate Queen

Ching Shih was born in 1775. Her real name is unknown (Ching Shih means ‘Widow of Cheng’). She was a prostitute who was captured by pirates and promptly married one of them, Cheng I. Cheng I was an immensely powerful pirate, though it’s probably more accurate to call him a privateer, since he was involved in political intrigues and played a significant role in the Tay Son Rebellion. The Tay Son Rebellion was a rebellion between Vietnam and China. It lasted from approximately 1771 – 1802. During this time, the Tay Son group basically outsourced their navy, hiring Chinese pirates to attack and loot other Chinese ships. Ching Shih and Cheng I were unstoppable partners who led a large fleet of ships until Cheng I died in 1807. At the time of his death, the couple had a pirate fleet of anywhere from 400 – 1200 ships and 70,000 – 80,000 pirates. It was known as the Red Flag Fleet.

Ching Shih decided that she needed a new ally. She entered into a marriage of convenience with her adopted son, Cheung Po Tsai, who was also the second in command (behind Cheng I and Ching Shih, who operated as a unit). The most straightforward story about Cheung Po Tsai, and the one most frequently told, is that Cheung Po Tsai was kidnapped as a teen by Cheng I and Ching Shih, who subsequently adopted him.
Still from the 2003 movie, Singing Behind Screens
Another story, from History of Piracy, says that Cheung Po Tsai was Cheng I’s lover. Cheng I could not marry him, so he adopted him instead, which gave Cheung Po Tsai certain official status and protection in case of Cheng I’s death. This idea isn’t far-fetched: this article in The Advocate talks about gay couples in the modern day United States in which one adopted the other when gay marriage wasn’t legal. It appears to be a pretty common historical practice.

If this theory is true, then for a significant period of time the most powerful pirate fleet the world has ever known was run by a woman and a man who was either gay or bisexual. Suck it, heteronormative patriarchy!

Ching Shih implemented a strict list of rules. The rules called for obedience to Ching Shih alone, and for any loot to be turned in and then distributed by the fleet leader (whoever captured the loot got to keep an additional twenty present of it). Rape was punishable by death and many female captives were released. The pirates were allowed to take wives from among the captives but they could be punished by death if they were violent or unfaithful or failed to provide for their wives.

Ching Shih’s fleet ruled the coastal villages. The Chinese navy couldn’t outfight her. The British and Portuguese navies wouldn’t go near her.
Ching Shih in action, artist unknown, 1835
A lot of stories about ambitious people end with the ambitious ones being punished in some way. This is especially true when the people are women. But in Ching Shih’s case, everything turned out just fine. The Chinese government became so desperate to get rid of her that they came to terms.

In the words of “Rejected Princesses,”

Instead of merely negotiating amnesty by informing on her shipmates, she spent months bargaining with the government. The end result: she actually retired. The government gave over a big chunk of cash, cancelled all warrants for her, and made Chang Palo lieutenant in the Chinese navy. One of his first acts? Using the government forces to destroy their old pirate rivals.

Ching Shih died in 1844, presumably while lying comfortably atop of a large pile of money. According to The Mary Sue, Maggie Q is set to star in a new series, Red Flag, based on Ching Shih’s life. No release date or network yet, but fingers crossed!

Once again, this column is brought to you by Google (unofficially – I’m not suggesting they are a corporate sponsor. I’m merely suggesting that I spent many happy hours typing “Chinese Pirate Queen” into my search engine). Every good hardcore academic scholarly endeavor starts with Wikipedia and this was no exception. I’m also grateful to:

“Zheng Shi, Pirate Lady of China” by Kallie Szczepanski, in About.com

“The Pirate Ching Shih,” by Ludovico Pisano, in The Global Dispatches

and Tooky History for his great work :

have fun @bitius