The Badass Female Pirate You've Probably Never Heard of | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post

The Badass Female Pirate You've Probably Never Heard of

You thought Blackbeard was tough? Think again.

244
The Badass Female Pirate You've Probably Never Heard of
www.youtube.com

March is National Women's History Month! To celebrate, I thought I would share the story of an amazing woman that isn't typically talked about in history lessons. Ching Shih was strong, smart, and broke so many glass ceilings that it's almost hard to keep up! Here is her story.

Ching Shih: Pirate Lord and "The Terror of South China"

Yeah, that's right. There were female pirates. The most notable among them was Ching Shih. Living in China in the late 1700s, she was working as a prostitute when a pirate fleet called the Red Flag Fleet came and raided her village. The commander of this fleet, Zhèng Yi, fell in love with Ching Shih during this raid and asked her to marry him. She agreed, but only under the condition that she would rule his fleet alongside him and share half of all the wealth that they plundered. Zhèng Yi agreed, and they set sail together to rule the Red Flag Fleet.

With her help, the fleet grew to have around 1,800 ships and 70,000 pirates! If you want a comparison, Blackbeard, possibly the most famous pirate to ever exist, had only four ships and 300 pirates. Ching Shih and her husband also somehow managed to unite a number of rivalry pirate fleets and create the Cantonese Pirate Coalition.

When Zhèng Yi died, their adopted son, Chang Pao, took control of the fleet. This is where things get weird. Ching Shih still wanted control of the fleet, so she married Chang Pao and convinced him to let her rule the fleet. This woman wanted power so badly that she married her adopted son! And that's not the craziest thing that she did.

Being a female pirate ruler was not something that commonly happened. In fact, there were hardly ever women on pirate ships unless they were prisoners kept there to pleasure the male pirates. Ching Shih decided that she had to set a lot of rules and regulations into place in order for her fleet to take her seriously.

She set many of their female prisoners free, and the ones that stayed had to be treated well. If a man wanted to lay with one of the prisoners, she had to become his wife. If he was unfaithful to her or sexually assaulted her, he was beheaded. If a man and a female captive slept together consensually but did not marry, both the man and woman were beheaded. If a pirate was caught giving out their own orders or defying the orders given to him by a superior, he was beheaded. If someone tried to leave the fleet, they were hunted down, their ears were cut off, and they were held captive. If a pirate resisted her orders, she would nail them by their feet to the ship's deck and beat them until they gave in. Long story short, Ching Shih didn't take any "shih".

She also set in place laws regulating their looting policy. Any and all plunder gathered by their fleet was to be registered and taxed before it was distributed among the pirates. Each ship got to keep 20% of all that they plundered, while the other 80% was placed in the collective fleet fund. This, as you can imagine, made Ching Shih a very wealthy woman.


The Chinese, Portuguese, and British navies all tried to take down her fleet multiple times. Each time, the Red Flag Fleet captured their men and gave them two options. They would be beheaded (yes, she LOVED beheading people), or they would join the fleet. Of course, the choice was simple for most of the prisoners. So basically, the more that people tried to stop her, the larger her fleet grew and the more impossible she became to over-throw.

Eventually, everyone gave up on trying to defeat her. The Qing dynasty decided to grant a percentage of her pirates amnesty if they returned as free citizens. Ching Shih didn't think that was good enough, so she initially refused. I mean, why would she accept if she was doing so well and making so much money? So China negotiated with her and offered her and the majority of her fleet amnesty and even allowed her to keep all of her wealth! She also asked to be given the title "Lady by Imperial Decree" which granted her protection by law. That was the cherry on top that she needed to convince her.

Ching Shih accepted this offer and retired peacefully from her reign. She spent the rest of her life running an underground brothel and gambling house while enjoying her wealth in peace. She had a family and died at the age of 69, which was a very long life in the early 1800s! If that's not a happy ending, then I don't know what is.


So the next time that you're watching Pirates of the Caribbean and you're thinking about how cool Captain Jack Sparrow was, just remember this: Ching Shih would have definitely beheaded him and taken the Black Pearl along with all of its crew.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Taylor Swift in orange dress playing a moss-covered piano on stage with bright lights.

A three-and-a-half-hour runtime. Nine Eras. Eleven outfit changes. Three surprise songs. Zero breaks. One unforgettable evening. In the past century, no other performer has put on an electric performance quite like Taylor Swift, surpassing her fans ‘wildest dreams’. It is the reason supporters keep coming back to her shows each year. Days later, I’m still in awe of the spectacle ‘Miss Americana’ puts on every few days in a new city. And, like one of Taylor’s exes, has me smiling as I reminisce about the memories of the night we spent together.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

A Few Thoughts Every College Freshman Has

The transition into adulthood is never easy

23938
Mays Island
Courtney Jones

Today I started my third week of college at Minnesota State Moorhead. I have survived welcome week, finding my classes on the first day, and being an awkward loner in the dining hall. Even though I have yet to be here for a month, I have already experienced many thoughts and problems that only a new college student can relate to.

Keep Reading...Show less
Students walking on a sunny college campus with trees and buildings.

"Make sure to get involved when you're in college!"

We've all heard some variation of this phrase, whether it came from parents, other family members, friends, RAs, or college-related articles. And, like many clichés, it's true for the most part. Getting involved during your college years can help you make friends, build your resume, and feel connected to your campus. However, these commitments can get stressful if you're dealing with personal issues, need to work, or aren't sure how to balance classes and everything else going on during the semester.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

9 Reasons Why Friends Are Essential In College

College without friends is like peanut butter without jelly.

9997
Bridgaline Liberati and friends
Bridgaline Liberati

In college, one of the essential things to have is friends. Yes, textbooks, a laptop, and other school supplies are important but friends are essential. Friends are that support system everybody needs. The more friends you have the better the support system you have. But you also have someone to share experiences with. And don’t settle for just one or two friends because 8 out of 10 times they are busy and you are studying all alone. Or they have other friend groups that do not include you. Don’t settle for just one or two friends; make as many friends as you can. After the first couple of weeks of college, most friend groups are set and you may be without friends.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

The Power of Dressing Up

Why it pays to leave the hoodie at home.

7249
sneakers and heels
Sister | Brother Style - Word Press

For a moment your world is spinning. The phone alarm has just scared you awake and you’re flooded by daunting thoughts of the day ahead. You have three assignments due and little time to work on them because of your job. You’re running late because you’ve hit snooze one to many times after yesterday’s long hours. You dizzily reach for a hoodie, craving its comfort, and rush for a speedy exit, praying you will have time to pick up coffee. Does this sound familiar?

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments