Zheng Qi (also spelled Ching Tsih or Cheng Chi; born Zheng Yaohuang; 1760 – September 1802) was a powerful 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 ...

operating from Canton (

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 throughout the

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phil ...

in the late 1700s.

History

He was born Zheng Yaohuang in

Xin'an County Xin'an County () is a county in the west of Henan Province, bordering Shanxi Province to the north across the Yellow River. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Luoyang, and contains its northernmost point. History In an ...

Qing China The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu people, Manchu-led Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin (1616–1636), La ...

(modern

Shenzhen Shenzhen (; ; ; ), also historically known as Sham Chun, is a major sub-provincial city and one of the special economic zones of China. The city is located on the east bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern province ...

and

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

) in 1760. He was the seventh son of his pirate father Zheng Lianfu (鄭連福) and his wife Lin Xiu (林秀), hence the nickname Zheng Qi. Zheng Qi was recruited by

Tay Son dynasty Tay may refer to: People and languages * Tay (name), including lists of people with the given name, surname and nickname * Tay people, an ethnic group of Vietnam ** Tày language *Atayal language, an Austronesian language spoken in Taiwan (ISO 639 ...

in 1788, and later became one of the most important subordinates under

Chen Tianbao Chen Tianbao (; Vietnamese: Trần Thiên Bảo) was a fisherman turned into powerful Chinese pirate operating from Guangdong and throughout the South China Sea in the late 1700s. Later he became a general and naval commander of Tay Son dynasty in ...

. From 1788 to 1799, Zheng frequently attacked southern coast of

together with

Mo Guanfu Mo Guanfu ( or; Vietnamese: ''Mạc Quan Phù'', ?–1801) was a powerful Chinese pirate throughout the South China Sea in the late 1700s. Mo was born to a woodsman's family in Suixi County, Guangdong. He was kidnapped by the pirates in 1787. ...

Liang Wengeng Liang may refer to: Chinese history * Liang (state) (梁) (8th century BC – 641 BC), a Spring and Autumn period state * Wei (state) (403–225 BC), a Warring States period state, also known as Liang (梁) after moving its capital to Daliang * ...

(梁文庚) and

Fan Wencai Fan commonly refers to: * Fan (machine), a machine for producing airflow, often used for cooling ** Hand fan, an implement held and waved by hand to move air for cooling * Fan (person), short for fanatic; an enthusiast or supporter, especially wit ...

(樊文才). The Qing navy feared them. In 1795, Zheng Qi abducted a 12-year-old boy named He Song (何送) and raised him as his adopted son. Few years later, Zheng Qi gave him a captive female as his bride and seven hundred of silver (''liang'') to set up store for the pirate trade. He would later bestowed three ships under He Song's command. Tay Son army was defeated by his rival

Nguyen lord Nguyễn () is the most common Vietnamese surname. Outside of Vietnam, the surname is commonly rendered without diacritics as Nguyen. Nguyên (元）is a different word and surname. By some estimates 39 percent of Vietnamese people bear this su ...

in 1801 and, his three comrades Mo Guanfu, Liang Wengeng and Fan Wencai were captured. Zheng Qi returned to his base in Quảng Ninh, and didn't want to get involved in the civil war. But later he was persuaded by Chen Tianbao, heading his troops to

Thăng Long Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi is ...

(modern

Hanoi Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi is ...

) to aid the king. He was appointed as the Grand Marshal (Vietnamese: ''Đại Tư Mã'',

Han tu Han may refer to: Ethnic groups * Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group. ** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese ...

: 大司馬) by

Nguyễn Quang Toản Emperor Cảnh Thịnh ( vi-hantu, ), born Nguyễn Quang Toản ( vi-hantu, ; 1783–1802), was the third and last emperor of the Tây Sơn dynasty. He followed his father Quang Trung (Nguyễn Huệ ruled 1788–1792) at the age of 9, and reig ...

Death

Zheng Qi got involved in the siege of

Đồng Hới Đồng Hới () is the capital city of Quảng Bình Province in the north central coast of Vietnam. The city's area is . Population as per the 2017 census was 119,222. It is served by National Highway 1A, the Đồng Hới Railway Station, an ...

, and his fleet was defeated in the mouth of

Nhật Lệ River The Nhật Lệ River is a river in Đồng Hới city, Quảng Bình Province, Vietnam. The Nhật Lệ River is 152 km long, of which the Kiến Giang River is 58 km in length, and the Long Đại River is 77 km long. The river ...

by the famous general

Nguyễn Văn Trương Nguyễn () is the most common Vietnamese surname. Outside of Vietnam, the surname is commonly rendered without diacritics as Nguyen. Nguyên (元）is a different word and surname. By some estimates 39 percent of Vietnamese people bear this s ...

, he had to flee back to his base area. On September 1802, he was captured and executed by

Nguyen dynasty Nguyễn () is the most common Vietnamese surname. Outside of Vietnam, the surname is commonly rendered without diacritics as Nguyen. Nguyên (元）is a different word and surname. By some estimates 39 percent of Vietnamese people bear this su ...

. His army descended into chaos after his death, and later, his cousin Zheng Yi succeeded him as the chief.

References

* Chinese pirates Tây Sơn dynasty generals Executed Qing dynasty people People executed by Vietnam 1760 births 1802 deaths 18th-century pirates {{Pirate-stub

History

Death

See also

References