WHEN IT COMES TO HOLLYWOOD ACTION FLICKS, every superhero or supervillain needs his Asian accomplice. Pierce Bronson [James Bond] had Michelle Yeoh [Wai Lin] in “Tomorrow Never Dies.” Kevin Spacey [Lex Luther] had Kal Penn [Stanford] in “Superman.” And now, Johnny Depp [Jack Sparrow] has Chow Yun-Fat [Sao Feng] in “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.”

Here at TMM, our film critics and Asian historians banged heads to give you the E! True Swashbuckling Story of Captain Sao Feng. As it turns out, the fictional Singaporean pirate is based on an actual historical figure named Chang Pao, a buccaneer who sailed the South China Seas in the 19th century.

Chang Pao, the son of a fisherman, started his illustrious career as a sidekick to the pirate power couple Cheng Yi and Cheng Yisao (the Pirate Age’s Bill and Hillary), who captured the young man in battle. Cheng Yi had a sexual liaison with the lad—and then adopted him as a son!

When Cheng Yi died in battle in 1807 (he was either struck by a cannonball or fell overboard in a storm), his wife immediately took the helm of their pirate confederation, which consisted of up to 40,000 men and 300 junks. But Madame Cheng Yisao needed a partner, a man she could trust to manage the day-to-day operation of the fleet, gain the loyalty of the crew, show her absolute respect and satisfy her sexually.

Cheng Yisao was a lusty wench (she started off as a prostitute aboard a floating brothel). And Chang Pao proved quite the multi-tasker, not only rising to the rank of second-in-command but marrying Cheng Yisao to boot.

Through their unholy union and a strict pirate code, they ensured their control over the pirate confederation.

Cheng Yisao was a cunning businesswoman who held local economies captive, a shrewd strategist who outwitted countless imperial plans to defeat her. For his part, Chang Pao was a respected leader. According to pirate historian Dian Murray, his crewmembers saw him as “a man of dignified manner, sound discretion, and temperate habits.”

Chang Pao had a soft spot for violet silk robes and black turbans and noble gestures. In 1808, after a bloody and protracted battle with the Qing imperial navy, Chang Pao captured the Chinese Admiral Kwo Lang. Preferring death before dishonor, the admiral tried to insult Chang Pao by grabbing a hold of his enemy’s hair and grinning like the devil, but Chang Pao admired the man’s chutzpah and spared him—only to have Kuo Lang commit suicide in front of him. (Maybe the admiral should have tried insulting Chang Pao’s mother/wife.)

In the “Pirates of the Caribbean” trilogy, the pirates relied on voodoo priestess Tia Dolma for predictions. Asian pirates were just as superstitious. Without fail, sailors on the South China Sea always prayed to their gods before raising anchor. Without an auspicious sign, they refused to set sail.

Happy to oblige, Chang Pao erected an elaborate temple aboard one of his largest ships. Before undertaking a mission, the pirate leaders would gather at the temple, burn incense, and ask the gods if their mission would succeed. Somehow the will of gods always seemed to coincide with Chang Pao’s suggested plans (the result of bribing the temple priests beforehand).

So, how does Chow Yun-Fat’s character Captain Sao Feng stack up to Chang Pao? It seems that Sao Feng is equally mendacious and cunning, according to Chow. “They were all pirates in reality, and betrayal was normal. Therefore, Sao Feng treats it as a business transaction. There is no good or evil in the pirate world, and Sao Feng is neither a good person nor a villain. They are all pirates, and that’s how pirates are.” •