Çin Tarihinde Deniz Haydutluğu Olgusu ve 鄭一嫂 Zheng Yi Sao
Aslı Can DumanÇin coğrafi konumu itibariyle, ilk hanedanından son hanedanına kadar neredeyse her dönemde deniz haydutlarının hedefi olmuştur. Deniz haydutları, var oldukları süre boyunca yasaları çiğnemeleri ve suçlu olma potansiyelleri ile bilindikleri için, daima denizlerde hüküm süren kötü kişiler olarak addedilirler. Ancak, Çin tarihine baktığımızda varlıkları M.Ö. 2000’li yıllara dayanan Çinli deniz haydutları ilkel toplumun doğası ve oluşumundan ayrı düşünülemeyecek zoraki koşullar sonucu ortaya çıkmıştır. Merkezi otorite kurulana kadar kölelere uygulanan baskıdan kaçan halk denizlerde yaşamaya başlamış ve denizciliğin zor koşullarında yağma yaparak yaşamlarını sürdürmeye çalışmıştır. Zamanla deniz haydutluğu bir meslek haline dönüşmüş ve Çinli haydutlar hanedanlar boyunca denizlerde yelkenlerini dalgalandırmışlardı. Çin tarihinde, 張伯路 Zhang Bo Lu ayaklanması (M.S.109) ile resmi olarak Doğu Han Hanedanında deniz haydutluğu başlamıştır. Tarihsel süreçte, toplumsal gelişmeler ve teknolojik ilerlemeler ile deniz haydutluğunun kapsamı ve niteliği değişmiştir. Bazen sadece denizlerde, gemileri soyup, yağma yaparken bazen de dolaylı olarak ülkenin siyasetine dahil olmuşlardır. Son hanedan olan Qing Hanedanına (M.S. 1644- 1911) gelindiğinde, deniz haydutluğu 鄭一嫂Zheng Yi Sao ile doruğa çıkmıştır. 鄭一嫂 Zheng Yi Sao eşinden kalan mirası devralarak Güney Çin Denizinde hüküm sürmeye başlamıştır. Ölen eşinin evlatlığı olan 張保仔Zhang Bao Zi le iş birliği yapıp, onlarca gemiye ve binlerce mürettebata sahip olmuştur. Denizlerde kendi yasalarını koymuş ve uymayan mürettebatlarını ölümle cezalandırmıştır. 鄭一嫂 Zheng Yi Sao ve mürettebatı diğer deniz haydutlarına kıyasla, sadece kendi ülkeleri için değil, o dönemde Çin denizlerinde bulunan Batılı devletler için de tehdit unsuru oluşturmuştur. Sonları bir hapishanede ya da mezarda bitmemiştir. Aksine Qing Hanedanı ile müzakereler yaparak, geri kalan ömürlerini refah içerisinde geçirmişlerdir.
The Phenomenon of Piracy in Chinese History and 鄭一嫂 Zheng Yi Sao
Aslı Can DumanDue to its geographical location, China has been the target of sea bandits in almost every period from the first dynasty to the last. Their existence in Chinese history dates back to the about 2000s B.C. Sea bandits are usually regarded as villains who rule the seas, as they are known for their lifestyles of law-breaking and criminality. In many cases, however, Chinese naval bandits emerged as a result of forced conditions that cannot be considered apart from the nature and formation of their society. Until a centralized authority was established, people who escaped from the oppression of slavery started to live on the seas and tried to survive the difficult conditions of seamanship by plundering. Over time, piracy became a profession, and Chinese bandits sailed across the seas throughout the following dynasties. 張伯路 Zhang Bo Lu, who rebelled (A.D. 109) in the Eastern Han dynasty (A.D. 25-220), was the first person to be recorded in Chinese official records as a sea bandit, although there had been piracy activities before. Across history, the scope and nature of piracy has changed with social developments and technological advances. Sometimes they involved themselves in the politics of the country only on the seas, while robbing and looting, and sometimes indirectly with the people they are acting with. By the Qing Dynasty (A.D.1644-1911), piracy peaked with鄭一嫂 Zheng Yi Sao, commonly known in English as Ching Shih. 鄭一嫂 Zheng Yi Sao took over her husband’s legacy and began to rule the South China Sea. Cooperating with 張保仔 Zhang Bao Zi, her deceased husband’s adopted son, she owned dozens of ships with thousands of crew members. They made their own laws at sea and punished crews who did not comply with death. Compared to other naval sea bandits, 鄭一嫂 Zheng Yi Sao and her subjects posed a threat not only to their own country, but also to the Western states that were now operating in the Chinese seas. However, contrary to what we might expect today, she did not meet her end in a prison or a grave. On the contrary, by negotiating with the Qing Dynasty, she spent the rest of her life in prosperity.
Piracy is as old as human naval activity. Due to its geographical location, China is a “peninsula civilization” surrounded by seas and oceans on three sides. Given these conditions, the presence of sea bandits is no surprise either. Dating back to the 2000s B.C., Chinese naval bandits emerged as a result of forced conditions that cannot be considered apart from the nature and formation of their society. Until a centralized authority was established, the people escaping from the oppression of slavery head for the sea and tried to survive by plundering in its harsh conditions.
Officially, according to records kept in the Eastern Han Dynasty (A.D. 25-220), the first mentions of piracy date back to earlier times when examined with today’s knowledge and experience. People who escaped from the pressure and administration of the period and took shelter in the sea have created the necessary experience for future piracy activities. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, with the A.D. 109 rebellion of張伯路 Zhang Bo Lu during the reign of Emperor 永初Yong Chu (r. A.D. 107-113), piracy officially began in Chinese history. 張 伯路 Zhang Bo Lu led 3000 people to fight against the authorities and plunder. The rebellion was eventually crushed, but it had now opened the way for later generations to view the sea from a different lifestyle.
Looking at the history of China, sea bandit activities increased or decreased depending on the social and economic conditions of each period. The scope and nature of piracy have also changed alongside technological developments and in parallel with trade. Sometimes piracy was carried out solely for the purpose of robbery, and sometimes it was a rebellion against the empire. It continued in this way until the Qing Dynasty (A.D.1644-1911).
The activities of the sea bandit鄭一嫂 Zheng Yi Sao, who lived during the reign of Qing Dynasty Emperor 嘉慶 Jia Qing (r. A.D. 1796-1820), holds an important place in both Chinese and world history. 鄭一嫂 Zheng Yi Sao, who succeeded her naive husband 鄭一 Zheng Yi after his death, commanded thousands of sailors and hundreds of ships. Working with 張保 仔 Zhang Bao Zi, who was 鄭一 Zheng Yi’s adopted son, they gained unassailable power in the Chinese seas. While ordinary naval sea bandits are seen as nuisances for the government, 鄭一嫂Zheng Yi Sao was considered a terrifying threat to the Qing Empire. However, the end of 鄭一嫂 Zheng Yi Sao and her people was neither like the previous Chinese sea bandits nor the some western pirates. She was not executed or imprisoned as was expected for pirates everywhere during this period. Instead, she made an agreement with the Qing Dynasty to abandon piracy in exchange for pardons and a secure retirement for herself and her people.
