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SPEAKER_11: Hey, I'm Cynthia and I am one of the producers of Encyclopedia Wamanica. And if you love
SPEAKER_00: Encyclopedia Wamanica and want to learn more about these women or even get to know us behind the scenes, well, you should go to glow.fm slash Wamanica and join our new membership program. And again, that is at glow.fm slash Wamanica. Become a member today. I'll talk to you soon. Peace.
SPEAKER_09: Hi, I'm Edie Allard, junior producer here at Wonder Media Network and one of the script writers behind Encyclopedia Wamanica. In honor of a full year of Encyclopedia Wamanica, we wanted to revisit some of the outstanding women we featured along the way. Today we're looking back at Cheng Shi. Cheng Shi is by far one of my favorite women that we've ever covered on this show. First of all, I think we can all agree that 18th and 19th century pirates are fascinating to read about. I had never heard of Cheng Shi, despite the fact that she's arguably one of the most successful pirates ever. Spoiler alert for the episode, she and hundreds of her lackeys got off completely scot-free thanks to her top tier negotiation skills. That sounds worthy of extra recognition. This episode initially aired in August for our Villainesses Month, but I hope you enjoy re-listening now for our month of favorites. Now, here's host Jenny Kaplan to tell you all about Cheng Shi. Hello and welcome back. From Wonder Media Network, I'm Jenny Kaplan and this
SPEAKER_06: is Encyclopedia Wamanica. Today's villainess has a bloody rags-to-riches tale. Some consider her the most successful pirate in history and she got away scot-free despite years of plunder. Let's talk about the pirate queen Cheng Shi. Cheng Shi was born Shi Yang in southeast China in 1775. Historians don't know much about her early life, but she soon became a prostitute for a floating brothel in Guangzhou, a city also known by Westerners as Canton. In 1801, when Cheng Shi was 26, she had her first run-in with the pirate Zheng Yi. He was the commander of the Red Flag Fleet, a horde of 200 ships with thousands of pirate underlings. Zheng Shi's beauty struck the commander and he wanted her for himself. Some accounts say that he ordered his men to raid the brothel and kidnap Zheng Shi to be his bride. Others say that he just asked Zheng Shi to marry him and she agreed in exchange for a share of his power and plunder. Together they ruled the Red Flag Fleet and formed the Cantonese Pirate Coalition. The fleet included more than 1,700 ships and more than 50,000 pirates. The couple adopted Zheng Yi's second-in-command, establishing an official heir. Zheng Shi also gave birth to two sons. Then in 1807, just six years after they got married, Zheng Yi died in a rebellion. Zheng Shi seized her opportunity. Rather than pass the power to the appointed heir, she took over control of the Red Flag Fleet and established the heir as her own right-hand man. She was a strict leader. She created a system of government with its own laws and taxes. Plunder had to be registered and then the pirates could keep 20% of what they stole. There were firm rules around captured women too. Girls she deemed ugly were immediately released. Pirates could take beautiful women as their wives but they had to be faithful. Rape or infidelity was punishable by death. Deserters from the fleet would also be hunted down and killed. Under Zheng Shi's rule, the Red Flag Fleet captured villages for miles along the coast. She was called the terror of South China and she took down Chinese, Portuguese, and British naval ships. The Chinese government was desperate to end Zheng Shi's reign of terror. They offered amnesty to the pirate fleet if they ended their criminal activities. Around 1810, Zheng Shi's right-hand man started negotiations with the government but failed to make real headway. Zheng Shi then took matters into her own hands. She marched unarmed into the governor's office with 17 women and children. Her negotiation was quite successful. Almost all of her thousands of underlings walked free without giving up any leave. All they had to do was kneel before the governor. Zheng Shi herself refused that part of the deal. She demanded that the government allow her to marry her right-hand man. They wed with the governor as a witness and finally kneeled to thank him at the end of the ceremony. Zheng Shi successfully negotiated her way from pirate queen to very wealthy free woman. She and her new husband even became members of the Chinese aristocracy by imperial decree. After Zheng Shi's second husband passed away, she returned to Guangzhou and opened a gambling house. She remained there until her death in 1844 when she was 69 years old. Tune in tomorrow for the story of another villainess. Special thanks to the one and only Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator. Talk to you soon. See you tomorrow.
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