Madame Ching, is a bold swash-buckling character in Jincan Antidote. She is patterned after an authentic Chinese pirate, Zheng Yi Sao. Because little is written about her, I was able to create a vivid personality who was commanding, powerful, and deadly.

Born in 1775 and sold into prostitution at age 15, she quickly turned a dire situation into one of honor and power. When pirate leader Zheng Yi proposed marriage, she agreed with the caveat that both would lead the Red Flag Fleet–an extensive pirate confederacy in the South China Sea. He agreed.

The alliance consisted of 1800 ships [Chinese junks] and approximately 70,000 pirates–far more than any pirate confederacy in the world. Ching and Zheng Yi established standards, which all “see bandits” were required to adhere upon punishment of death.

When Ching’s first husband died, she managed the fleet with her one-time adopted son and soon to be husband, Cheung Po. Three years followed, and the confederacy began to dissolve. The Emperor of China saw an opportunity and offered Cheung Po and Madame Ching a position within his government if they would stop pirating. They agreed and proceeded to dissolve the Red Flag Fleet. As a reward, the emperor assigned them the governorship of Fukien province and the nearby Penghu Island.

When Cheung Po died, at age 39, Madame Ching returned to Macau with her two sons and opened a brothel and casino. She also managed the salt trade along the southern coast of China. It is possible she was once the most powerful person to control the economy of south China. In 1844 she passed away at age 69.