Character Catalog

A set of military and civil regulations that Ching Shih imposed on her fleet after taking command. The code prescribed the death penalty for desertion, unauthorized plunder, and violence against women, maintaining the cohesion of an army of 80,000 men.

A military-commercial organization that Ching Shih brought to its peak: over 1,800 vessels, 80,000 fighters, and a taxation system covering maritime routes from Guangdong to Fujian. It stands as one of the largest non-state naval forces in history.

An unprecedented agreement through which Ching Shih secured amnesty for her men, permission to keep a reduced fleet, and a portion of her fortune. She dictated her terms to the Governor-General of Guangdong, demonstrating her mastery of diplomacy as much as warfare.

After her retirement, Ching Shih ran a well-known gambling establishment and a salt smuggling network in the Canton region. This second career reflects her talent for economic organization well beyond simple maritime banditry.

The wife of Zheng Yi commanded the red flag vessels with uncontested authority. She reorganized the fleet and imposed strict regulations, punishing any disobedience with death. Merchants and fishermen paid her tribute across all waters from Macao to Fujian.

Their numbers amounted to from forty to fifty thousand men, their vessels of all sizes to upwards of eight hundred. They were perfectly well organised, each division having its own flag and commander, all under the supreme authority of the chief's widow.

The pirate known as the Widow of Zheng has accepted the terms of submission proposed. Her forces exceed in number those we could mobilize in the immediate term. It is recommended that a general amnesty be granted in order to restore peace along the southern coasts.

She managed with great address the affairs of her extensive and turbulent family, consisting of near two thousand vessels of different sizes and above twenty thousand fighting men. No vessel could move safely without having paid the stipulated contribution.

The main port city of southern China and the only port officially open to foreign trade under the Qing dynasty. This is where Ching Shih was born, worked in a floating brothel, met Zheng Yi, and retired after her surrender to run a gambling house.

A vast expanse of water between Vietnam, the Philippines, Borneo, and China, which served as the main theater of operations for the Red Flag Fleet. Between 1807 and 1810, Ching Shih exercised near-total control over the trade routes that crossed it.

A network of river branches, islands, and canals surrounding Canton that Ching Shih used as a logistical base and refuge for her fleet. This labyrinthine geography made naval pursuit extremely difficult for imperial forces.

A Portuguese colonial enclave at the mouth of the Pearl River, which Ching Shih targeted in 1809 after the Portuguese joined the coalition against her. Her ships blockaded the port of Macau, forcing the Portuguese authorities to negotiate.

A large island off the Cantonese coast that served as an anchorage for pirate junks. It was in these waters that the naval coalition of 1809 launched its decisive offensive against Ching Shih's fleet — without success.