- "Chinese pirates were amazing. There were hundreds of Chinese pirates."
- ―David Cordingly
Chinese pirates were pirates of Chinese origin.
History[]
Piracy was known in China for centuries, but reached a peak of activity in the mid-17th century, when the Manchu conquered China and established the Qing Dynasty. Zheng Zhilong, a Chinese merchant and pirate, and his son, Koxinga, led the fight against the invaders. Koxinga conquered the Dutch colony on Taiwan, and established the Kingdom of Tungning, from where the Ming loyalists started both military as well as piratical raids to the coasts of Mainland China.[citation needed]
During the Age of Piracy in the 1700s, at least two great organizations of Chinese pirates existed. Mistress Ching was a female described as a ruthless Chinese pirate who commanded a massive fleet of pirate junks,[1][2][3] which controlled the majority of piracy up and down the Chinese coast and in the Pacific Ocean, and smuggling trade between China and Japan, inherited upon her husband's death.[4][5] Although the title of Pirate Lord of Singapore and the South China Sea was passed on from his father and his older brother Liang Dao,[6] Sao Feng was a shrewd and powerful Chinese pirate who commanded the respect of pirates from across the globe, and had well-trained warriors and a fleet of ships at his disposal.[1] Both Chinese pirates were active by the Fourth Brethren Court, though only Ching was present due to Sao Feng's death, after which he passed his title and fleet to Elizabeth Swann.[2][3][5]
Culture and equipment[]
In the 18th century, Chinese pirates wore traditional Chinese clothes, sailed junks and fought mostly with traditional Chinese weapons (such as the dao, jian, quiang and gùn) as well as with fids, daggers, muskets and pistols. The junks carried cannons and swivel guns.[citation needed]
Notable Chinese pirates[]
- Sao Feng's father[2][5][6]
- Ching's husband[4][5]
- Ching[1][4][2][3][5][6]
- Liang Dao[6]
- Sao Feng[1][4][2][3][5][6]
- Tai Huang[2][3]
- Cheng[7]
Behind the scenes[]
"Chinese Pirates" were first detailed in a short documentary found in the "Below Deck: An Interactive History Of Pirates" bonus feature originally included in the DVD release of the 2003 film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.[8] In 2007, Chinese pirates make their first appearance, notably through the characters Sao Feng and Mistress Ching, through various media relating to the film Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End,[3] including the reference book Pirates of the Caribbean: The Complete Visual Guide,[1] the junior novelization,[2] and the official website.[4]
The characters Mistress Ching and Sao Feng loosely based on the historical pirates Ching Shih and Cheung Po Tsai respectively.[citation needed]
Appearances[]
- Legends of the Brethren Court: Rising in the East
- Legends of the Brethren Court: Day of the Shadow
- The Dragon Tile!
- The Shanghai Tigers
- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
- LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game (Non-canonical appearance)
Sources[]
- Below Deck: An Interactive History Of Pirates (First identified as Chinese Pirates)
- DisneyPirates.com
- Pirates of the Caribbean: The Complete Visual Guide
- Inside the Brethren Court
External links[]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Complete Visual Guide
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (junior novelization)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End: Pirate Lords Map
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End: "Inside the Brethren Court"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Legends of the Brethren Court: Rising in the East
- ↑ The Dragon Tile!
- ↑ Below Deck: An Interactive History Of Pirates