Under Ching Shih’s power, the Red Flag Fleet dominated the South China Sea and had entire villages supplying them with food and goods. Some say that at one point, around 80,000 pirates operated under Ching Shih’s command.
Under the Qing Dynasty, there were Mandarin navy vessels that wanted to confront the Red Flag Fleet to put an end to their pirating. However, when they tried, they were overtaken by the fleet and forced to join them.
However, in the early 1800s, crew members of the Red Flag Fleet faced attacks from the Portuguese navy and eventually surrendered. Ching Shih retired from life as a pirate in 1810 and accepted amnesty from the Chinese government.
In 1813, Ching Shih had a son and then, later, a daughter. After the death of her second husband in 1822, she moved her family to the city of Macau. She got involved in the salt trade, opened a gambling house, and lived as a successful woman.
Ching Shih passed away in 1844 at 69. Although she may be long gone, her legend as one of China’s most iconic pirates lives on.
