Chen Zuyi (; died 1407) was a 15th-century Chinese

pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

from

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...

, and was one of the most feared pirates to infest the seas of Southeast Asia. He ruled the city of

Palembang Palembang () is the capital city of the Indonesian province of South Sumatra. The city proper covers on both banks of the Musi River on the eastern lowland of southern Sumatra. It had a population of 1,668,848 at the 2020 Census. Palembang ...

, and raided the

Strait of Malacca The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, 500 mi (800 km) long and from 40 to 155 mi (65–250 km) wide, between the Malay Peninsula (Peninsular Malaysia) to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connec ...

to plunder shipping and prey on both native and foreign merchants for several years. His fleet was defeated by the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

Admiral

Zheng He Zheng He (; 1371–1433 or 1435) was a Chinese mariner, explorer, diplomat, fleet admiral, and court eunuch during China's early Ming dynasty. He was originally born as Ma He in a Muslim family and later adopted the surname Zheng conferred ...

at the

Battle of Palembang (1407) The Battle of Palembang was a naval battle fought in 1407 between Ming China's treasure fleet commanded by Admiral Zheng He and the pirate fleet of Chen Zuyi at Palembang, Sumatra, in what is now modern Indonesia. The battle resulted in the defeat ...

. Chen was captured and sent to Chinese capital

Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...

for execution.

Early career

According to Ming records his name is first recorded after 1400, when a Ming convoy was attacked by pirates commanded by Chen Zuyi. At Palembang Chen had 5,000 men and 10 ships under his command, and was the strongest pirate of Southeast Asia at the time. The island of

Sumatra Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...

had a diverse ethnicity of people from different parts of Asia, including a large minority of Han Chinese population (mostly male migrants, traders and merchants), and as well as the majority Sumatrans. A

Hui Chinese The Hui people ( zh, c=, p=Huízú, w=Hui2-tsu2, Xiao'erjing: , dng, Хуэйзў, ) are an East Asian ethnoreligious group predominantly composed of Chinese-speaking adherents of Islam. They are distributed throughout China, mainly in the n ...

, Shi Jinqing, reported the atrocities committed by the pirate chieftains, and requested assistance to help get rid of Chen Zuyi. However, forcing passing vessels to pay duties was an essential financial element of Southeast Asian state governance, and it has been suggested that Chen Zuyi was merely doing the same for his Palembang port city.

Defeat by Zheng He

In 1407, Chen was confronted at Palembang by the returning

Ming The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

treasure fleet under Admiral

. Zheng made the opening gambit, demanding Chen's surrender, and Chen quickly signalled agreement—while preparing for a surprise pre-emptive strike. But details of his plan were disclosed to Zheng by a local Chinese informant, and in the fierce battle that ensued, the superior Ming armada destroyed the pirate fleet and killed 5,000 of its men. Chen was captured and sent to Chinese capital

for public execution in 1407. Peace was restored to the Strait of Malacca as Shi Jinqing was installed as Palembang's new ruler and incorporated into what would become a far-flung system of allies who acknowledged Ming supremacy in return for diplomatic recognition, military protection, and trading rights. By the end of the Yongle reign, the kings or ambassadors of more than 30 foreign states had paid official visits to the emperor bearing tribute. They were ferried to China in luxurious staterooms on the Chinese treasure ships.

In popular culture

Chen Zuyi is portrayed by the actor Hou Xiangling in the 2009 Chinese television series '' Zheng He Xia Xiyang'', which marked the 600th anniversary of Zheng He's voyages. Chen's defeat was considered the most famous of all Zheng He's military achievements.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chen, Zuyi Chaoshanese people Chinese pirates History of Malacca Chinese diaspora in Asia Executed Ming dynasty people Precolonial states of Indonesia 14th-century Chinese people Srivijaya Treasure voyages 1407 deaths 15th-century Chinese people Palembang History of Sumatra 15th-century executions by China

Early career

Defeat by Zheng He

In popular culture

See also

References