Zheng Yi Sao: The Pirate Queen Who Ruled the South China Sea

Welcome back to Bloomin’ Legends! The podcast where we uncover the wildest, most legendary, and unbelievable true stories from history!

In this episode, Johnny Vaughan and Gavin "The Woodman" Woods set sail into the astonishing life of Zheng Yi Sao, the Cantonese sex worker turned pirate empress who built the most powerful naval empire in history. She didn’t just loot ships, she ran an entire ocean like a mob boss.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

🏴‍☠️ From Brothel to Battleship – How she went from working the docks to commanding them

⚓ The Code of the Queen – The ruthless pirate laws she enforced that even the toughest men feared

💥 Naval Battles & Imperial Beatdowns – How she outmanoeuvred the Chinese Navy, Portuguese, AND British

🧾 The Sweetest Surrender Deal in History – Why she retired with full honours, a government job, and zero consequences

Bloomin’ Legend or Not?

At the end of the episode, we decide: Was Zheng Yi Sao a true Bloomin’ Legend? Or just a cutthroat crime boss with good PR?

🎥 Watch the full episode on Radio X’s YouTube channel!

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This is a Global Original podcast, produced by Ben Fairclough.

Executive Producer: Chris Janes