Ching Shih
Influential female Chinese pirate · China · Historical Figures · Lived 1775 to 1844 · aged 69
Ching Shih is read about 1,036 times a day, in 48 languages.
A typical day, 30 days to 15 October 2026
The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 390 days, one point a day.
Something wrong?She commanded the largest pirate fleet in history - hundreds of ships, tens of thousands of fighters - and when the empires came for her, she negotiated her way out, retired on her terms, and died prosperous in old age.
Also in Deutsch
Photos 3
In their orbit 2
About this person
Born Shi Yang around 1775, she married pirate Zheng Yi in 1801 at age 26 and became known as Zheng Yi Sao among the Cantonese. When her husband died in 1807, she seized control of his confederation with backing from his adopted son Zhang Bao, whom she later married. By 1805 the fleet held roughly 400 junks and between 40,000 and 70,000 pirates, clashing with the British, Portuguese, and Qing forces across the South China Sea. After defeats by the Portuguese Navy, she cut a deal with Qing authorities in 1810: she and Zhang Bao kept 24 ships and over 1,400 crew, faced no charges, and walked away. She lived another thirty-four years in relative peace and prosperity, dying in 1844 at about 68.
Historical Figures from China 6
Fame.am measures public visibility signals. It does not measure human value, talent, morality, or credibility.