Ahoy, matey! What image comes to mind when you try to imagine a pirate? Is it a man with a parrot on his shoulder? Is he wearing a black or red hat? Or do you imagine a large group of men with their long swords on their sides? Not bad, but the most successful pirate of all time was actually a woman. Her name was Zheng Yi Sao.
The Big Picture
Born Shi Yang, and also known as Ching Shih, Zheng Yi Sao was a Chinese pirate leader who was active in the South China Sea from 1801 to 1810. Her name was changed when she married Zheng Yi. When her husband died, the other pirates chose her as the successor. She took over the ‘Guangdong Pirate Confederation' along with Zhang Bao – her adopted son. Interesting fact: she is known for establishing the pirates’ code of conduct!
The confederation consisted of 400 ships and about 60,000 pirates. With such big numbers came great responsibility. She had to deal with conflicts and challenges pertaining the East Indian Company, the Portuguese Empire, and even Qing China! Everybody wanted her out of the game, but none seems to pose a threat to her great power.
The confederation consisted of 400 ships and about 60,000 pirates. With such big numbers came great responsibility. She had to deal with conflicts and challenges pertaining the East Indian Company, the Portuguese Empire, and even Qing China! Everybody wanted her out of the game, but none seems to pose a threat to her great power.
She and her troops used to capture other pirates and sailors and keep them locked up on their ships. The prisoners were kept in unfortunate conditions, mostly in crowded, rat-infested rooms. The prisoners survived by eating nothing more than rice and caterpillars. They were given the choice of either joining the Guangdong Pirate Confederation or die. Not much of a choice, uh?
One Exceptional Battle
At some point, they went on the famous journey to defeat the Chinese navy. It was a long, difficult journey. One of the battles lasted for over 16 hours, followed by a Chinese admiral jumping from his ship into the ocean out of mere desperation. What happened next was, the Guangdong Pirate Confederation’s ships were stuck due to heavy winds. Amazingly, Zheng Yi Sao commanded her crew to swim toward safety. Eventually, they bravely defeated their enemy.
Power Eclipsed
Zheng Yi Sao was able to unite her pirates and followers by signing a unique set of agreements. The idea was to make some sort of sacrifice for the common good. She was a talented, successful negotiator, and she managed to join forces and bring together different factions in the confederation.
But once the Chinese authorities made their historic decision to stop all pirate activity, things changed for Zheng Yi Sao. Trade was interrupted, and chaos ensued. Her people either ran away or were captured but the Chinese. She began to lose power, and eventually her fleet dissolved completely.
Retirement From Pirate Life
At a certain point, the end was clear, and Zheng Yi Sao decided to surrender herself to the authorities. Being a strong, decisive and convincing leader, she demanded to be pardoned on her own terms. Believe it or not, she succeeded. She and her pirates were allowed to keep their ships, weapons and treasures. And, as unbelievable as it may sound, some of her people were actually recruited by the Imperial Chinese Navy.
She then settled with Zhang Bao in Canton, and she ended up managing a huge gambling venue, somewhere around Guangdong.