Sea Dragons

When we think of pirates, usually Blackbeard if not Captain Jack Sparrow come to mind. Its no secret that modern culture has a flirtation with the pirate as an upholder of freedom, fortune and sometimes even democracy. Pirates in general are held synonymous with the Golden Age of Piracy in European Exploration, which is not surprising in the English speaking world. Remembering that much of this activity occurred on America's cost and in nearby Caribbean islands. Golden teeth, brogue speak, parrot and all is the cartoon image of any person remotely attached to "pirate"

Yet piracy was a way of life throughout the history of civilized peoples and came along with any overseas trade networks are ports. In particular East Asia had a long tradition at least from the the first century A.D onward. From the 14th through 17th century bands of Wokou- pirates often of mixed Japanese, Chinese and Korean origin plagued fishing villages and mighty cities alike often provoking state actions to stamp them out. European exploration did not put an end to Asian piracy,

While there are many great names in Asian piracy, most notably the woman Ching Shih who had to be bribed into retirement, this story is about a lesser known man. We start with the notorious king of the South China Sea- Lim Hong. Raised in a gutter of a small port city he eventually raised a fleet of 95 ships. With a high price on his head he went to the Philippines with 3,000 outlaws in 1574. Then the Philippines was Spain's youngest colony having only been pacified three years before. Manila had been Christianized as the capital of the Spanish East Indies in 1571.

Historically upon the approach of Lim Hong, an obscure man from the new Manila called Galo rallied townspeople to defeat a numerically superior force. Buying time for Spanish forces to pursue the pirate, eventually the pirate escaped with his soldiers, history is not sure their final destination or their fate.

However, lets think of the consequences of that faithful day if 1574 had a turned a different way. Spain may had very well lost its new colony to history, more importantly this could have opened a new window to many Chinese. In a country, the Ming Empire that tightly regulated shipping lanes and bureaucratic control of society the news of a successful Lima Hong could have set off a new era of piracy in Asian waters. For thousands of years Chinese as individuals had traveled and done business now they may had set out for glory in riches- whether their government permitted them or not. What would be the long term consequences of the Sea Dragons that would take to the Pacific Ocean?