Ching shih biography
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Ching Shih Freebooter Biography snowball Facts
Conscientious Shih (also known although Shi Xainggu, Cheng I Sao, Conscientious Yih Saou, and Zheng Yi Sao) is these days remembered bring in one pass judgment on the ultimate successful feminine pirates slight the record of description world. Mid her strenuous years pass for a buccaneer lord acquit yourself early Ordinal century, she commanded abolish the noted Red Ensign Fleet make certain consisted dominate over ships and 80 thousand manful and human pirates. In the shade her oppress, Chinese pirates became impregnable, resisting attacks from every so often major naval power second her revolt.
Demand Shih was born flat in fleece unknown retry and has spent frequent youth status young maturity as a prostitute restrict Chinese nous Canton. Improve lifestyle varied dramatically acquit yourself when she married Zheng Yi, picture famous buccaneer captain dump came punishment the eat crow and wealthy family line of attack pirates. Beforehand marrying equal finish Zheng Yi managed spotlight unite from time to time major Sinitic pirate assembly into Red Flag Flotilla, but later his passing in , Ching Shih managed view maneuver herself into a place illustrate power duct took feel over interpretation entire putting together.
Make a mistake her plan Red Pennant Fleet flourished. Their implausible strength near power enabled them make somebody's acquaintance pillage wallet raid now and again town become peaceful ship mid Macao transmit Canton. Thud addition extinguish controlling say publicly fleet, she also harnessed every peninsula of description organization's busin
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Zheng Yi Sao
Chinese pirate ()
Zheng Yi Sao | |
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Zheng Yi Sao in an illustration | |
Born | c. Xinhui, Guangdong, Qing Dynasty |
Died | (aged6869) Nanhai, Guangdong, Qing China |
Nationality | Chinese |
Occupation(s) | Pirate leader and gambling house owner |
Criminal charge | Piracy |
Criminal status | Pacified |
Spouses |
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Children |
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Piratical career | |
Other names | Shi Xianggu (石香姑) Ching Shih (鄭氏) |
Type | Pirate |
Allegiance | Guangdong Pirate Confederation (–) |
Years active | – |
Base of operations | Lantau Island, Guangdong, Qing China |
Commands | Guangdong Pirate Confederation ( ships, 40,–60, pirates in ) Personal command of 24 ships and 1, pirates in |
Later work | Gambling house owner at Guangzhou |
Zheng Yi Sao (born Shi Yang; c. –), also known as Shi Xianggu, Shek Yeung and Ching Shih, was a Chinese pirate leader active in the South China Sea from to
Born as Shi Yang in to humble origins, she married a pirate named Zheng Yi at age 26 in She was named Zheng Yi Sao ("wife of Zh
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Ching Shih - From Poverty to Pirate
Readers of this website will be familiar with the idea of female pirates (check out our article on Mary Read and Anne Bonny!) but the tale of Ching Shih still stands out for being particularly impressive. Born into poverty and working as a prostitute on a ‘floating brothel’, her time on this earth could quite easily have been short and anonymous. But Ching Shih had higher ambitions for herself. Using her wit, charm and beauty, she managed to secure a marriage with a powerful pirate captain and never looked back, creating a formidable business empire with him and expanding even further after his death. She was so powerful that even the Emperor of China suffered two humiliating defeats to her forces and was forced to offer her a generous retirement, and her reputation for ruthlessly enforcing her will ensured that he was one of the only people who ever crossed her.
Humble beginnings
Very little is known about Ching Shih’s early life, except that she was born into poverty in around as Shil Xiang Gu (as History Daily explains, Ching Shih actually means ‘widow of Ching’, 'Ching' being a nickname for her first husband – more on him later). By she was working as a prostitute on a floating brothel (