After her father died, Admiral Zheng He of Ming China decided to make her brother the new chieftain of Palembang, so she left Palembang and went to Gresik in east Java to preach her religion to the natives.
Born Shishi Daniangzi (施氏大娘子), she was the eldest daughter of a non-Muslim Chinese business elite, Shi Jinqing, in Palembang.
Eventually, Shi Er-Jie, her younger sister won the feud and gained control of the family business.
In the 1440s, Shi Da-jie left for Java and was made a shahbander (port master) of Gresik by the ruler of Majapahit from 1458 to 1483.
In Gresik, she raised a child who would later become one of the Walisongo saints, Sunan Giri (Raden Paku).