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Cheung Po Tsai
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cheung Po Tsai (Cantonese, Jēung Bóu Jái in Yale transcription) or Chang Pao Tsai (in Wade-Giles) (traditional Chinese: 張保仔; simplified Chinese: 张保仔; pinyin: Zhāng Bǎozǎi) was a 19th century Chinese pirate. He was also known as Cheung Po/Chang Pao/Zhang Bao ("Cheung Po Tsai" literally means "Cheung Po the Kid").
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A famous pirate in Hong Kong, he was a fisherman's son who lived in Xinhui of Jiangmen but was kidnapped by the pirate Cheng I and his wife Ching Shih when he was 15. He became the pirate's lover and was adopted by the kidnappers as their son. After Cheng I died, Ching Shih had a love affair with her adopted son and soon married him, having already made him her lieutenant. Cheung Po later took over the pirating business from his adopted parents.
Cheung Po Tsai was active along the Guangdong coastal area during the Qing Dynasty. His followers are said to have reached 40,000 and his fleet said to have possessed 600 ships. Cheung Po capitulated to the Chinese government in 1810 and became a captain in the Qing imperial navy. He spent the rest of his life in a comfortable government position.
Several places in Hong Kong are linked to Cheung Po Tsai:
- Cheung Po Tsai Cave, on Cheung Chau island. It is a small cave, said to be the place where he stored his treasure
- Cheung Po Tsai built several temples dedicated to the goddess Tin Hau and seafaring activities on Ma Wan, Cheung Chau, and Stanley.
- The movie Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End depicts a pirate named Sao Feng as a member of the Brethren Court. This character is based on Cheung Po Tsai, although the film is set many years before he lived.