There is no more famous pirate in East Asia than the woman known in the West as Ching Shih, her true historical name being Zheng Yi Sao, Pirate Queen of the South China Seas. Likely a prostitute who married a well-known pirate, she soon proved a capable commander and soon organized a confederacy of pirates, helping one another against the Qing government and other foes. Taking over for her husband, she proved an even more capable pirate and many flocked to her, women especially, for her egalitarian attitude and redistribution of wealth from the aristocratic Qing Chinese government. Even aided by Portuguese ships, the Chinese could not capture her and could not stop her fleet. At her height, she sailed a fleet of 400 ships with 40 to 60 thousand sailors. When the end came and she surrendered, Zheng Yi Sao could not be killed by the Chinese due to her power and influence, and instead a retirement was negotiated, one that was quite favorable to her and allowed her an easy life: for a pirate career spanning 10 years from 1801 to 1810, that's quite something. She retied to Guangdong, running an infamous gambling house and dying at the comfortable and respectable age of 66 in 1844: hail the Pirate Queen of China! #FairytaleTuesday