Zheng Yi Sao

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Zheng Yi Sao
鄭一嫂
Zheng Yi Sao .jpg
Zheng Yi Sao in an 1836 illustration
Born
  • Shi Yang (石陽)

c. 1775
Xinhui, Guangdong, Qing Dynasty
Died1844 (aged 68–69)
Nanhai, Guangdong, Qing China
NationalityChinese
Occupation(s)Pirate leader and gambling house owner
Criminal charge Piracy
Criminal status Pacified
Spouses
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1801;died 1807)​
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1810;died 1822)​
Children
  • Zheng Yingshi (鄭英石) (son)
  • Zheng Xiongshi (鄭雄石) (son)
  • Zhang Yulin (張玉麟) (son)
  • name unknown (daughter)
Piratical career
Other namesShi Xianggu (石香姑)
Ching Shih (鄭氏)
Type Pirate
AllegianceGuangdong Pirate Confederation (1805–1810)
Years active1801–1810
Base of operations Lantau Island, Guangdong, Qing China
CommandsGuangdong Pirate Confederation (400 ships, 40,000–60,000 pirates in 1805) Personal command of 24 ships and 1,433 pirates in 1810
Later workGambling house owner at Guangzhou

In desperation, Chinese officials looked with renewed interest at the "foreign barbarians", hoping to obtain aid against Zheng Yi Sao and the Pirate Confederation. The Portuguese Empire, which controlled Macau at the time, agreed to help – on September 5, 1809, Zheng Yi Sao had captured the brig of Antonio Botelho Homen (the Portuguese governor of Timor), and the Portuguese were eager for payback. [30] [31]

In early November, 1809, Zheng Yi Sao suddenly left the Pearl River with only a few ships, and anchored at Tung Chung Bay, north of Lantau Island, for repairs. [32] On November 4, the Portuguese sent three ships and a brig to harass Zheng Yi Sao at Lantau. She immediately called the Red Flag Fleet under Zhang Bao for aid. [33] On the 5th, Zhang Bao arrived at Tung Chung Bay and, seeing that the Portuguese were no longer there, decided to anchor his ships for repair and maintenance. [34]

On the 8th, six Portuguese ships, the Inconquistável (frigate), the Indiana (brig), the Belisário (brig), the Conceição (brig), the São Miguel (brig), and the Princesa Carlota (brig), under the command of artillery captain José Pinto Alcoforado de Azevedo e Sousa, blockaded Zheng Yi Sao and Zhang Bao within Tung Chung Bay. [34] On the 20th, 93 ships from the provincial fleet joined the Portuguese in their blockade, commanded by Sun Quanmou. [35] [36]

The pirates made various attempts to counterattack and break the blockade, but were unsuccessful due to unfavorable winds. On the 23rd, the pirates managed to capture one ship from the provincial fleet, and killed the 74 men aboard. [37] The situation turned into a stalemate between the pirates and the joint Sino-Portuguese fleet. Frustrated with the lack of progress, Sun Quanmou converted 43 of his ships into fireships and set them adrift towards the pirates in Tung Chung Bay on the 28th. [38]

The pirates diverted the fireships, towed them ashore, extinguished the fires, and broke them up for firewood. At this point the wind changed, and two of the fireships were blown back to the provincial fleet and ignited two of Sun's own ships. On the 29th, Zhang Bao and Zheng Yi Sao, taking full advantage of the wind, broke through the blockade, and escaped into the South China Sea. The provincial fleet lost 3 ships and at least 74 men, while the pirates lost 40 men and no ships. [38]

Surrendering to the Qing authorities

The year 1810 saw the end of the Pirate Confederation. Sources differ on the motivation as to why the pirates surrendered.

By early 1810, the pirates began to realize that they were in such a position of power that they could negotiate to surrender to the Guangdong government without punishment or reparations being imposed on them. Guangdong was so desperate to end the scourge of piracy that they were ready to legitimize their power in exchange for their retirement. [39]

An alternative viewpoint is that by the end of 1809 the tides were turning against Zheng Yi Sao and the Pirate Confederation. Guo Podai, leader of the Black Flag Fleet, refused to reinforce Zheng Yi Sao and Zhang Bao during the Battle of Tung Chung Bay, and later openly battled with Zhang Bao near Humen. On January 13, 1810, Guo Podai officially surrendered to the Viceroy of Liangguang, Bai Ling, and was rewarded with the rank of sublieutenant (把總). [40] [41]

The Portuguese and the British officially joined in the fray. On September 15, 1809, the British ship Mercury agreed to join 60 provincial warships in patrolling the inner passage of the Pearl River. On November 23, the Portuguese signed an agreement with Bai Ling, that called for six Portuguese ships to join the Chinese provincial fleet on patrol between Humen and Macau for six months. [32]

Bai Ling's policy of militia training and embargoes enjoyed reasonable success in cutting off the pirates' supply lines. [42] It was all these reasons combined, plus the organizational limit of the Pirate Confederation, which was held together by a few charismatic leaders such as Zheng Yi Sao, Zhang Bao, and Guo Podai, that led Zheng Yi Sao to consider surrendering to the authorities in early 1810. [43]

With Macau's Ouvidor (magistrate) Miguel José de Arriaga as mediator, Zheng Yi Sao, Zhang Bao, and Bai Ling officially met on Zhang Bao's flagship on February 21, 1810. The negotiations quickly broke down when Bai Ling refused Zheng Yi Sao and Zhang Bao's demand of retaining 5,000 subordinates and 80 ships for entering the salt trade and joining the anti-pirate campaign in western Guangdong. At the end of the day, ten British Indiamen sailed past the pirate fleet and alarmed Zhang Bao, who suspected some sort of Sino-European trap and quickly retreated. [44] [45]

On April 17, Zheng Yi Sao, wanting to break the deadlock, personally led a delegation of 17 women and children to the Yamen at Guangzhou and negotiated with Bai Ling, where he yielded to her demands. On April 20, 1810, Zheng Yi Sao and Zhang Bao officially surrendered to Bai Ling near Furongsha (芙蓉沙, near what is now Guzaiwan 古仔湾) [46] with 17,318 pirates, 226 ships, 1,315 cannons, and 2,798 assorted weapons. Zheng Yi Sao surrendered with 24 ships and 1,433 pirates under her personal command. Zhang Bao was awarded the rank of lieutenant (千總), and was allowed to retain a private fleet of 20 to 30 ships. Zheng Yi Sao was also given permission to officially marry Zhang Bao. [2] Zheng Yi Sao and her crews were pardoned, and the men received pork, wine and money. [47] Along with the amnesty she was granted, Zheng Yi Sao was also given land in Canton where she owned and operated a very successful gambling house.

Life after piracy and death

After surrendering, Zhang Bao further distinguished himself by defeating the Blue Flag Fleet under Wu Shi'er (烏石二) near the Leizhou Peninsula. [48] Zhang Bao, with Zheng Yi Sao accompanying him, was later transferred to Min'an, Fujian, where Zheng Yi Sao gave birth to a son, Zhang Yulin, in 1813 (張玉麟). [49] At some point, Zheng Yi Sao also gave birth to a daughter, however the time and name are unknown.

In 1822, Zhang Bao, aged 39, died near Penghu while serving as a colonel (副將) in charge of the Penghu garrison. In 1824, Zheng Yi Sao returned to Guangdong with Zhang Yulin. [50] In 1840, while living at Nanhai, Zheng Yi Sao filed charges against a government official, Wu Yaonan (伍耀南), for having embezzled 28,000 taels of silver that Zhang Bao had handed over to him in 1810 for the purchase of an estate. The Viceroy of Liangguang at the time, Lin Zexu, petitioned the emperor to dismiss the case, which he did. [51]

In 1844, Zheng Yi Sao died at the age of 68 or 69, having led a relatively peaceful life after the death of her second husband, as the proprietor of an infamous gambling house somewhere around Guangdong. [52]

Legacy

Zhang Bao's three codes for the pirates of the Red Flag Fleet are often misattributed to Zheng Yi Sao. The codes are: [53]

  1. If any pirate goes privately on shore, he shall be taken, his ears mutilated, he will be paraded around the fleet and executed.
  2. Not the least thing shall be taken privately from the stolen and plundered goods, all shall be registered. The pirate receives for himself, out of ten parts, only two; eight parts belong to the storehouse, called the general fund; those who steal anything out of this general fund, shall be executed.
  3. Women captured from villages shall not be harmed or harassed. All women captives shall be registered, their place of origin recorded, and be given separate quarters. Those who rape or commit adultery with the women captives shall be executed.

The three codes and the fact that Zhang Bao was the author of the codes were recorded in Jing hai fen ji (靖海氛記), an account of the Pirate Confederation by Qing official Yuan Yonglun (袁永綸) based on first-hand testimonies. [4] The misattribution of the codes to Zheng Yi Sao most likely originated from Philip Gosse's The History of Piracy, first published in 1932, in which he said Zheng Yi Sao had drawn up "a code of rules for her crews which somewhat resembled those subscribed to by earlier European pirates." [54]

Gosse claimed to have based the story of Zheng Yi Sao on a translation of Jing hai fen ji by Charles F. Neumann, in History of the Pirates Who Infested the China Sea from 1807 to 1810, published in 1831, which in itself contains numerous translation errors. [55] It is thought that Gosse was primarily interested in a sensationalized account of Zheng Yi Sao, as he claimed in The History of Piracy that "the original (Jing hai fen ji), published in Canton in 1830, is chiefly devoted to the exploits of one pirate, and that a woman," [56] while in fact Jin hai fen ji contains significantly more mentions of Zhang Bao (88) than Zheng Yi Sao (25). [57]

Although the fact that the codes were misattributed was established, other sources list additional codes that may have been issued by Zheng Yi Sao, which is compiled below: [58]

A semi-fictionalized account of Zheng Yi Sao, based on Philip Gosse's The History of Piracy, appeared in Jorge Luis Borges' short story The Widow Ching, Lady Pirate (part of A Universal History of Infamy (1935)), where she is described as "a lady pirate who operated in Asian waters, all the way from the Yellow Sea to the rivers of the Annam coast", and who, after surrendering to the imperial forces, is pardoned and allowed to live the rest of her life as an opium smuggler. [59] In the story, Borges repeated the incorrect claim that the pirate codes were issued by Zheng Yi Sao. [60] [61]

In 2020 Angela Eiter finished the first ascent of the mountain climbing route Madame Ching (which she named after Zheng Yi Sao) in Imst, Austria. [62]

Arts, entertainment, and media

Film

  • Singing Behind Screens (2003), directed by Ermanno Olmi, is loosely based on Jorge Luis Borges' short story The Widow Ching, Lady Pirate. [63]
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007), directed by Gore Verbinski, featured a character played by Takayo Fischer named Mistress Ching that is loosely based on Zheng Yi Sao.
  • Madame Pirate: Becoming a Legend (2021), directed by Dan Chi Huang and Morgan Ommer, a fictional re-telling of Zheng Yi Sao's rise to power. It includes live action scenes filmed with virtual reality simulations as well. With Yi Ti Yao, Shang-Ho Huang, Ling Yuan Kung, Hao-Hsiang Hsu. Produced by Serendipity Films. [64]

Literature

  • The short story The Widow Ching, Lady Pirate in A Universal History of Infamy (1935) by Jorge Luis Borges is loosely based on Zheng Yi Sao's life.
  • In The Wake of the Lorelei Lee (2012), book 8 of L.A. Meyer's Bloody Jack series, the character Cheng Shih is based on Zheng Yi Sao.
  • The Flower Boat Girl (2021) by Larry Feign is a fictional novel based closely on the life of Zheng Yi Sao, incorporating historical research done by the author. [65] [66]
  • The science fiction novel Mickey7 (2022), by Edward Ashton, refers to the first interstellar human colonial mission as having departed on a ship named the Ching Shih. A film adaptation of the novel, directed by Bong Joon-Ho, has been reported to be Bong's next project. [67]
  • The science fiction novel The Red Scholar's Wake (2022), by Aliette de Bodard, features space pirates modelled on Ching Shih and the pirates of the South China Sea. [68]
  • In the classics remix of Treasure Island, A Clash of Steel by C.B.Lee Zheng Yi Sao's stories are passed on, and she turns out to be a major character
  • Taiwanese-American author Rita Chang-Eppig published a fictionalized biography of Zheng Yi Sao in her debut novel Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea (2023), referring to Zheng Yi Sao by the name she's associated with in Taiwan, Shek Yeung. [69] [70]

Manga and graphic novels

  • In chapter 15 of Codename: Sailor V (November 1997), a manga created by Naoko Takeuchi, Sailor V transforms temporarily into Zheng Yi Sao.
  • Afterlife (2006) is a OEL graphic novel that depicts Zheng Yi Sao as a guardian who fights demons to protect the denizens of the underworld.
  • In chapter 60 of Worn and Torn Newbie, a Korean webtoon , a female pirate captain appears as Ching Shih.

Television

Podcasts

  • Historian Daniele Bolelli explores the life of Zheng Yi Sao in "The Pirate Queen", episode 24 of History on Fire podcast. [72]
  • An episode of BBC Sounds podcast You're Dead To Me focuses on Zheng Yi Sao. Host Greg Jenner is joined by Ria Lina and Prof. Ronald C. Po. [73]
  • In episode 254 of the Lions Led By Donkeys podcast, host Joe Kassabian explores the life of Zheng Yi Sao. He is joined by Nate Bethea and Tom O'Mahoney. [74]

Video games

  • The Pirate hero from For Honor is heavily inspired by Ching Shih. [75]
  • Baozhai, a character from Indivisible , is inspired by Ching Shih.
  • Jing Lang, an antagonist in Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag is inspired by Ching Shih.
  • Ching Shih is a "Great Admiral" unit in strategy game Civilization VI , which grants extra rewards for plundering trade routes. [76] [77]
  • The 2024 VR game The Pirate Queen features the player taking the role of Cheng Shih in a VR experience on a ship, and features Lucy Liu doing voice acting for the game. [78]

Music

  • The song "Bloody Rose of China" by The Jolly Rogers tells a version of the story of her life. [79]
  • The song "Zheng Yi Sao & Questions For Her" by Bastille reflects on her life. [80]

Musicals

  • The musical Asian Pirate Musical features a version of her. [81]

See also

References

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 3 Murray 1987, p. 71.
  2. 1 2 Murray 1987, p. 143.
  3. 1 2 Wang 2019, p. 85.
  4. 1 2 Siu & Puk 2007, p. 10, U5b.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Siu & Puk 2007, p. 10, U5a.
  6. 1 2 Murray 2001, p. 258.
  7. ↑ Zheng 1998, p. 309.
  8. ↑ Banerji, Urvija (6 April 2016). "The Chinese Female Pirate Who Commanded 80,000 Outlaws". Atlas Obscura . Archived from the original on 17 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  9. ↑ "History's greatest woman pirate becomes a Hong Kong children's story". South China Morning Post . 28 February 2018. Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  10. ↑ Ye 2012, p. 74.
  11. ↑ Antony, Robert (2003). Like Froth Floating on the Sea: The World of Pirates and Seafarers in Late Imperial South China. Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California, Berkeley. pp. 48–53. ISBN   9781557290786.
  12. 1 2 Murray 1987, p. 65.
  13. ↑ Murray 1987, p. 63–65.
  14. ↑ Buttinger 1970, p. 241.
  15. ↑ Siu & Puk 2007, p. 9, U2b.
  16. ↑ Murray 1981, p. 149.
  17. ↑ Murray 1987, p. 57–59.
  18. ↑ Siu & Puk 2007, p. 9–10, U3a-U3b.
  19. ↑ Murray 1987, p. 64.
  20. ↑ Murray 1987, p. 67.
  21. ↑ Wen 1850, p. 3.
  22. ↑ Siu & Puk 2007, p. 10–11, U7a-U9b.
  23. ↑ Murray 1987, p. 121.
  24. ↑ Siu & Puk 2007, p. 11, U10a-U11b.
  25. ↑ Siu & Puk 2007, p. 10, U13b.
  26. ↑ Siu & Puk 2007, p. 12, U14b.
  27. ↑ Murray 1987, pp. 126–128.
  28. ↑ Siu & Puk 2007, p. 13, U19a-U20b.
  29. ↑ Siu & Puk 2007, p. 14, L1a.
  30. ↑ Siu & Puk 2007, p. 14, L3b.
  31. ↑ Murray 1987, p. 132.
  32. 1 2 Murray 1987, p. 133.
  33. ↑ Glasspoole 1812, p. 36.
  34. 1 2 Monteiro 2013, p. 37.
  35. ↑ Glasspoole 1812, pp. 36–37.
  36. ↑ Murray 1987, p. 134.
  37. ↑ Glasspoole 1812, p. 37–38.
  38. 1 2 Murray 1987, pp. 135–136.
  39. ↑ "Dragon Lady of the South China Sea: Cheng I Sao, Woman Commander of China's Pirate Confederacy". 6 December 2021. Archived from the original on 29 June 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  40. ↑ Murray 1987, pp. 138–139.
  41. ↑ Siu & Puk 2007, p. 16, L13b.
  42. ↑ Murray 1987, p. 123.
  43. ↑ Murray 1987, p. 147.
  44. ↑ Murray 1987, p. 141.
  45. ↑ Siu & Puk 2007, p. 17, L18a-L19a.
  46. ↑ Siu & Puk 2007, p. 18, L21b.
  47. ↑ Siu & Puk 2007, p. 18.
  48. ↑ Siu & Puk 2007, p. 18, L23a.
  49. ↑ Ye 2012, pp. 73–75.
  50. ↑ Murray 1987, p. 149.
  51. ↑ Ye 2012, p. 75.
  52. ↑ Murray 1987, p. 150.
  53. ↑ Original quote in Chinese: 一、私逃上岸者，謂之反關，捉回插耳，刑示各船。 遍遊後，立殺。一、凡搶奪貨物，不得私留，寸縷必盡出眾點閱；以二分歸搶者，以八分歸庫。歸庫後謂之公項，有私竊公項者，立殺。一、到村落擄掠婦女，下船後，一概不許污辱。詢籍注簿，隔艙分住。有犯強奸、私合者，立殺。
  54. ↑ Gosse 2007, pp. 272–273.
  55. ↑ Wang 2019, p. 83.
  56. ↑ Gosse 2007, p. 271.
  57. ↑ Wang 2019, p. 86.
  58. ↑ MacKay, Joseph (2013). "Pirate Nations: Maritime Pirates as Escape Societies in Late Imperial China". Social Science History. 37 (4): 551–573. ISSN   0145-5532. JSTOR   24573942. Archived from the original on 16 March 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  59. ↑ Borges 1985, p. 49.
  60. ↑ Borges 1985, pp. 44–45.
  61. ↑ Wang 2019, p. 92.
  62. ↑ "Angy Eiter Completes 5.15b First Ascent (Story + Photo Gallery)". Climbing. 17 December 2020. Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  63. ↑ Olmi, Ermanno (24 October 2003), Cantando dietro i paraventi (Drama, History, Music, War), Bud Spencer, Jun Ichikawa, Sally Ming Zeo Ni, Camillo Grassi, Cinemaundici, Rai Cinema, Lakeshore Entertainment, archived from the original on 6 March 2021, retrieved 17 April 2021
  64. ↑ "'Madame Pirate,' Short Film Based on History's Greatest Pirate, Screens at SXSW". 31 March 2022. Archived from the original on 22 March 2024. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  65. ↑ Blumberg-Kason, Susan (15 March 2021). "The Flower Boat Girl by Larry Feign". Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  66. ↑ Montgomery, Laszlo. "Larry Feign on The Pirate Queen Zheng Yi Sao". China History Podcast. Teacup Media. Archived from the original on 25 August 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  67. ↑ Simpson, K.T. (20 January 2022). "Robert Pattinson, Bong Joon Ho team for Mickey 7 adaptation". Moviehole. Archived from the original on 5 April 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  68. ↑ Nicoll, James Davis (9 December 2022). "Five Swashbuckling SF Stories About Space Pirates". Tor.com . Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  69. ↑ Chang-Eppig, Rita (2023). Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN   9781639730377. Archived from the original on 27 June 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  70. ↑ Twyman, Channler (31 May 2023). "'Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea' Is a Fictionalized Retelling of a Complicated Woman's Story". Shondaland. Archived from the original on 27 June 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  71. ↑ Jeffery, Morgan (1 January 2022). "The Sea Devils will return to Doctor Who in Spring 2022 special". Radio Times . Archived from the original on 1 January 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  72. ↑ "The Pirate Queen". historyonfirepodcast.com/. Archived from the original on 6 October 2017. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
  73. ↑ "You're Dead To Me – Zheng Yi Sao – BBC Sounds". www.bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 3 December 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  74. ↑ "Episode 254 – Zheng Yi Sao, The Pirate Queen of China". Archived from the original on 22 June 2024. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
  75. ↑ "For Honor's Newest Hero Brings Piracy To Heathmoor". news.ubisoft.com. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  76. ↑ 2K Mike (11 September 2019). "Civilization VI – September 2019 Update Notes". 2K Games . Retrieved 9 October 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  77. ↑ Jeremy Winslow (11 September 2019). "Civilization 6 Now Has A Battle Royale Mode". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 23 October 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  78. ↑ Lizardi, Branden (8 March 2024). "The Pirate Queen: A Forgotten Legend Review – Skull And Bare Bones". The Gamer. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  79. ↑ "The Bloody Rose of China". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  80. ↑ "Bastille – Zheng Yi Sao & Questions For Her (Official Lyric Video)". 24 October 2024. Archived from the original on 19 November 2024. Retrieved 27 October 2024– via YouTube.
  81. ↑ "Asian Pirate Musical". Papergang Theatre. Archived from the original on 21 January 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2023.

Sources

Zheng Yi Sao
Ching Shih
Traditional Chinese 鄭氏
Simplified Chinese 郑氏
Literal meaningwife of Zheng
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin Zhèng Shì
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutping zeng6 si6
Pirates since the 1660s
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