Ching Shih: The Pirate Queen Who Ruled the Seas (and Terrified Everyone Else)

Celebrating Women's History Month with a badass a day.

Today we’re talking about Ching Shih, a woman who commanded an army of 80,000 pirates, outsmarted empires, and retired on her own terms. Oh, and she did it all in the early 1800s, when women were supposed to be, you know, sewing and sighing or whatever.

Ching Shih started her life as a Cantonese sex worker (because history loves to bury the lede), but she quickly realized she was destined for more than what society had planned for her. She married a pirate captain named Cheng I, and when he died, she didn’t just inherit his fleet—she took control of it. And by “took control,” I mean she rallied the crew, brokered alliances, and established herself as the undisputed leader. Because why settle for being a widow when you can be a pirate queen?

Under Ching Shih’s command, the Red Flag Fleet became the most feared force in the South China Sea. She wasn’t just a figurehead; she was a strategist. She implemented a strict code of conduct for her crew, which included things like “don’t steal fro…