The Real Pirates of China: A Colorful, Powerful Bunch

HONG KONG -- While Western pirates are a familiar feature of Hollywood movies, Disney is introducing a Chinese sea bandit in "Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End."

Capt. Sao Feng -- played by Chow Yun-Fat -- is a key figure in saving Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) from the world of the dead in the third installment of the hit movie series, due out May 25.

Sao Feng is fictional, of course.

But what were real Chinese pirates like?

They wore bright silk costumes and ate the hearts of their enemies to strike fear in their subjects, historians say. In some parts of China, they overwhelmed the navy and served as a de facto government, regulating trade and collecting taxes.

Much of the heritage of Chinese pirates traces back to Hong Kong. Lantau island, where modern jetliners take off today at Hong Kong's Chek Lap Kok airport, was the site of a major battle between pirates and the imperial Chinese navy in 1809.

The great pirate Zhang Baozai is believed to have operated in Hong Kong waters. Tucked under a pile of large rocks along the southern coastline of Cheung Chau island is a narrow passageway mythically believed to be one of Zhang's lairs. It's a major tourist attraction.

Zhang was said to have been tall and charismatic, according to research by the Hong Kong Maritime Museum. The museum's director, Stephen Davies, said Zhang was known to wear flamboyant purple or red silk gowns.

Rank-and-file pirates dressed in duller colors faded by sunlight and washing and stained with tar, blood and waterproofing tung oil, according to Davies. A 19th-century scroll depicting the 1809 battle off Lantau island shows pirates wearing loose blue frocks and white pants with blue socks pulled up to knee level.

Zhang was religious, always worshiping the gods before taking action, and was keenly interested in Western weaponry. Pirates from Zhang's era fought with swords, pole guns and pike heads.

The average Chinese pirate ship was smaller and not as well armed as its Western counterparts, historians say. But Zhang's fleet crushed the Chinese navy, more than halving its fleet from 165 ships to 72 in two battles in 1808 and 1809.