NEW CHINESE PIRATE EPIC
SHIH, QUEEN OF THE SEA
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The production starts next summer
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Some ten years ago
Maggie Q was
supposed to play Chinese pirate queen Shih, but it never happened and now legendary
Tsui Hark is set to produce
Anthony McCarten scripted epic adventure
SHIH, QUEEN OF THE SEA which will follow
Shih Yang, aka
Cheng I Sao, who dominated the South China Sea during the Qing Dynasty. Born into poverty, she worked on a “flower boat” brothel where she met the notorious pirate leader
Cheng Yi, joining him at sea. Upon his death in 1807, she assumed full command of the fearsome
Red Flag Fleet, commanding over 1,800 pirate ships and an estimated 80,000 pirates. By comparison,
Blackbeard commanded four ships and 300 pirates within the same century. Shih instigated sweeping reforms to the rules of piracy, ordering execution for rape or marital infidelity and insisting on equality between the sexes. Much of what is known
in the West about her is due to the writings of an English diarist,
Richard Glasspoole, who was captured by her and later formed a strong bond with her. The shooting should start summer next year.
in the West about her is due to the writings of an English diarist, Richard Glasspoole, who was captured by her and later formed a strong bond with her. The shooting should start summer next year.