Cheng I Sao

Ching Shih 郑氏
Ching Shih, the most powerful and successful pirate in history.
Born	1775 Guangdong, China
Died	1844 (aged 68–69) China
Piratical career
Nickname	Madame Ching
Type	Pirate
Years active	early-mid-1800s
Rank	fleet commander
Base of operations	South China Sea
Commands	Red Flag Fleet (300 ships of 20,000-40,000 pirates)

Madame Ching or Ching Shih (1775–1844) (simplified Chinese: 郑氏; traditional Chinese: 鄭氏; pinyin: Zhèng Shì; Cantonese: Jehng Sih; "widow of Zheng"), also known as Cheng I Sao (simplified Chinese: 郑一嫂; traditional Chinese: 鄭一嫂; "wife of Cheng I"), was a prominent pirate in middle Qing China, who terrorized the China Sea in the early 19th century. She personally commanded over 300 junks (traditional Chinese sailing ships) manned by 20,000 to 40,000 pirates—men, women, and even children. She entered into conflict with the existing Empires of the time, such as the British Empire, the Portuguese Empire, and the Qing dynasty. She was one of the few pirate captains to retire from piracy and is considered to be the most successful pirate in history.

Ching Shih and her crew's exploits have been featured in numerous books, novels, video games, and films about piracy, pirates and their way of life in China as well as worldwide.

She was born Shi Xianggu (Chinese: 石香姑; Jyutping: sek6 hoeng1 gu1, IPA: [sɛk˨ hœŋ˥ ku˥]) in 1775 in Guangdong. She was a Cantonese prostitute who worked in a small brothel in Guangzhou, but was captured by pirates. In 1801, she married Cheng I, a notorious pirate. The name she is best remembered by simply means "Cheng's widow".