Database: The Widow Ching, Lady Pirate

South China Sea//1807

Ching Shih, also known as Cheng I Sao, was a former prostitute who married the notorious pirate Cheng I. In 1807, following the death of her husband, Ching Shih took command of the entire operations and became the most important pirate in China.

Ching Shih married her lieutenant, Chang Pao, and organized her pirate enterprises into a brutally efficient organization. After several unsuccessful attempts to put an end to her rule by the Cantonese officials, in 1810, Ching Shih negotiated an amnesty and retired from her pirate career.