Ching Shih: a fascinating historical figure

[Anonymous]

Whoa! Totally fascinating! I'd love to see the lesson for this. I'm always looking for resources to include more women's history in my curriculum and Ching Shih would fit right in. Thanks for this!

[Anonymous]

Thank you for the information about an interesting historical figure. My students are allowed a limited number of extra credit assignments by doing a short biography on a historical figure from the period and geography under study. The only woman from this period of China which is mentioned in the textbook is the Empress Dowager Cixi. I usually do a comparison to her contemporary Queen Victoria, but teaching about Ching Shih would enrich the lesson.

[Anonymous]

Wow! This is awesome! Where did you find this information from? I would love to use this, one because there is little information about women during this time as Salvador stated, but also because there are a lot of sexist remarks that come from my students, especially in regards to war and leadership. I think this would be a great conversation starter!

[Anonymous]

She sounds like an excellent character to focus on! This would be a great lesson to teach when covering women's rights and women's liberation. Often students are surprised by the level of power that woman can have in other societies. This is a great example of that. So much of history is very male centered. Ching Shih is a powerful figure that students who are used to only learning that men have been heroic throughout history.

[Anonymous]

The bad news - one of my little ones broke my computer and I lost all my beautiful lessons, including this one. (Yes, I know. I should have backed up my materials.)

The good news - I found another lesson on Ching Shih to share with you. It's not my original but I've read it in full and it's very well-done.

Also - for anyone who is not familiar with Nearpod - use it! My kids are obsessed with this program. Here's a direct link to the lesson, below. Enjoy!

https://app.nearpod.com/#/?pin=0097CB20C67B7FB6A20E8157C6A9F309-1
edited by khumphreys on 1/21/2016

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

I recently taught a lesson about this amazing woman and wanted to share her history. My kids loved learning about this woman!

Here's a short bio, below. If anyone is interested in teaching a lesson about her, I'm happy to upload the lesson plan!

Ching Shih instilled fear in the hearts of merchants across the China Sea in the early 19th century. She was a prostitute in one of Canton’s floating brothels when pirates captured her at age 26. To her surprise, she was asked to marry one of them, Cheng Ch’i, who belonged to a long and famous dynasty of sea thieves. From then onwards, they were partners in bed and business. With her help, Cheng Ch’i managed to assemble one of the largest and most dangerous fleets in China.But only six years later, Cheng Ch’i died in a typhoon and his wife Ching Shih skillfully maneuvered to replace him. At the height of her success, Ching Shih’s pirate armada boasted 1,600 ships and she commanded over 70,000 male and female pirates, spies and suppliers. Her sphere of influence stretched from the waters of the South China Sea through much of Guangdong Province and she even had spies working within the ruling Qing Dynasty.

The Qing emperor, Jiaqing, raised a large fleet of ships against her to no avail. After several failed attempts, the Chinese navy enlisted Portuguese, British and Dutch ships for help. But even they could not sink her fleet. In 1810, the Emperor finally capitulated and offered her and most of her followers amnesty in exchange for abandoning their bloody trade. For Ching Shih, the timing was perfect, as serious internal differences over spoils and women had already started splintering her organization. She signed a treaty agreeing to dismantle her fleet in exchange for freedom and the right to keep their loot. She even received the noble title of “Lady by Imperial Decree.”

[Author]

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