Cindy Vallar's Blog - Posts Tagged "cheng-i-sao"

Pirate Women: The Princesses, Prostitutes, and Privateers Who Ruled the Seven Seas by Laura Sook Duncombe

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Men and victors have been the predominant recorders of events throughout history. Their opinions and societal norms color their objectivity. As a result, women and their participation in historical events are either omitted from these accounts or given short shrift. Or as Duncombe writes: “Pirates live outside the laws of man, but women pirates live outside the laws of nature.” (xi) This is a reality that she encountered time and again in her research for this book. A prime example of this is Grace O’Malley, one of the few names the general public readily recognizes. Although this Irish “pirate queen” was a major thorn in the side of the English and had a private meeting with her contemporary, Queen Elizabeth I, archival mention her is scant. It is the bards of Ireland who have kept her alive.

In this highly readable and interesting account, Duncombe collects the known women who dared to become pirates. Yet this book is far more than just a look at well-researched history; among the women here one finds fictional female rogues too. She shares what is known about these people, as well as what is missing about them. In the process she clearly identifies whether this information can be proven historically or if it’s just a myth. She asks thought-provoking questions along the way to stimulate readers’ curiosity and further discussion.

The women who are often discussed in pirate histories – including Queen Teuta of Illyria, Anne Bonny, Mary Read, Cheng I Sao, and Grace O’Malley – are found in this collection. So are names that rarely see the light of day, such as Sayyida al-Hurra, Maria Cobham, Lai Choi, and Rachel Wall. Duncombe even mentions the suggestion that Bartholomew Roberts might have been a woman in disguise. Rather than use footnotes or end notes, she seamlessly weaves this information into her narrative, removing the need to search for this elsewhere and thus break its flow. Pirate Women also includes fictional pirates, such as Anne de Graaf, Jacquotte Delahaye, and Gunpowder Gertie. Duncombe provides an index and “To Find Out More” lists for general pirate and chapter-by-chapter subject resources. Most of the latter are secondary and tertiary sources, rather than primary documents.

What this book is not is strictly a history of women pirates. Duncombe tends to stray from that narrow theme, but with purpose, and she always returns to the original subject before moving on to the next pirate. Examples of this come when she discusses courtesans in ancient times, Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent’s marriage to one of his concubines, or binding women’s feet in China. Her use of a broad definition of piracy allows her to demonstrate the evolution of what constituteds piracy in different time periods. It also permits the inclusion of women who have no direct connection to maritime piracy, such as Cheng Chui Ping, a snakehead (human trafficker).

The weakest chapter in this book is the last, “The Pirates of the Silver Screen.” Although several pirate films are discussed because they focus on fictional female pirates, Duncombe also examines Bonnie and Clyde and An Unmarried Woman – neither of which involves pirates. She concludes the chapter with a criticism on Hollywood’s portrayal of and treatment of women in film.

Pirate Women is a good introduction to female pirates and the eras in which they lived. As Duncombe says, “Pirate women deserve a spot next to their more famous male counterparts because yearning to escape the confines of an ordinary life and to live on one’s own terms is not an exclusively male feeling.” (228) Her purpose in writing this book is to inspire the next generation of women to strive to be innovators. But are pirates the best role model to achieve this goal?

There are several reasons, however, why Pirate Women is a valuable addition to the handful of books that deal exclusively with these females predators. Presented in chronological sequence from ancient times to the present, it is an extensive list that includes far more than any other volume. Earlier titles often focus on only a small sample or examine women associated with piracy, but who aren’t actually pirates themselves, during a specific time period. More importantly, Duncombe incorporates the society, culture, and historical events of the period in which each woman lives. This means she examines them as part of a whole, rather than a single aspect of their lives. Equally noteworthy is the inclusion of the people who have told each pirate’s story and how their motivations impacted their renderings of her.




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The Flower Boat Girl: A novel based on a true story by Larry Feign

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Zheng Yi Sao or “wife of Zheng” – this is how history remembers this 19th-century woman. But who was she? How did she go from lowly prostitute to leader of a pirate confederation? These are questions that Larry Feign answers in his retelling of her story.

The first seven years of Shek Yang’s life are unremarkable. She is the daughter of a boat couple, a family that lives and works on the water. Her mother raises her to be a good daughter, one who will eventually marry and raise a family of her own. Her father teaches her the ways of the sea, since he has no sons. But life changes when her mother dies in childbirth. Her father incurs debts that necessitate the selling of Yang into slavery and she becomes a flower boat girl. Her beauty and skills at pleasuring men bring her sufficient sums to buy her freedom. Her shame continues into adulthood, for she knows no other trade and has vowed long ago never to marry or to have children.

In the sixth year of Emperor Ka-hing’s reign, seedy junks with tiger eyes upend Yang’s world. Boat people and villagers flee for the safety of the temple, but those who live on land look down upon Yang, slamming the door before she can enter. Taken by the pirates, she knows exactly what will become of her. She will be sold back into slavery because there is no one to pay her ransom. Death seems a better option, but she refuses to succumb without a fight. Her defiance disrespects Cheng Yat, leader of the pirates. Rather than putting her to death, he takes her as his own and she becomes his possession to do with as he wishes.

Yang hates the sea, but it is now the world in which she must survive. Boredom is a constant companion. As Cheng’s wife, some pirates show small overtures of acceptance. Others see her merely as a usurper. She finally decides she must do something to occupy her days. The powerful and essential, but neglected, guns rouse her curiosity and she convinces the master gunner to teach her all he knows even though these weapons are the domain only of men. During a battle, one of the assailants attacks the master gunner. Yang slays the attacker. The act gains her more acceptance among her fellow pirates, but forever alters her soul. She is now a pirate, a killer, and there is no going back.

As the days pass, she also observes that Cheng is being cheated and that there must be better ways to make money than constantly hunting for prey. His fleet of five junks preys upon the same vessels all the other pirates seek. Grand ideas and dreams of forming a pirate empire begin to emerge, but implementing them will require time and the wisdom to convince Cheng that her way is the right way – a reality that leads to contention. Sometimes, the consequence of a wish granted is the payment of a dear and often unforeseen price.

Opening the cover of this book is like stepping into a vivid painting of a bygone era. Through visual imagery and melodic prose, Feign transports us back to the first decade of 19th-century China. He masterfully depicts the world of Asian piracy, in a way that is both familiar and foreign. Many pirates populate this tale, but each has distinctive qualities that make the character stand out in different ways. By book’s end, we feel as if we know the real Yang. We may not always like her, but we admire and respect her for what she’s able to achieve in spite of her past and the twists that fate dealt her.

Those readers familiar with the real Zheng Yi Sao or Cheng I Sao will not recognize the names Feign uses. Rather than use those names which come from Mandarin, he employs Cantonese versions since that was the language of the people who dwelt on the south coast of China. He also includes a character list, glossary, and map for readers.

The story unfolds from Shek Yang’s perspective, detailing her life from childhood to the day in which she becomes the leader of the pirate confederation. Feign artfully weaves festivals, a typhoon, war, superstitions, Chinese customs, ambushes, fireboats, and the pirates’ struggle with the navy into this tale. Perhaps the strangest custom involves Yang’s pregnancy. The most gut-wrenching scene is the one depicting Cheng’s disappearance. For history buffs, there is the Tay-Son Rebellion in Vietnam and the pirate captivity of John Turner. The Flower Boat Girl provides compelling answers to the mysteries surrounding Yang and Cheng. This haunting, yet eye-opening tale is as “Beautiful as a butterfly, fierce as a tiger.” (Loc 344 of 6794, Chapter 2)




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