![]() ![]() She also freed all female captives with the only exception being if a pirate and slave mutually wished to marry. Under her leadership, the pirates obeyed a very strict code which made stealing from each other and disobeying orders punishable by death. With her adopted son, Chang Paou, Ching’s forces became known all over the world as the Red Flag Fleet, which captured many coastal villages and had total rule over the South China Sea. After her husband died in 1807, she took full control. The pair married and Ching used her position to solidify her place and form strong coalitions with many other Cantonese fleets. Not much is known of Ching’s early life until the moment she attracted the attention of fearsome pirate Cheng I. Before her retirement she even went on to forge alliances with other pirate leaders and created a naval force of over 1500 ships. Her name translates as "Cheng’s Widow", thanks to the legacy of her pirate husband, yet the power and support she amassed in her time far outstrips any man’s.īorn in Guangzhou in 1775, Madame Ching rose from a life of poverty to the command of over 300 pirate ships and 20,000 pirates. Madame Ching, or Ching Shih, was quite simply the most successful pirate who ever lived.
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