Cheung Po Tsai
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(February 2013) |
Cheung Po Tsai | |
|---|---|
Trương bảo tử | |
 | |
| Born | Cheung Po (Trương bảo) 1783 |
| Died | 1822 (aged 38–39)[1] |
| Nationality | Chinese |
| Occupation(s) | Qing naval officer, formerpirate |
| Known for | Well knownChinesepirate |
| Criminal charge | Piracy |
| Criminal penalty | Death penalty |
| Criminal status | Givenamnestyby theQing government |
| Spouse | |
| Children |
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| Parent(s) | Cheng I(adoptive father) Ching Shih(former adoptive mother) |
| Piratical career | |
| Nickname | Cheung Po Tsai |
| Type | Pirate |
| Allegiance | Red Flag Fleet |
| Years active | 1798–1810 |
| Rank | second-in-command |
| Base of operations | South China Sea |
| Commands | Red Flag Fleet |
| Battles/wars | Battle of the Tiger's Mouth Naval Battle of Chek Lap Kok |
| Later work | Naval officer ofQing dynasty(1810–1822) |
| Cheung Po Tsai | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | Trương bảo tử | ||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | Trương bảo tử | ||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | Cheung Po the Kid | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Cheung Po | |||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | Trương bảo | ||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | Trương bảo | ||||||||||||||||||
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Cheung Po Tsai(Chinese:Trương bảo tử;bornCheung Po;1783–1822) was a navycolonelof theQing dynastyand a formerpirate."Cheung Po Tsai" literally means "Cheung Po the Kid". He was known to thePortuguese NavyasQuan Apon Chayduring theBattle of the Tiger's Mouth.
History
[edit]Early life
[edit]
Cheung Po(Chinese:Trương bảo) was born in 1783. He was a son of aTanka[citation needed]fisherman who lived inXinhuiofJiangmen.
Piratical career
[edit]Around 1798, he was abducted at age 15 by the pirateCheng I(Chinese:Trịnh nhất), who pressed him into piracy.
His natural talent helped him adapt to his unplanned new career and he rose through the ranks swiftly. Cheung Po Tsai was later adopted by Cheng I andChing I Sao(Chinese:Trịnh nhất tẩu); "wife ofCheng I";married 1801) as their step-son, making him Cheng's legal heir.
Cheung Po Tsai's piracy mate and lieutenant wasCai Qian(Chinese:Thái khiên) and the two worked together. Cai Qian had strong connections to the Western weapon dealers as his wife Lu Shi (simplified Chinese:Lữ thị;traditional Chinese:Lữ thị;"Mrs. Lu" ), best known by her nickname Cai Qian Ma (Chinese:Thái khiên mụ;"wife of Cai Qian" ), was fluent in English and an expert in Western weaponry.
Rise to command
[edit]After Cheng I died suddenly inVietnamon 16 November 1807, his widow Ching Shih acted quickly to solidify the partnership with her step-son Cheung Po Tsai. Their first success came when they were able to secure the loyalty of Cheng's relatives, who were leaders in the fleet. They became lovers within weeks.
As Ching Shih's second-in-command, Cheung Po Tsai was active along theGuangdongcoastal area during theQing dynasty.Their followers were said to have reached 50,000+ and his fleet said to have possessed 600 ships.
The tide began to turn in 1809. The authorities managed to discover that Cai Qian was docked in the coastal town ofWuzhen,Zhejiangprovince. The new naval leaders,Wang DeluandQiu Lianggong,blockaded him into the port and attacked, sinking Cai Qian's ship and killing him.
Battle of the Tiger's Mouth
[edit]In September and November 1809, Cheung Po Tsai's pirate fleet suffered a series of defeats inflicted by thePortuguese Navyat theBattle of the Tiger's Mouth.
Battle of Chek Lap Kok
[edit]On 20 April 1810 at Furongsha in Guangdong, Cheung Po Tsai formally delivered his fleet and weapons, which now numbered about 280 ships, 2,000 guns and over 25,000 men. The Portuguese claimed naught, while the governor of GuangdongZhang Bailingaccepted his surrender.
As Qing Naval Officer
[edit]Cheung and Ching accepted anamnestyoffered by theQinggovernment, ending their career and allowed to keep the loot.[2]Cheung Po Tsai reverted to his former name. Afterwards, he was capitulated to the Qing dynasty government and became a captain in the Qing's Guangdong navy, receiving the rank of navycolonel.He was given the command of a total of 30 ships, allowed to retain 30 private fleets, and an appointment inPenghu.He would spend the rest of his life helping the government to fight other pirates.[3]
Cheung Po and Ching Shih were later married with Governor Bailing as witness.
Cheung Po would make future formal visits to theLeal SenadoofMacauto meet several of the Portuguese officers who present at the fighting, among them was Gonçalves Carocha.
In 1813, Ching Shih gave birth to his son, Cheung Yu Lin. She would later have a daughter who was born at an unknown date.
Death
[edit]After Cheung Po died at sea in 1822 at age 39, his widow moved the family toMacauand there she opened a gambling house[4]and was involved in thesalttrade.[5]
Legacy
[edit]
Several places inHong Kongare linked to Cheung Po Tsai:
- Cheung Po Tsai Cave,onCheung Chauisland. It is a small natural cave, said to be the place where he stored his prizes.[6]In addition, there are also Cheung Po Tsai Caves atLamma Island,[6]Tap Mun,Sai Wan,Chung Hom Kok,Chek Chau,Siu Kau Yi ChauandLongxue Island,Guangzhou.
- Cheung Po Tsai built several temples dedicated to the goddessTin Hauand seafaring activities onMa Wan,Cheung Chau, andStanley.
In popular culture
[edit]- The 1973 Hong Kong action filmThe Pirate( đại hải đạo )has Cheung Po Tsai as its lead character, he was portrayed byTi Lung.[7]
- The 1983 Hong Kong action filmProject Adepicts a character based on Cheung Po Tsai. The lead villain, San Po (played byDick Wei) is a pirate with similar characteristics.Project A's time period is a composite of several in Hong Kong's history.
- The 1994 Hong Kong action filmOnce Upon a Time in China Vhas Cheung Po Tsai as one of the main villains opposing the protagonistWong Fei-Hung.As the movie apocryphally takes place shortly after theBoxer Rebellion,however (over seventy years after Cheung Po Tsai had historically lived), Cheung is depicted in that movie as an extremely old man.
- The moviePirates of the Caribbean: At World's Enddepicts a pirate namedSao Fengas a member of theBrethren Court.This character is based on Cheung Po Tsai, although the film was set many years before he lived. He is portrayed by actorChow Yun-Fat.
- In the animeOne Piece,one of the characters, Scratchman Apoo, is influenced by Cheung Po Tsai.
- TheAqua Lunajunk ship is named after Cheung Po Tsai.[8]
- Tony Hungportrays Cheung Po Tsai in the 2015 Hong Kong television dramaCaptain of Destiny,a historical sci-fi series about a 21st-century police officer who meets Cheung Po Tsai after traveling back in time.
- The urban legend of Cheung Po Tsai was one of the twelve legends referenced on theTVBseriesOur Unwinding Ethos.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Dian H. Murray 1987, p. 64.
- ^Andrea J. Buchanan, Miriam Peskowitz - 2007 - 279 page
- ^〈 ất 〉《 tĩnh hải phân ký 》 nguyên văn tiêu điểm cập tiên chú
- ^Koerth, Maggie(2007-08-28)."Most successful pirate was beautiful and tough".CNN.Retrieved2007-08-28.
- ^"Bàn điểm cổ đại nữ phú hào: Quả phụ thanh thân gia ước bạch ngân 8 ức vạn lưỡng -- văn sử -- nhân dân võng".history.people.com.cn.Archived fromthe originalon 2017-07-01.Retrieved2018-11-01.
- ^abDavis, Hana (2018-07-21)."Hong Kong's Jack Sparrow: a pirate legend behind Cheung Po Tsai cave on Cheung Chau Island".South China Morning Post.Archivedfrom the original on 2020-11-09.Retrieved2024-05-18.
- ^Da hai daoat theInternet Movie Database.
- ^"Harbour Tours - Hong Kong Extras".Retrieved21 August2013.
- Murray, Dian H. (1987).Pirates of the South China Coast, 1790-1810.Stanford University Press.ISBN0-8047-1376-6.
External links
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