Looking Back at When Ancient Visayans Terrorized China
There was a time in the history of the world when the Chinese trembled when they heard the word Pi-she-yeh (Visayas), referring to the country and people of the eponymous region in the Philippines. Whenever word reached them of an incoming attack from Pi-she-yeh, they immediately retreated.
Transcript
00:10There was a time in history when ancient Visayans
00:11terrorized the Chinese
00:14Our Visayan ancestors were masters of the sea
00:17who struck fear in the hearts
00:19of their superpower neighbors
00:22In the 12th to 14th centuries,
00:25the Chinese fled
00:27when they heard the word 'Pi-She-Ye'
00:31'Pi-she-ye' was the Chinese word for 'Bisaya'
00:35or the Visayans
00:37The Visayans, also known as Pintados,
00:41were dreaded raiders at that time
00:43They focused on the southern region of Taiwan
00:46The Visayans wanted something the Chinese produced
00:49in exquisite quality –
00:52iron
00:54The Visayans took anything made of iron,
00:57from doorknobs to chopsticks
01:00Iron was an important metal used to make weapons
01:05The Visayans used massive balanghay ships
01:09to sail to China
01:11A single balanghay measured 25 feet,
01:15longer than today's 16-wheeler trucks
01:18The Chinese would flee upon the sight
01:21of five or more balanghays on the coast
01:25The last Visayan raids on China
01:27were recorded in the 14th century
01:30When the Spaniards invaded
01:33nearly all of the datus of the Visayas
01:35capitulated to the Spanish Crown