A framed silver relief of the Chinese female pirate Ching Shih

Ching Shih (1775–1844) was a prominent pirate in middle Qing dynasty. Ching, who terrorized the China Sea in the early 19th century, was a brilliant Cantonese pirate, who commanded 1800 ships and more than 80,000 pirates — men, women, and even children. She challenged the world superpower empires at the time such as the British, Portuguese and the Qing dynasty. Undefeated, she would become one of China and Asia's strongest pirates, and one of world history's most powerful pirates. She was also one of the few pirate captains to retire from piracy.

Little is known about Ching Shih's early life, including her birth name and precise date of birth. She was a Cantonese prostitute who worked in small brothel of Canton, but was captured by pirates. In 1801, she married Zheng Yi, a notorious Cantonese-Chinese pirate. The name she is best remembered by simply means "widow of Zheng".

Condition: minor damages.