Hong Kong Used to Be a Hotspot for Piracy

If you ever visit Tung Chung Fort, on Lantau Island, you may be surprised to learn that the fort was neither built by the British nor constructed to defend Lantau Island against the British. Initially, the fort was built during the Song Dynasty, in the 12th century, to fight off salt smugglers which, uner the Song, was a very valuable commodity.

In the 19th century, the fort was rebuilt by the Qing Dynasty to defend the coast from pirates active in the South China Sea. With British, Portuguese, and Dutch merchant ships carrying valuable cargo, piracy in the region was at its peak.

In fact, the largest pirate fleet ever assembled, known as the Red Flag Fleet, which gathered up to 70,000 pirates on 600 junks under the command of Zheng Yi, was often anchored in Junk Bay, in present-day Tseung Kwan O in the early 1800s.

After Zheng Yi’s death, his wife Ching Shih, also known as Zheng Yi Sao, and their adopted son, Cheung Po Tsai, took control of his fleet. Ching Shih went on to become the most successful pirate in history until she surrendered, along with Cheung Po Tsai, in 1810.

Today, one can still visit Cheung Po Tsai Cave on the island of Cheung Chau, where Cheung Po Tsai’s loot is said to be hidden.