Prince of Pirates

Chow Yun-fat (周潤發) will play a pirate based upon the famous Chinese pirate Cheung Po Tsai in the sequel to Pirates of the Caribbean.

From Discover Hong Kong:

Dubbed the Prince of Pirates, Cheung's band of brigands raided fishing boats in the Pearl River area. One of his favourite hiding spots was a small cave on Cheung Chau that you can still visit today. Some people believe that Chung hid his booty in the cave; but none has ever been found.

Cheung was the son of a fisherman who was captured by Cheng Yat, a pirate chief. The 15-year-old boy became good friends with Cheng and his wife. So much so that when the pirate was killed in a storm, his wife made Cheung her right-hand man and lover. Invigorated, the young man rose to become the head of the pirates. He is believed to have built up an army of some 20,000 men along the coast.

Legend has it that Cheung and his band of brigands stored their loot on Cheung Chau or at least hid from the navy who were trying to capture him. The cave where Cheung hid out is small and difficult to crawl into.

Cheung is well regarded by the fishing folk. Apparently he had a high level of moral integrity and his gang was well disciplined. They shared the booty they made from robbing fishing boats and they were not allowed to inflict physical harm upon any women they encountered.

Eventually Cheung surrendered and was later offered a position in the government. However he couldn't escape his criminal past and some government officials blocked his appointment. He died at the tender age of 30.

It's nice to see Chow Yun-fat getting a good role in a Hollywood blockbuster.

I'm looking forward to seeing him as a pirate, though I can't find the Cantonese translation for yaaaar in the dictionary.

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