As a result, ching shih is known as one of the most successful pirates in known history. With shih aged 29, the pirate zheng yi, noted in eastern naval history for his barbaric thalassic pillages and conquests, ordered his troops to plunder the brothel, demanding that. Ching shih also known as shi xainggu, cheng i sao, ching yih saou, and. How do you explain to children that historys greatest pirate was a woman. A lot of stories about ambitious people end with the ambitious ones being punished in some way. Princess of the chinese seas headed a squadron of 80,000 pirates, ruled the chinese seas for two decades, and actually retired happily but not before extorting a nice pension from the chinese. It is known that natalie kabra idolizes her history.
Getting accurate information on lady ching is a bit difficult. Nov 19, 2019 eventually, ching shihs beauty caught the attention of a pirate named zheng yi, who commanded the red flag fleet. But shih wouldnt stay in this life for long, and instead she. Gillgren continues to bring excellent childrens fiction as he combines elements of history, romance, and adventure into a new type of treasure hunt.
Even her name isnt really her own, as ching shih translates to widow of ching. Nothing is known about her early life and the first real information that is known about her comes in 1801, mid to late qing dynasty, when shih yang was known to be one of the prostitutes working on a cantonese floating brothel. In disneys pirates of the caribbean franchise, she is the inspiration behind the character mistress ching, who. The story of ching shih, the 18th century prostitute turned. In fact, her legacy was only first explored in depth in 1987, when dian.
Ching shih biography facts, childhood, family of chinese. Virtually every chinese student memorizes this poem. In 1775 one of the most formidable women in history was born in the guangdong p. Ching shih, or as she was named, shi xianggu, has fascinated moviemakers and writers and artists for a while. These were the ships of the greatest pirate fleet ever to sail the sea, the only true pirate confederation to actually exist and it was all headed up by one very mysterious woman named ching shih. Little is known of her early life except that she was a prostitute, but in 1801 she was captured byand subsequently became the wife ofa pirate named cheng yi. In 18, ching shih gave birth to a son, cheung yu lin. Cheng i sao, female pirate extraordinaire jstor daily. Feb 28, 2018 how the woman who was historys greatest pirate became a childrens story. We had to pick one to use so we went with the easiest for our american accents.
Jul 25, 2018 like so many politically influential women before and after her, ching shih went undocumented by history for a shockingly long time. Obscure beginnings like so many politically influential women before and after her, ching shih went undocumented by history for a shockingly long time. The classic of poetry, also shijing or shih ching chinese. This isnt a book to censor history or try to put a pretty spin on things, but it also doesnt get explicit regularly or without reason. Another story, from history of piracy, says that cheung po tsai was. Aside from being an extremely famous pirate, ching shih was arguably the most successful one. It was compiled by the ancient sage confucius 551479 bc and cited by him as a model of literary expression, for, despite its numerous themes, the subject matter was always expressive of pleasure without being licentious, and of grief without being hurtfully excessive. Fair, fair, cry the ospreys the following poem is the first poem appearing in maos ordering of the shih ching, but is often numbered 87 in english versions of that anthology.
Welcome to the most interactive history website available online. Ching shih and her crews exploits had since been featured in numerous books, novels, video games, and films about piracy, pirates and their way of life in china as well as worldwide. After cheung po died at sea in 1822, ching shih moved the family to macau and opened a gambling house and a brothel. Classic of poetrywadegiles romanization shihching, the first anthology of chinese poetry. Ching shih retired from pirating and pillaging the south china sea when she was 35 in 1810. She marries the pirate captain and goes on to amass the largest pirate fleet in world history. The pirate queen zheng yi sao the china history podcast. From canton across the south china sea to the edge of the philippines the red flags of pirate junks waved in the fragrant breeze. Sep 19, 2016 ching shihs early life is shrouded in mystery. In the end, the red flags strode out through a graveyard of government ships, largely unscathed.
In the early 1800s, ching shih was a powerful female pirate wit. Sojourner truth, womens rights activist and abolitionist. The fearless life of ching shih feminist frequency. When she was ready to leave pirating, she negotiated skillfully and diplomatically with chinese officials in canton, ultimately granting her and her second husband chang pao 80 junks for personal use and an additional 40 for salt trade. Ching shih biography facts, childhood, family of chinese pirate. May 25, 2018 however, ching shih craved the power and glory of being the leader of the red flag fleet. The damage was so great that the government had to utilize private fishing vessels. Dec 10, 2019 book note mentions that, this fanciful depiction is from history of pirates of all nations published in 1836 wikipedia commons labelled for reuse 1804. Ching shih zheng shi unfortunately throughout history, society has prevented many women from escaping certain expected roles, and for those who didnt fit those roles, it could become a struggle to get by. One of the most famous and feared pirates who ever lived was ching shih, a young cantonese woman who became the ruler of one of the largest pirate fleets in history, and the mastermind behind a floating criminal empire so. There was a floating brothel in canton when ching shih worked in her early years as a prostitute. The treasure of ching shih adventures of the cali family. Nov 28, 2016 in a ragstoriches story for the ages, prostituteturnedpiratelord ching shih remains one of the most feared and successful pirates in history. Ching shih 17751844 was a prominent pirate in middle qing chin, who terrorized the china sea in the early 19th century.
Shi xiang gu, shi yang, cheng i sao, zheng yi sao, ching shih and no one knows what her original name was. The shih before confucius, and what, if any, were his labours upon it chapter iii. A novel of colonial hong kong by shih shu ching, shi shu ching, shuqing shi and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Shi, is the oldest existing collection of chinese poetry, comprising 305 works dating from the 11th to 7th centuries bc. World heritage encyclopedia, the aggregation of the largest online encyclopedias available, and the most definitive. Ancient origins articles related to ching shih in the sections of history, archaeology, human origins, unexplained, artifacts, ancient places and myths and legends. Ching shih from prostitute to pirate lord ancient origins. Cheng i sao reversed many of the old, gendered notions about female social mobility. Ching shih pirate biography of female pirate anne bonny pirate. Check out this biography for more information on her childhood, family, personal life, piracy, etc.
Her husband, cheng i, was the formidable commander of the red flag fleet of pirate ships. She had the profound influence on the history and modern popular culture, appearing in several piratethemed books and movies. Afterlife, a 2006 oel graphic novel, depicts ching shih as a guardian who fights demons to protect the denizens of the underworld. How the woman who was historys greatest pirate became a. She focused much on business and military strategy. The pages stopped turning when i came across ching shih.
His second book the treasure of ching shih in the adventures of the cali family series induces new waves of excitement and mystery. Kay waldram ching shih, also known as the pirate queen, was born in the guangdong province in china, in 1775. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading ching shih, pirate of the china seas prostitute to pillager queen. At worlds end she was presented as mistress ching, one of the nine pirate lords of the brethren court. Her descendants are said to be still living in and around macau and involved in the casino business. In fact, her legacy was only first explored in depth in 1987, when dian murray published pirates of the south china. She wis ane o the few pirate caiptains tae retire frae piracy an is conseedert tae be the maist successfu pirate in history. If you dont agree with our list leave a comment with your opinion. During her active years as a pirate lord in early 19th century, she commanded over the famous red flag fleet that consisted of over 1800 ships and 80 thousand male and female pirates. Ching shih spent the remainder of her life operating her gambling house until her death in 1844, at the age of 69. Turning the pages i was introduced to rulers, warriors, spies, journalists, and judges, to name a few.
Mar 01, 2018 ching shih, one of the fiercest pirate captains ever. The government tried to destroy the pirates in 1808 however all they managed to do was give the pirates even more ships for the fleet. However, she left her mark on history as one of the most successful pirates. Ching shih, pirate of the china seas prostitute to pillager queen kindle edition by teller, tom. I uncovered 100 nasty women of history by hannah jewell. She is widely considered to be the most successful pirate in history, based on the fact that. This months kickass women is ching shih, also known as madame ching, also known as cheng i sao. Today ching shih still maintains a profound influence on the history and modern popular culture, appearing in several piratethemed books and movies.
She was a lucian pirate who evaded capture throughout her life. Jorge luis borges semifictional story the widow ching, lady pirate was loosely based around the life of ching shih. However, ching shih craved the power and glory of being the leader of the red flag fleet. Ching shih took on the role left vacant by the death of her pirate. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Incredible women who have been overlooked in your history book. Ching shih jul 14, 2017 7 female adventurers who broke all the rules among the adventuresses. But when her husband, ching yi, died, ching shih took control of his fleet. She is widely considered to be the most successful pirate in history, based on the fact that she commanded the largest crew ever assembled, and that she died in. After her husbands death, shih took over the infamous red flag fleet, led over 50,000 pirates, and lived to tell the tale with all of her acquired riches intact. It is one of the five classics traditionally said to have been. Looking for coffee table books that do more than look great on your table. You will gain information from around the world, using source documents and not just books that are written from opinion.
Ching shih, who lived and pillaged during the qing dynasty, has been called the most successful pirate in history. In fact, her legacy was only first explored in depth in 1987, when dian murray published pirates of the south china coast, 17901810 143 years after the pirate lord died. She would later have a daughter who was born at an unknown date. Ching shih was born, shih yang or shi xianggu, in guangdong, canton in 1775. Eventually, ching shih s beauty caught the attention of a pirate named zheng yi, who commanded the red flag fleet. It was said that she ruled with an iron fist and dealt out punishments to those who defied her. The shih from the time of confucius till the general acknowledgment of the present text chapter iv. Ching shih, the cantonese sex worker who became chinas most. A rival pirate fleet called opotae forced shihs fleet to retreat. Ching shih project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. The defiant lives that they dont want you to know, by anita sarkeesian. Mar 18, 2014 from canton across the south china sea to the edge of the philippines the red flags of pirate junks waved in the fragrant breeze. Pirate fleets flew a red flag adventures in history land ching shih was a strict and regimented pirate lord. There are various accounts of how ching shih and zheng yi ended up married some say he ordered a raid to plunder the brothel and steal ching shih away, some just say he was like, hey, lets get married.
Ching shih was a female pirate who lived in the 1800s. A brilliant cantonese pirate, she commanded 1800 ships and more than 80,000 pirates men, women, and even children. A short story about a beautiful tanksa whore is kidnapped from the floating brothels of canton, china by pirates in 1801. Mar 19, 2020 ching shih zheng shi unfortunately throughout history, society has prevented many women from escaping certain expected roles, and for those who didnt fit those roles, it could become a struggle to get by. Ching shih was the most successful pirate in history. Ching shih, pirate of the china seas prostitute to pillager queen book. At the head of the red flags stood one of the most fearsome pirates in history ching shih, a former prostitute turned leader of over 70,000 men. How the woman who was history s greatest pirate became a childrens story. Ching shih desired to be the most feared pirate in history, and as captain of the red flag fleet she commanded several thousand men and twenty gun junks, sailing the coast of imperial china, amassing more wealth and captives along the way. Hunt the past no more boring history lessons, go and. But in ching shihs case, everything turned out just. Its ok for the price since i would pay more for a history magazine with a shorter spot.
Featuring 100 women who made history and made their mark on the world, its a book you can be proud to display in your home. Apr 06, 2016 the chinese female pirate who commanded 80,000 outlaws ching shih, who lived and pillaged during the qing dynasty, has been called the most successful pirate in history. Ching shih, pirate of the china seas prostitute to pillager. Desmond meets the pirate queen ching shih in the tale of desmond dog.
Ching shih, pirate queen smart bitches, trashy books. These were the ships of the greatest pirate fleet ever to sail the sea, the only true pirate confederation to actually exist and it was all headed up by one very continue reading ching shih, the pirate queen of the china sea. The following is an excerpt from the new book, history vs women. To learn more about this famous collection of poems, click here.
She challenged the world superpower empires at the time such as the british, portuguese and the qing dynasty. Was ching shih a brutal renegade or a visionary feminist. In disneys pirates of the caribbean franchise, she is the inspiration behind the character mistress ching, who is one of the nine pirate lords. She first appears in the historical record in 1801. In a ragstoriches story for the ages, prostituteturnedpiratelord ching shih remains one of the most feared and successful pirates in history. Like so many politically influential women before and after her, ching shih went undocumented by history for a shockingly long time. Ching shih also known as shi xainggu, cheng i sao, ching yih saou, and zheng yi sao is today remembered as one of the most successful female pirates in the history of the world. Ching shih was a chinese notorious and powerful female pirate lord.
This months kickass women is ching shih, also known as madame. Ching shih, pirate of the china seas prostitute to pillager queen kindle. The following poem is the first poem appearing in maos ordering of the shih ching, but is often numbered 87 in english versions of that anthology. Ching shihs stomping waters, the pear river and the south china sea time travel with the history chicks. Some women turned to prostitution to survive, including ching shih. The chinese female pirate who commanded 80,000 outlaws. May 25, 2018 ancient origins articles related to ching shih in the sections of history, archaeology, human origins, unexplained, artifacts, ancient places and myths and legends. The treasure of ching shih by john gillgren goodreads.
The story of ching shih, the 18th century prostitute. Ching shih, pirate of the china seas prostitute to. May 07, 2018 beheading people and effortlessly destroying the chinese navy just some of the pastimes enjoyed by the pirate queen, ching shih. Book note mentions that, this fanciful depiction is from history of pirates of all nations published in 1836 wikipedia commons labelled for reuse 1804.
Classic of poetrywadegiles romanization shih ching, the first anthology of chinese poetry. A brilliant pirate, she commanded 1800 ships and more than 80,000 pirates men, women, and even children. Shijing, translated variously as the book of songs, book of odes or simply known as the odes or poetry chinese. Shih shu ching, an acclaimed taiwanese writer, sets her epic tale of one beautiful and determined womans family amid this rich and colorful history, capturing in vivid, panoramic detail the unique tensions and atmosphere that characterize the city.
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