Yes, piracy has been rampant in the southern coastal areas since the mid-Ming Dynasty. By the middle and late Qing Dynasty, piracy activities along the coast of Guangdong and Fujian were even more unscrupulous.

1793, emperor Qianlong proudly said: "Guangdong has no emergency, and its maritime bandits have gradually disappeared after Fu Kang 'an's search and rectification." However, after decades of development, pirates in Guangdong shouted the slogan "Red (blue) flags are flying, heroes are free to recruit, and overseas emperors are not afraid of China".

It can be seen that pirates in Guangdong have developed from small fights in the last years of Qianlong to pirates endangering the life and death of the Qing Dynasty.