Cheung Po was born in 1783, he was a son of a Tanka fisherman who lived in Xinhui of Jiangmen.
Piratical career
On about 1798, He was abducted at age 15 by the pirateCheng I who pressed him into piracy. His natural talent helped him adapt to his unplanned new career and he rose through the rank swiftly. Cheung Po Tsai was later adopted by Cheng I and Ching I Sao ; "wife of Cheng I"; married 1801) as their step-son, making him Cheng's legal heir. Cheung Po Tsai's piracy mate and lieutenant was Cai Qian and the two worked together. Cai Qian had strong connections to the Western weapon dealers as his wife Lu Shi, best known by her nickname Cai Qian Ma, was fluent in English and was an expert in Western weaponry.
Rise to command
After Cheng I died suddenly in Vietnam on 16 November 1807, his widow Ching Shih acted quickly to solidify the partnership with her step-son Cheung Po Tsai. Their first success came when they were able to secure the loyalty of Cheng's relatives, who were leaders in the fleet. They became lovers within weeks. As Ching Shih's second-in-command, Cheung Po Tsai was active along the Guangdong coastal area during the Qing Dynasty. Their followers were said to have reached 50,000+ and his fleet said to have possessed 600 ships. The tide began to turn in 1809. The authorities managed to discover that Cai Qian was docked in the coastal town of Wuzhen, Zhejiang province. The new naval leaders, Wang Delu and Qiu Lianggong, blockaded him into the port and attacked. Their cannons sank Cai Qian's ship and killed him.
Battle of the Tiger's Mouth
In September and November 1809, Cheung Po Tsai and Ching Shih pirate fleet suffered a series of defeats inflicted by the Portuguese Navy at the Battle of the Tiger's Mouth and there was no way they would be able to hold out forever.
In the final battle in the Naval Battle of Chek Lap Kok in January 1810, Cheung and Ching surrendered to the Portuguese Navy on January 21. On 20 April 1810 at Furongsha in Guangdong, Cheung Po Tsai formally delivered his fleet and weapons, which now numbered about 280 ships, 2,000 guns and over 25,000 men. The Portuguese claimed naught, while the governor of Guangdong accepted his surrender.
Cheung and Ching accepted an amnesty offered by the Qing Dynasty government, ending their career and allowed to keep the loot. Cheung Po Tsai renamed back to his former name and was capitulated to the Qing Dynasty government and became a captain in the Qing's Guangdong navy, receiving the rank of navy colonel. He was given a command of a total of 30 ships, allowed to retain 30 private fleets, and an appointment in Penghu. He would spend the rest of his life helping the government to fight other pirates. Cheung Po and Ching Shih were later married with Governor Bailing as witness. Cheung Po would make future formal visits to the Leal Senado of Macau to meet several of the Portuguese officers who present at the fighting, among them was Gonçalves Carocha. In 1813, Ching Shih gave birth to his son Cheung Yu Lin, she would later had a daughter who was born at an unknown date.
Death
After Cheung Po died at sea in 1822 at age 39, his widow moved the family to Macau and there she opened a gambling house and a brothel and also into salt trade. The descendants from his son Cheung Yu Lin are currently based in Macao, China.
Legacy
Several places in Hong Kong are linked to Cheung Po Tsai:
The 1983 Hong Kong action film Project A depicts a character based on Cheung Po Tsai. The lead villain, San Po is a pirate with similar characteristics. Project As time period is a composite of several in Hong Kong's history.
The 1994 Hong Kong action filmOnce Upon a Time in China V has Cheung Po Tsai as one of the main villains opposing the protagonist Wong Fei-Hung. As the movie apocryphally takes place shortly after the Boxer Rebellion, however, Cheung is depicted in that movie as an extremely old man.
The movie ' depicts a pirate named Sao Feng as a member of the Brethren Court. This character is based on Cheung Po Tsai, although the film was set many years before he lived.
In the anime One Piece, one of the characters, Scratchman Apoo, is influenced by Cheung Po Tsai.
Tony Hung portrays Cheung Po Tsai in the 2015 Hong Kong television drama Captain of Destiny'', a historical sci-fi series about a 21st-century police officer who meets Cheung Po Tsai after traveling back in time.
