Yanshuei District is one of the oldest towns in Southern Taiwan. In 1662, General JhengChengkong’s troopsfirst started to develop theJiouying Village and Houjhai Village, where settlements formed gradually.Due to downdraught wind from the inland sea, the ports on the lagoon play an important role in trade. Along with Anping and Lugang, Yanshuei Port was also important for waterway transportation in Southern Taiwan.
Yanshuei is located where the waterways and grain road used to pass through. In the 18th century (in the reign of Yongjheng), it was already a prosperous town, and in the 19th century its development had reached its heyday. There is an old saying, which describes the four big ports in Taiwan, that goes “First Fu (now Tainan City), second Lugang (now Lukang, Changhua County), third Monga (now Wanhua District, Taipei), and fourth Yuejin (now Yanshuei District).”Yanshuei had an important place in terms of history, culture, politics, economy, transportation, and military in Yun-Jia-Nan Area (mid-southern part of Taiwan).
In the late reign of Daoguang (19th century), due to the accretion of sand in Jishuei River and Bajhang River, the lagoon was clogged by sand bars as well, and the port started to lose its function. During the Japanese rule, the colonial government planned to build railroad through Yanshuei, but the local gentry were afraid that the construction might ruin fengshui, and opposed the proposal. Yanshuei therefore missed the chance of becoming a hub of transportation and communication and eventually ended up as a small village.
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| Dou-Fon Nei Hai . | Yuejin Port |