From Customs Archives to the Pre-history of 'Three Links': Economic Isomorphism between Modern Xiamen and Taiwan
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. ...