The Pirate Queen Who Ruled The South China Sea

A pirate captain's life is not for the weak. You risk disease, detainment, mutiny, and even death, all for riches and glory. And that's just with a single ship and a small crew. Imagine the peril of controlling nearly 2,000 ships and 80,000 sailors. Only one pirate ever achieved such a feat. But despite her reputation as the most successful pirate in history, you may never have heard of her. So today we're setting sail for the South China Sea to tell you the tale of the pirate queen who commanded 80,000 outlaws. In 1775, somewhere in Xinhui County, Guangdong, China, a baby girl was born. And though she was given the name Xi Yang at birth, that would only be the first of many monikers she would earn over her lifetime. Very little is known about Xi's younger years, but some have speculated that she could have been a Tonka, an ethnic group that remains unrecognized by China even today. The Tonka, or boat dwellers, traditionally lived on small sailing ships called junks in the region Xi was born. And as she came of age, she may have worked on some of the Tonka's floating gambling houses and brothels, either as a sex worker or the madam of the establishment. While aboard these debaucherous dinghies, Xi learned just how powerful secrets can be, and she shrewdly wielded them over her more influential clientele to bolster her own status, rising from poverty into a more comfortable living environment. She may have even used these cutthroat diplomatic skills to net herself a husband. In 1801, at the age of 26, Xi married a pirate by the name of Xiong Yi, and became Xiong Yi Cao, or Xiong Yi's wife. 10 years her senior, Xiong Yi had already made a name for himself in Guangdong. He came from a long lineage of pirates, dating back to the Ming Dynasty, and served as a privateer for the Vietnamese Taishan Dynasty in his cousin Zhang Qi's fleet. But as the legend goes, this infamous buccaneer was smitten with his new wife's business savvy, and he was not spared from her charms. As part of the marriage agreement, the newly dubbed Xiong Yi Cao demanded an equal stake in her husband's fleet of ships, despite female pirate captains being practically unheard of at the time. And she inserted herself into his pirating operation almost immediately. A year after the marriage, Xiong Yi's cousin was taken hostage by the Nuyen regime, and subsequently put to death as part of a bid to topple the Taishan Dynasty. That bid panned out, and First Emperor Nuyen An ushered in the Nuyen Dynasty on July 20th, 1802. Xiong Qi's fleet now fought for Nuyen, but they no longer had a commander. The duty fell to Xiong Yi, so his influence grew exponentially, which meant Xiong Yi Cao's did too. But there was blood in the water, and with blood comes sharks. After Xiong Qi's fall, other captains saw an opportunity to seize power, and a period of infighting began, with various pirate factions turning against each other. It was thanks to Xiong Yi Cao's political talents and her husband's might that these warring factions finally came together. To avoid further violence and enrich themselves, the pirates would jointly form a confederation. Each faction within the confederation would be distinguished by the color of their flag, black, blue, purple, white, yellow, and the largest faction would fly under Xiong Yi's red flag as the Red Flag Fleet. The agreement was formally signed in 1805, and for a few years, there was peace. While helping to command the freshly inflated fleet, Xiong Yi Cao bore two sons, and she and her husband also kidnapped a Tonka child named Chang Po Sai, or Chang Po the Kid in English. All three of the boys were raised as part of the pirating crew, but Chang Po proved to be particularly skilled in the ways of swashbuckling. He would eventually be formally adopted by his kidnappers, named their heir, and enter into a sexual relationship with Xiong Yi. While that last development probably sounds odd, men and their adopted sons becoming lovers wasn't actually that uncommon for the time. In fact, it was much more common than having a woman command a fleet of pirate ships. And while that woman still only had a half share in her husband's business, that would soon change. On November 16th, 1807, Xiong Yi perished at just 42 years old. Sources are divided on the exact circumstances of his death, but the two most widely accepted theories are that he fell overboard during a tsunami and drowned, or was murdered by a rival somewhere in Vietnam. No matter the case, Xiong Yi's death stirred up yet another power vacuum in its wake. As heir, Xiong Yi's adopted son and lover, Chang Po, was meant to take up command of the Red Flag Fleet, and technically, he did. But Xiong Yi Tsao wasn't going to let her power slip away so easily. She seduced Chang Po and unofficially became his wife, though it's widely speculated that the two had begun a relationship well before Xiong Yi fell. Chang Po was reportedly just as enamored with the Xiong Yi Tsao as his adopted father had been. According to a report by a government official named Wen Chun-Chi, Chang Po obeyed Xiong Yi Tsao's orders and consulted her on all things before acting. So, Xiong Yi Tsao was in command of the proud Red Flag Fleet in all but name. Her grip was even firmer than before, and she had a grand vision for the future. Under her stewardship, the Confederation became a much more unified force, thanks in part to the support of her late husband's surviving pirate family, as well as her close relationship to Guo Podai, who commanded the second-largest fleet in the Confederation under the Black Flag. With so much political influence, Xiong Yi Tsao was able to wield the full power of all six Confederation flags, and their combined efforts brought forth countless victories. In 1808, just a year after Xiong Yi Tsao took control, the Confederation conducted two naval ambushes against the Chinese provincial fleet. First, they took on a 35-ship flotilla, and when the government responded in force, the Confederation beat back an impressive 100 ships. These attacks destroyed half of the Chinese provincial fleet, which left them powerless to stop pirates from entering the Pearl River, a valuable waterway primed for plundering. Though the ambushes were led by Cheng Po, it was Xiong Yi Tsao who orchestrated them, and it was Xiong Yi Tsao who took the glory. As time passed, the pirate queen had come to be known by a new name, Qingshi, which translates to Cheng's Widow in English, with Cheng being the Romanized version of Xiong Yi's name. Bolstered by her success, the woman now known as Qingshi would only continue to push the Confederation to greater and greater heights, and she achieved them through increasingly ruthless methods, often with her own hands. In the summer of 1809, most of the White Flag Fleet was lost in a naval skirmish, and as retribution, Qingshi initiated a raid on the Pearl River and surrounding areas. Cheng Po attacked the city of Dongguan with the Red Flag Fleet, Guo Podai attacked the city of Shunde with his Black Flag Fleet, and Qingshi attacked the place she once called home, Xinhui, with her own fleet of junks. The raid resulted in over 12,000 lives lost, with several cities and villages falling victim to the pirate confederation. In September of that same year, Qingshi personally amassed some 500 ships off the coast of Tanjou to raid the area, steal vessels, and take captives. One of those captives, a British East India Company employee named Richard Glasspool, would survive to tell the tale, and his account of the pirate queen would make her more infamous than her late husband had ever been. Glasspool was held by the pirate confederation until December of 1809, and in his months aboard, he came to understand just how complete and all-encompassing Qingshi's rule was. By Glasspool's account, Qingshi was in command of 80,000 pirates, 1,000 large ships, and 800 smaller junks and rowboats. To put that in perspective, the legendary pirate Edward Blackbeard Teach took command of just four ships and a few hundred men at the height of his power. Qingshi's fleet was so large, it's difficult to understand how she controlled it, but control it, she did. According to Glasspool, every single ship under Qingshi's reign abided by a strict code of laws, and while these laws were technically written by Cheng Po, they were most certainly dictated by Qingshi herself. The spoils of every raid had to be collected, counted, and distributed. The ship responsible for the raid would receive 20%, and the rest would be invested in a communal fund for the entire fleet. Anyone caught stealing from the fund or withholding more than their share would be whipped, or possibly even beheaded. Disobeying orders or giving orders out of turn to superior officers was also grounds for a beheading, and while you wouldn't lose your whole head if you defected, you'd be captured and have your ears cut off. Violent punishments were an accepted part of pirating, but most interestingly, Qingshi had especially stringent rules regarding women. Fraternizing with female captives was strictly forbidden. If a pirate forced himself on one of their hostages, his head would roll, but if the interaction was consensual, then both parties would be put to death. Qingshi also allowed pirates under her control to take women as wives and concubines, but they could only do so under the stipulation that they remain faithful and not mistreat them. Pirates found guilty of infidelity or abuse would, you guessed it, get beheaded. This code kept Qingshi's sizable fleet in order. The rules were fair, even kind, when compared to other prospects faced by the lower classes of society. So, Qingshi's pirates fought for her, and they fought well. Despite numerous encounters with the Chinese provincial government, the East India Company, and the Portuguese Navy, the Pirate Confederation always came out on top. A total of 63 Chinese government vessels were destroyed by the fleet, and eventually, ships from other countries simply stopped engaging them in battle. They knew they would lose to the Pirate Queen. It got to a point where even the Chinese government was ready to give up the fight to Qingshi, and a desperate plea to get her to seize her pirate activities, they offered her complete and total amnesty. And after three glorious years of unfettered success, Qingshi accepted the deal, disbanded the Pirate Confederation, and retired quite suddenly in 1810. It remains unclear exactly why Qingshi decided to take the offer. After all, she and her fleet were practically unstoppable, or so they seemed. Some sources say that she was simply getting ahead of the inevitable. An apparent rift had formed between herself and the Black Flag Fleet captain, Guo Pudai. And soon after, Guo Pudai was captured and surrendered to the Chinese government, where he was awarded the rank of sub-lieutenant in exchange for his loyalty. That meant that the Black Flag Fleet was without leadership, and Qingshi was without her closest ally. The Confederation wasn't faltering yet, but it would. And in the meantime, they were being choked out of their once-prominent positions along trade lines. The writing was on the shiplap wall. It could also be possible that Qingshi simply liked the deal offered to her by the government. Some sources report that in addition to complete amnesty without required reparations, she was given land in Canton, where she owned and operated a restaurant and gambling house. Whatever the reason for her surrender, Qingshi accepted the deal, but only after she got to show off her renowned diplomatic skills one final time. Originally, amnesty negotiations fell apart because Cheng Po smelled a trap and retreated. For months, the pirates and the Chinese government were in a stalemate until Qingshi took matters into her own hands. She brought a delegation of 17 women and children to the negotiation table, and the government finally gave in to her demands. Most of her crew was pardoned. And as for Qingshi, she was able to retain 24 ships and 1,433 pirates under her personal and legitimized command. Cheng Po was given around the same amount of ships as well as the rank of lieutenant, and the two were allowed to be married under the law. They spent the next 12 years together raising a daughter they had together until Cheng Po's death at 29. Qingshi herself would pass on in 1844 at the age of 69, but she would live on as both a legend and a beloved figure of pop culture, appearing in several movies and TV shows over the years and inspiring countless fictional female pirates and real-life women and girls. Despite her status as a pillaging pirate queen responsible for the deaths of thousands, Qingshi's story is that of a young woman born in poverty who rose to power and fame in a profession where her very existence was laughable. And that story is worth its weight in pirates' treasure.