During China's Qing Dynasty, a fearsome female pirate queen named Ching Shih ruled the South China Sea. She led the Red Flag Fleet, commanding over 1,800 pirate ships and around 80,000 pirates.
Ching Shih: pirate queen of the South China Sea Madame Ching was born in ... After Cheng’s death, the Red Flags scattered, probably thinking that their best pirating days were over.