Abstract: The main “stage” in Chinese history, was not the sea but the land. The Chinese coast line is very long, and the sea of Bohai, the Yellow sea, the East China sea and the south China sea. Chinese people all wash its china’s shores. Many Chinese, especially those who lived along the southeast coast, fully engaged in seafaring activities. They were fishermen, sailors, traders, merchants, etc. The most feared men on the sea however, were Chinese pirates and this paper takes a broad view of their activities. Zhang Zhilong, Zheng Chenggong, and Cai Qian all gained notoriety during the Ming and Qing periods. The documentary sources for the Ming and Qing period kept are rich.