Pirates such as Blackbeard and Jack Sparrow are well known in Western pop culture. But Ching Shih, a woman seafarer from China’s Guangdong province, was just as mighty, if not as famous. By the late 18th century, the South China Sea had become a haven for pirates. Colonial merchant vessels frequently traversed these waters carrying valuable cargo. Ching Shih, also known as Zheng Yi Sao, roamed the waters around Tung Chung Bay off what is today Hong Kong’s Lantau Island. She was a pirate queen...