Pirates of Asia

Pirates of Asia explores the violent, fascinating, and highly organized world of maritime raiding across imperial China and the surrounding seas of East Asia. From the early coastal threats faced by Chinese dynasties to the rise of the wokou pirates, Portuguese armed traders, Fujianese maritime networks, and the Zheng family's oceanic power, this volume reveals how piracy was never merely a matter of theft at sea. It was deeply connected to trade, migration, imperial weakness, foreign expansion, and the struggle to control the waters between China, Japan, Taiwan, Macau, Vietnam, and the South China Sea.

The book follows the dramatic rise of figures such as Zheng Zhilong, Zheng Chenggong, Zheng Yi, Zheng Yi Sao, and Zhang Bao, showing how pirates became merchants, admirals, rebels, rulers, and negotiators with empires. At the center of the story stands the legendary Red Flag Fleet, one of the most powerful pirate organizations in history, whose leaders challenged the Qing dynasty and forced the state to bargain for peace. This thirteenth volume presents Asian piracy as a world of commerce, violence, survival, and political power on the sea.