Zheng Yi Sao

Rare card · No. 40007

Shi Yang (c. 1775–1844) also known as Zheng Yi Sao, Shi Xianggu, Shek Yeung, Quing Shi, and Ching Shih, was a Chinese pirate leader active in the South China Sea from 1801 to 1810. Born Shi Yang in 1775, she married the pirate Zheng Yi at age 26 in 1801. She became known as Zheng Yi Sao ("wife of Zheng Yi") among the Cantonese. After the death of her husband in 1807, she took control of his pirate confederation with the support of Zheng Yi's adopted son Zhang Bao. She later entered into a relationship with Zhang Bao and eventually married him. While still under Zheng Yi's command in 1805, the fleet consisted of approximately 400 junks and between 40,000 and 70,000 pirates. Her ships primarily attacked Chinese warships and merchant shipping and occasionally targeted European vessels. After suffering a string of defeats at the hands of the Portuguese Navy, in 1810, Zheng Yi Sao negotiated a surrender to Qing authorities that allowed her and Zhang Bao to retain 24 ships and over 1,400 pirates...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain