Geografie 2025, 130, 321-337
Drought in 1628 CE and the beginning of massive migration from the Chinese mainland to Taiwan
1Fudan University, Institute of Historical Geography, Shanghai, China
2Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics, Department of Chinese History and Culture, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Received January 2025
Accepted July 2025
The massive migration in 1628 CE marked the first wave of migration from the Chinese mainland to Taiwan. The drought of 1628 was moderate in Fujian Province as a whole but was followed by a great famine and massive migration. We examined the causal link between drought in 1628 and the massive migration event. It seems that population pressure was not high in Fujian during the early 17th century, and therefore it was not responsible for the famine. The maritime bans policy was issued by the Ming Dynasty to reduce piracy. However, the policy prohibited maritime fisheries and trade, thus making the life of the residents even more vulnerable to crop failure and famine. The temporary tax imposed by the Ming Dynasty exhausted the coffers and warehouses. Zheng Zhilong, a leading warlord on the Taiwan Strait, took advantage of the drought and famine, and carried tens of thousands of famine refugees from Fujian Province to Taiwan in 1628.
Keywords
drought, migration, Taiwan, maritime bans policy, temporary tax.
Funding
This research was financially supported by the National Social Science Fund of China (22VJXG016).
