The battle ended Ching Shih's Red Flag Fleet operations, leading to her formal surrender and pardon in 1810.
Key Facts
- Duration
- September 1809 – February 1810
- Portuguese commander
- José Pinto Alcoforado de Azevedo e Sousa
- Pirate fleet
- Red Flag Fleet of Ching Shih
- Pirate field commander
- Cheung Po Tsai
- Outcome
- Pirate surrender; Ching Shih pardoned by Guangzhou government
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Red Flag Fleet, a powerful Chinese pirate confederation under Ching Shih and her second-in-command Cheung Po Tsai, operated aggressively in the Pearl River Delta region, threatening Portuguese and Chinese maritime trade around Macau and the Humen Strait.
Between September 1809 and January 1810, a Portuguese flotilla based in Macau engaged the Red Flag Fleet in a series of battles within the Humen Strait, known to the Portuguese as the Boca do Tigre. Under the command of José Pinto Alcoforado de Azevedo e Sousa, the Portuguese inflicted multiple defeats on the pirates.
Following repeated naval defeats, the Red Flag Fleet surrendered formally in February 1810. Ching Shih subsequently surrendered to the Guangzhou city government in exchange for a general pardon, effectively ending her career as a pirate and dismantling one of the most powerful pirate fleets in Chinese history.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
José Pinto Alcoforado de Azevedo e Sousa.
Side B
1 belligerent
Cheung Po Tsai, Ching Shih.