Pirates of the South China Sea

Specialized General Assembly committee

There’s salt in the wind, air in your sails, and all manner of riches in your pockets – the year is 1805, and it’s never been a better time to be a Chinese Pirate! A century after its Atlantic counterpart, the Asian Golden Age of Piracy is rife with conflict – and even rifer with silks, spices, and gold. So the Chinese proverb says: Real gold does not fear the test of fire. But it’s a sea of scoundrels out there, and the heat is turning up! 

Significant players for this committee include 1) Chinese peasants turned pirates; 2) the Chinese and Portuguese Navies; 3) Vietnamese dynastic powers; and 4) surprise (though not 100% historically accurate) British pirates! This is a committee of salacious swashbuckling and treasonous treasure – but it is also just a chapter within a storied history of colonial conquest. This committee will not only task you to navigate the choppy waters as they roil, but also require you to think critically about everblue issues like property, power, alliances, and compromise. The two main topics of committee are as follows: 1) the pending Guangdong Pirate Confederation, and 2) the criminal charges of the pirate leaders. Bringing your battle from the decks to the delegation, delegates will need a sound understanding of their motivations and resources to secure their bounties.