January 21st 1810, a small naval brigade made up of 6 Portuguese Frigates find themselves surrounded by 300 Chinese pirate ships, the largest pirate fleet in history.
Commanding the fleet is Ching Shih - A former prostitute turned pirate Queen.
After 9 hours of battle, Shih is forced to retreat, leading to her eventual surrender to the Chinese government.
Born to a poor, peasant family in 1775 in Xinhui, Guangdong, Shi Yang (later named Ching Shih) was forced into prostitution at a young age, not dissimilar to a lot of peasant women of the time.
There’s not much known about her early life, but it's thought that she used her work life to develop political intrigue on the elite clients she bedded. - Came in handy in the years to come.
At the age of 26, Yang met Zheng Yi, a well known pirate in China who fought as a privateer for the Vietnamese Tây Son dynasty in the Tây Son wars during the late 18th century.
Yang and Yi found themselves married in 1801, with Yang leaving her life as a lady of the night behind.
Newly married, the couple adopted a young man named Cheung Po, another pirate who was abducted by Zheng Yi at the age of 15.
Portrait of Ching Shih - Circa 1800
On November 16th 1807, Zheng Yi died suddenly in Vietnam, with sources varying on the cause; he either died in a Typhoon, falling overboard by accident, or was killed by his wife, Ching. - Very fucking varied.
- This was how Shi Yang got the name Ching Shih / Zheng Shih - literally translating to ‘Zheng’s widow’.
Newly named Ching Shih moved quickly to announce herself as the rightful admiral of the combined pirate fleets.
Shih managed to secure the leadership spot, with the support of her late husband’s 2 main cheiftain’s - Cheng An-Pang & Cheng Pao-Yang.
Now the boss, Shih appointed her adopted son Cheung Po as the leader of the Red Fleet, the most powerful of all pirate fleets. Allowing her to rule without suspicion of a lone female in power.
She also started dating Po and the two eventually married. - Yes, she was shagging her adopted son, don’t ask.
Ching Shih and the Red Fleet set out on their piracy campaign along the southern Chinese coast, claiming treasures and surprisingly, against the old pirate code, spared the lives of the villagers she raided.
At the height of Shih’s reign, she had a few dozen coastal villages paying her monthly taxes in exchange for ‘protection’.
Shih ran a tight ship. Setting a multitude of commands her men must follow. Changing piracy laws forever.
A few of her laws being -
Orders follow a strict, top down chain of command. If you disobey orders, or give orders of your own, you lose your head.
Any raid or transaction must be decided and agreed upon by Ching Shih. Any stolen funds would result in.. you guessed it, decapitation.
Women captured during raids will suffer no harm.
All allied villagers must not be harmed.
In 1808, the Chinese government felt something needed to be done about the Red Flag fleet.
They hunted down the pirates and for the first time, engaged in open battle.
The pirates made light work of the attackers, swiftly winning the conflict and seizing the majority of the government ships.
Getting braver by the day, Ching and her fleet headed to try their luck with the Europeans. Known for having much stronger fleets, with larger Frigates and much more experienced Commanders, but also more treasure..
In early September 1809, Shih seized a Portuguese trade ship and murdered the entire crew.
Fearful of a pirate blockade, the Portuguese government dispatched a fleet to hunt down the pirates.
On September 15th, both naval powers engaged in battle, lasting for over 12 hours. With the sun setting and having suffered heavy casualties, the Red Fleet retreated. The Portuguese fleet returned home, having not lost a single ship.
Spotting the opportunity, the Chinese government contacted the Portuguese and offered to join forces to destroy the Red Fleet once and for all. They agreed.
But once the Portuguese fleet arrived in China, no Chinese ships were to be found, leaving them to deal with Ching Shih alone.
Shih took the chance to fight the Europeans on her own terms, knowing that her days were numbered and this might be her only chance to fight a smaller fleet.
Shih engaged the Europeans a number of times throughout December 1809, with each time resulting in defeat.
Finally on the 21st January 1810, Shih sent in her full fleet; over 300 ships, 1,500 guns and 22,000 men.
After 9 hours of constant fighting, the battle ended in complete disaster, even with the numbers well and truly on her side. Shih, Cheung Po and all remaining men surrendered.
Now on trial back in China, Shih managed to use her old powers of persuasion and get the best result she could have hoped for.
The Red Fleet were forgiven for all crimes committed and Shih was allowed to keep all treasure she had gathered in her years of piracy.
All on one condition - that her adopted son come lover/husband, Cheung Po, was to be made a Lieutenant in the Chinese Navy and tasked with using the Red Fleet to hunt down other pirates.
Shih accepted.
Ching Shih returned home to Guangzhou, where she retired peacefully.
Her reign as a pirate Queen was brief, but it would shape Chinese history and pirate folklore for years to come.
Rumours suggest that Shih’s original plan before heading to fight European foes, was to put her husband, Cheung Po on the Chinese throne.
- Would the Red Fleets strength have been enough to overthrow the Chinese government? Who knows, maybe in a parallel universe. Love a good underdog story don’t we.
Ching Shih died peacefully in 1844 at the age of 69.
The legacy she left behind has infiltrated popular culture, inspiring numerous films and even a character in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise - Mistress Ching.
Not much is known of the years following her retirement from the seas, other than she spent her last days in peace and anonymity.
Good going Ching, not a bad run. Not a bad run at all.
- M
On This Day -
1836 - Samuel Colt manufactures the first pistol - 34-caliber ‘Texas’ model.
1900 - American Hall of Fame founded.
1907 - First radio broadcast of a musical composition aired.
1933 - Germany's Nazi Party wins majority vote in parliament, 43.9% - 17.2M votes.
1946 - Winston Churchill’s Iron Curtain speech in Fulton, Missouri, popularises the term and draws attention to the division of Europe.
Sources -
Wikipedia - Zheng Yi Sao
Youtube - The Infographics Show, Biographics