Introduction: The Historical Logic of ‘Birds of Two Wings’

In the historiography of cross-strait relations, the saying ‘Xiamen is Taiwan, and Taiwan is Xiamen’ is more than a folk proverb; it is a description of a genuine economic and geopolitical reality. As early as 1684, following the Qing Dynasty’s pacification of Taiwan, Xiamen and Taiwan’s Lukermen were designated as the sole legal ports for cross-strait trade, initiating a century-long ‘single-port crossing’ regime. This system rapidly transformed Xiamen from a military outpost into the primary trade hub for Fujian and the Southeast coast.

With the opening of Xiamen as a treaty port in 1843 and the establishment of the ‘New Customs’ under the foreign Inspectorate of Customs in 1862, archives began to record in detail how Xiamen and Taiwan formed a deeply ‘isomorphic’ economic community, transcending geographic barriers through capital flow, personnel migration, and industrial division of labor. This isomorphism was manifested not just in commodity exchange but in a profound industrial integration led by Overseas Chinese capital.

Interpretation of Core Historical Records

I. Logistical Hub: Xiamen as the Global Gateway for Taiwanese Goods

Customs archives and the Xiamen Port Records indicate that in the late 19th century, Xiamen was the indispensable ’exit’ for Taiwan’s bulk commodities into the global market.

  1. Deep Integration of the Tea Trade: While Taiwan’s tea production expanded rapidly in the late 19th century, its processing and marketing center remained anchored in Xiamen. Historical records show that 93% of Taiwan’s exported tea had to be refined in Xiamen before being shipped to Europe and America. This model of ‘Taiwanese cultivation, Xiamen processing, and global marketing’ is a quintessential example of economic isomorphism. In 1877, tea exports from Xiamen reached a historical peak of 55,000 piculs, with the majority of the growth driven by Taiwanese tea transshipment.
  2. Transshipment of Camphor and Sugar: Approximately 70% of Taiwan’s camphor exports reached markets in Germany, Britain, and India via Xiamen. Similarly, a significant portion of Taiwan’s sugar was purchased by foreign agents in Xiamen through credit or consignment, forming a stable cross-strait trade chain.

II. The ‘Tai-yun’ Mechanism: The Lifeblood of the Shared Economy

The ‘Tai-yun’ system (Taiwanese grain transport to Fujian) was the most resilient artery of the Min-Taiwan economic community. Qing archives record that while Taiwan was fertile and known for its abundant sugar and grain, Southern Fujian was densely populated with scarce farmland, relying heavily on external food supplies.

Core data indicates that Taiwan shipped [85,297 shi] of rice and grain to Fujian annually, with Xiamen handling and transshipping 55.99% of this total. This constant flow led British spy Lindsay (Hu Xiami) to describe Xiamen in his 1832 secret report as the ‘Granary of China’s East Coast’. This essential exchange of grain created a high degree of correlation between the two regions in terms of market prices and survival.

III. Capital and Personnel Isomorphism: Overseas Chinese Investment

The soul of modern Min-Taiwan economic isomorphism lay in the cross-border operations of Overseas Chinese capital. These ‘Nanyang Gods of Wealth’ did not invest in isolation; they built a closed-loop business network spanning Southeast Asia, Xiamen, and Taiwan.

  1. Trans-strait Enterprises of Iconic Figures: The ‘Overseas Chinese Shipping Company’ and ‘Chiyu Bank’ founded by Mr. Tan Kah Kee operated deeply across both regions. Chiyu Bank played a crucial role in managing cross-strait remittances and supporting Taiwan’s reconstruction in the immediate post-war era. Huang Yizhu, a tycoon from Indonesia, founded Xiamen’s waterworks and was heavily involved with the Bank of Taiwan, utilizing his financial influence to stabilize credit markets on both sides.
  2. ‘Ma-zhen’ (Merchants) and Financial Interdependence: The financial chain of the modern tea trade was primarily realized through ‘Ma-zhen’ (Merchant) houses. These institutions, with headquarters in Xiamen and branches in Taipei, utilized international capital from banks like HSBC to bind the tea industry and financial markets of both sides together.
  3. Homogeneous Labor Flows: In the late 19th century, the demand for tea expertise in Taiwan brought thousands of experienced Xiamen tea workers to the island. This ’technical migration’ directly enhanced Taiwan’s processing industry and further strengthened the industrial isomorphism of the two regions.

For Overseas Chinese in Singapore, the US, and Southeast Asia, studying this historical isomorphism holds double value.

First, it is a factual footnote to one’s ‘Cultural Roots’. Every picul of rice and every chest of tea in the archives represents the movements of ancestors across the strait. Understanding these ties explains why the Hokkien language, Baosheng Dadi worship, and kinship networks remain so deeply rooted in Taiwan today.

Second, it provides a realistic reference for ‘Economic Geography’. History proves that Xiamen and Taiwan do not need forced ‘alignment,’ as they are inherently ‘one’ in terms of natural resources, capital flows, and human talent. The modern prosperity of Xiamen was inseparable from the nourishment of Taiwanese goods, and Taiwan’s early modernization was fueled by Overseas Chinese capital. This historically formed isomorphism is the strongest foundation for future cross-strait cooperation.

Through these digital records, we find that the so-called ‘Three Links’ have actually been pulsing between the lines of Customs archives for over three hundred years.