Ching

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Mistress Ching was a blind Pirate Lord during the time of Lord Cutler Beckett's attempts to eradicate piracy in the Caribbean. Ching was the lord of the Pacific Ocean^[4], and was known to have traveled five of the Seven Seas.^[5] Powerful to the end, Mistress Ching was one of the few pirate captains to retire proper, setting herself up in Canton, a wealthy lady.

BiographyEdit

Early lifeEdit

Mistress Ching commanded an armada of junks that terrorized the Chinese coasts ever since she took control of the Pirate Confederation of China following her husband's death.^[6] She was a profiteer of smuggled trade goods between Japan and China, and her pirates were known to victimize their opponents, with beheadings being their preferred form of execution. She also owned a large chain of brothels and whore houses.^[6]

Mistress Ching was wanted dead or alive by the East India Trading Company for crimes including sacking and pillaging countless villages, cutting off ears for souvenirs, running a brothel and gambling house, and collaborating with secret societies to systematically extort local merchants. The bounty was worth 3,400 guineas.^[7]

Rogue piratesEdit

At some point during the golden Age of Piracy, when the rogue pirates began terrorizing merchant ships on the high seas, Ching was present at the informal meeting of Pirate Lords at the Great Chamber in Shipwreck City. All Pirate Lords at the meeting agreed to take actions against the rogues, to prevent the navies of Europe from declaring war on piracy. During the meeting, she introduced the young pirate Jack Sparrow to the Pirate Lord Don Rafael and his granddaughter Esmeralda.^[8]

A few days later, when Jack Sparrow accused the Pirate Lord Borya Palachnik of being one of the rogues, Captain Edward Teague called for an official court of inquiry. Ching, along with all other Pirate Lords at Shipwreck Cove, was present at the court. She was among those who agreed with the idea of summoning Davy Jones, the supernatural lord of the underwater realms, who could confirm or deny Borya's guilt.^[9]

Meeting with Jack SparrowEdit

Around the time of the search for the Dead Man's Chest, Mistress Ching was running a brothel in Tortuga, along with her apparent friend, fellow Pirate Lord Eduardo Villanueva. She resisted the summons sent out by Hector Barbossa to attend the fourth meeting of the Brethren Court at Shipwreck City. Soon after this, she was confronted by Jack Sparrow, in Tortuga collecting crewmen to look for the heart of Davy Jones. He was intent on getting both Pirate Lords to attend the conclave. After chasing Eduardo Villanueva through the streets of Tortuga and engaging him in a duel, he cornered Ching, who was more than willing to duel Sparrow. During the heated duel, Sparrow was able to knock Ching's head against a gong, knocking her out cold and defeating her. Once she recovered, Ching and Villanueva agreed to join the Brethren and sailed to Shipwreck Island.^[10]

War Against PiracyEdit

During the meeting, Mistress Ching opposed Captain Elizabeth Swann's idea of fighting the armada of the East India Trading Company's Governor, Lord Cutler Beckett, believing the Brethren to be secure within the fortress-like Shipwreck Cove, but decided against this when Jack pointed out they would all kill each other off. But she only supported the idea of fighting completely once Swann was voted Pirate King.^[2] The East India Trading Company sent a force of Black Coats against the Brethren, and they separated the Pirate Lords from one another and attacked. Mistress Ching and Villanueva were trapped in the Market Area. They fought off the Black Coats and Blue Coats soldiers. With the assistance of Jack Sparrow, they were able to defeat the soldiers and Black Coats, and made it to their ships.^[10] She and her crew later witnessed the battle of Calypso's maelstrom, and celebrated with her crew after the deaths of Lord Beckett and Davy Jones.^[2] Soon after the battle, Mistress Ching returned to China, and retired to Canton, incredibly wealthy.^[11]

Equipment and traitsEdit

Mistress Ching was an elegant woman, with long black hair tied up into a tight bun and clasped with an elaborate headdress. Her face was covered in makeup, with a powdered white face, blushed cheeks, and reddened lips. She wore a light brown blouse and a crimson-and-gold coat embroided with dragons over a dark green skirt, clasped with a jade broach. She also wore three rings, each enclasping a large jewel.^[2]

Ching possessed a long sword, and proved to be a masterful duelist. During a duel, she overwhelmed her enemies with extremely fast strikes and slashes, varying her attacks constantly.^[10] She also possessed a Chinese pistol, which she kept on her belt at all times. Mistress Ching also possessed a unique piece of eight, as did all of the Pirate Lords. It appeared to be an ancient pair of Chinese spectacles, which she kept on the inside of her coat. It was destroyed during the freeing of Calypso, along with the other eight pieces of eight.^[2] Due to her extremely bad eyesight, Mistress Ching took to carrying a cane with her when traveling abroad, which she used to find her way through crowded areas.^[10]

Mistress Ching was an egotistical woman, viewing the lives of her enemies as worthless compared to her own. She considered herself beautiful enough to distract her opponents mid-battle, and often attributed her success to her beauty.^[10] Ching attempted to remain logical and confident, considering the fortress of Shipwreck Cove to be strong enough to repel an attack from the East India Trading Company.^[2]

Behind the scenesEdit

• Ching was played by actress Takayo Fischer in At World's End. Fischer reprised the role for the At World's End video game.
• Ching was likely based on the Chinese pirate Ching Shih who dominated the South China Sea with her fleet in the early 1800s. She was also known as the "Widow Ching" and was active from 1807-1810 and at the height of her career commanded the largest pirate fleet in history. While some fans had supposed that Ching is in reality Ching Shih, this cannot be true as At World's End is set around 1729, while Ching Shih was born in 1775.

AppearancesEdit

The Pirates of the Caribbean wiki has a collection of images and media related to Ching.

The Pirates of the Caribbean wiki has a collection of quotes related to Ching.

• The Price of Freedom
• Legends of the Brethren Court: Rising in the East
• Legends of the Brethren Court: The Turning Tide (Mentioned only)
• The Shanghai Tigers
• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (video game) (First appearance)
• LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game (Non-canonical appearance)

SourcesEdit

• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Complete Visual Guide
• The Pirates' Guidelines

Notes and referencesEdit