Rebel with a Cause: Chinese Merchant-Pirates in Southeast Asia in the 16th Century

Abstract

The middle of the 16th century is considered the golden age of Chinese piracy. The upsurge of Chinese piracy in the East and South China Sea at that time urged Ming authority to suppress them. Among Chinese pirates were Wang Zhi, leader of a big band of pirates who conducted illegal trade between the eastern coast of China, southern Japan and Siam during the 1540s and 1550s, and Lin Daoqian, who was active along the South China Sea in the 1560s and 1570s. Both of them were labelled by Ming authority as notorious ‘pirates’ and were suppressed by General Qi Jiguang. While Wang Zhi was executed in China in 1559, Lin Daoqian managed to flee to Southeast Asia and settled down in Patani, now a southern province of Thailand, in the 1570s. There are many historical accounts about them, especially Daoqian, both written and oral, which variously demonstrate how Chinese merchant-pirates were viewed by communities outside China over time. This chapter raises the two historical figures as case studies to address the complex identity of Chinese merchant-pirates and examines how they contributed to the local society in Southeast Asia. It argues that Chinese piracy in Southeast Asia plays a part in constructing collective memory and identity among the overseas Chinese in the region.