Ching Shih, Lady Pirate
From Atlantic Roleplay Wiki
Title: Ching Shih, Lady Pirate
Author: DeadBob
The True Legacy of Piracy: Absolute freedom forged by one's own hand remains no small accomplishment.
Four hundred years ago men and women who "went on the account" faced loss of life and limb. Pirates were outcasts.
Each lived a hellish life bound only by their code and helped only by their mates. Their ways were villainous, their souls were forfeit and their days were shortened by violence, starvation, disease or hangman's noose.
But what they left to history we still regard with awe: Absolute freedom forged by one's own hand remains no small accomplishment.
Some pirates became respected Governors, Mayors and wealthy land owners. They proved there really are men and women with the wit and strength to mold their own life as they see fit, and the world be damned.
Ching Shih was arguably the world's most successful woman pirate.
At some point in her early life, Ching Shih began working as a prostitute at a floating brothel near Canton, a province in Southern China. In 1801, she met and married Zheng Yi, a famous Chinese pirate.
She joined Yi on his ship and learned pirating ways. Their pirate band was greatly feared and regularly sacked ships in the Canton area.
When Zheng Yi died in 1807, Ching Shih worked her way into the command of the pirate group. She terrorized towns and markets up and down the coast, collecting large sums of money in tribute along the way.
In 1810, the Chinese government offered Ching Shih amnesty, which she took, ending her pirating career. Ching Shi was allowed to keep her looted property.
She married her adopted son and set up a gambling house on land.
Full Story at
htts://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Zheng_Yi_Sao