Mrs. Ching By Allison Heininger and Emily McCarter

Marriage of Mrs. Ching  Married famous Chinese pirate Cheng  She agreed to marry him on one condition: -she would share equal power with him as a pirate -help him secure more wealth  Mr. Cheng was okay with the idea of this marriage  She was born in Canton in 1775, which is north of Hong Kong.  She was a prostitute until 1801 when she married Cheng.  Mr Cheng died shortly after in 1807, and Mrs. Cheng took over the business of piracy.

Piracy and “the confederation”  Mr. and Mrs. Cheng formed a large confederation of pirates in the South China seas.  After Mr. Cheng died, Mrs. Cheng took over  She needed the support of fellow pirates to stay on top

Confederation Continued  She gained their support with help from her new lover and her husband’s dearest friend, Chang Pao.  Made him captain of her “Red Flag Fleet.”  Confederation is thought to have contained almost 50,000 pirates in its prime  Astonishing amount compared to the 5,000- 6,000 in the Caribbean

Mrs. Ching in Real Life  This is one idea of what Mrs. Ching could have looked like.  Picture is from Pirates of the Caribbean  Watch the movie to see what else she might have done or how she acted  There are no real documented pictures of her

Her downfall  Ching withstood attack after attack from the Chinese navy, the Portuguese, and the British.  In 1810, “The Chinese government…offered her universal pirate amnesty in exchange for peace” according to CNN.com.  She accepted this offer  A little over 100 of her men were killed but all others, including herself, were set free and able to keep their loot

Downfall Continued  “Cheng I Sao retired with her loot and her new husband (former right-hand man, Chang Pao) opened a gambling house  She died peacefully in 1844, a 69-year-old grandmother” said CNN.com.  Although pictures depict her as ugly, she was supposedly very beautiful. Sculpture of Mrs. Ching by Michael Brown

Any questions?  Ching Sao was different than any other infamous pirates -set distinct rules for her pirates to follow -allowed women to enter into her fleet -If any of her men cheated on their wives she would cut their ear(s) off -In charge of one of the biggest pirate confederations in history  She expanded piracy into “blackmail, extortion, and protection schemes” said CNN.com. Thank you!- Allison and Emily