Zheng Yi Sao: Pirate Empress of Canton

Guns, Gold, and Guangdong Glory In the dawn of the 19th century, one woman defied empires and rewrote the laws of the sea. Born Shi Yang in the bustling port of Xinhui, she rose from humble beginnings to command the legendary Red Flag Fleet — hundreds of ships, thousands of pirates, and a power that rivaled the Qing navy itself. As Zheng Yi Sao, she forged alliances, crushed rivals, outwitted European powers, and turned the South China Sea into her domain. From the brutal battles of Tung Chung Bay to the fireship inferno of 1809, from treachery within her own ranks to an unprecedented surrender that left her untouchable, her life was one of cunning, courage, and relentless ambition. This sweeping historical adventure brings to life the woman the world would call the Pirate Empress of Canton — charting every storm, betrayal, and triumph of a figure too formidable to fade into myth. The book includes a fully researched timeline of Zheng Yi Sao‘s life in the back to help separate fact from legend. "An unflinching portrait of the most powerful pirate in history." – Penny Nicholson, Historian