China Sea Pirates of the 19th & 20th Centuries

Lo Hon-cho ~ alias Hon-cho Lo

Years Active: 1920s

Country of Origin: East China

Comments: Took command of 64 ships after her husband’s death in 1921. Youthful and reported to be pretty, she gained the reputation of being the most ruthless of all China’s pirates. Lo Hon-cho’s fleet attacked villages and fishing fleets in the seas around Beihai taking young woman as prisoners and later selling them into slavery. In 1922 a Chinese warship intercepted the fleet destroying 40 vessels. Despite escaping, Lo Hon-cho was later handed to authorities by the remaining pirates in exchange for clemency.

Wong
Years Active: 1922
Country of Origin: East China
Comments: United her 50 ship fleet with Lo Hon-Cho

Lai Sho Sz’en ~ alias Lai Choi San

Years Active: 1922-1939

Country of Origin: East China

Comments: Operated in the South China Sea. Commanded 12 junks.

P’en Ch’ih Ch’iko or Kim Ming

Years Active: 1936

Country of Origin: East China

Comments: Commanded 100 pirates.

Huang P’ei-mei

Years Active: 1937-1950s

Country of Origin: East China

Comments: Led 50,000 pirates.

Cheng Chui Ping ~ nicknamed “Sister Ping”

Years Active: 1970s-1990s

Country of Origin: Fujian province, China

Comments: Operated in the South China Sea smuggling thousands of Chinese immigrants to the U.S. and Europe. Was convicted in the U.S. and sentenced to 35 years in prison. Due for release in 2030.