Lost Hong Kong: Cheung Po Tsai

Cheung Po Tsai was a native of Shuinan Township in the Guangdong Province. He was a famous pirate along the coast of Guangdong before 1810, and later became an officer of the Qing Dynasty navy. He was originally the son of a fisherman in Xinhui and was captured by the pirate Zheng Yi when he went fishing at the age of 15, and became a subordinate of the pirate.

Zheng Yi appreciated his quickness and agility, so he was ordered to follow him around and called him a bailiff. He was soon adopted as his righteous son and promoted to the rank of leader. Under his leadership, the number of people who joined him increased and his power became bigger and bigger, and he became the first pirate of all gangs. In their heyday, they had nearly 1,000 ships, large and small, with cannons on board. 

According to legend, Cheung Po Tsai was a brave and good fighter, scheming and righteous, and although he was a pirate, he loved the common people because he came from a poor background. When he bought food from the villagers, he often doubled the money and never harassed the poor or the fishermen, and forbade his men to plunder the areas where he was stationed.

Therefore, he won the hearts of the people, who regarded him as a chivalrous pirate who “robbed the rich to help the poor”. At the same time, Western pirates became more and more rampant, often invading the waters of South China to rob merchant ships and taking their treasures. The Qing government repeatedly failed to intercept them, causing numerous injuries and some officials were even captured as prisoners of war. When there was no countermeasure, someone in the imperial court suggested that Cheung Po Tsai be called as a naval governor to lead the navy to fight against foreign enemies and eliminate the Western pirates. This time you are called upon by the navy to help Cheung Po Tsai fight off foreign enemies. Will you be able to find the treasure taken by the western pirates? The mission will begin soon…