「三藩之亂」期間，福建主政者耿精忠與廣東主政者尚之信均鼓 勵手下商人前往日本與東南亞貿易，以支應財政開銷。臺灣主政者鄭經 也佔領福建海澄、廣東南頭（珠江口東北面）水域，以經營對中國的貿 易。1680年代起，在清廷逐步掌握閩、粵兩省後，開始整肅耿、尚兩藩 下的外貿商。以沈上達為首的廣東外貿商，遭受到全面壓制；而福建外 貿商則在總督姚啟聖籌備征台軍需的藉口下，得以苟延殘喘。鄭氏勢力 在撤出中國沿岸後，因清廷對閩、廣外貿商之整肅，以及臺灣天災、暹 羅洋米漲價等因素之影響，發生了軍餉與軍糧周轉不靈的現象。1683年 夏季，清軍水師在施琅率領下，於澎湖擊敗鄭軍。臺灣當局決定投降清 廷「舉國歸命」，以免因洋米被截，導致飢荒。施琅在與英、荷兩國滯 台人員接觸後，計畫以「臺灣歸還荷蘭」等方式，誘引英、荷兩國人前 往福建或臺灣貿易，並以「外國貪涎」為由，力促清廷維持海禁，以達 成讓福建外貿商壟斷中國外貿的目標。然施琅此一企圖，並未獲得荷蘭 當局支持，遂於1684年，在康熙帝堅持開海，以及福建、兩廣總督不予 配合的多重因素下破滅。此一壟斷中國外貿的策劃失敗後，臺灣原有國 際貿易轉運站之地位，也因而瓦解，僅成為閩粵居民潛在的移民標的。

During the rebellion of three feudatories, the feudal lords of Fuchien, Kêng Ching-chung, and Kuangtung, Shang Chihhsin, not only ignored the maritime prohibition issued by Peking court but actually encouraged their subordinate merchants to trade in Japan and countries around South China Sea. The lord of Taiwan, Cheng Ching, occupied harbors on the Chinese shore like Haich’eng in Fuchien and Nantao in Kuangtung for expanding the China trade. After the Manchu court in Peking gained supremacy and gained control of Fuchien and Kuangtung in the 1680s, the Emperor Kanghsi initiated a series of actions to suppress the ’traitor-merchants’. The merchants of Kuangtung were punished and abused severely during the prosecution of the chief merchant Shên Shang-ta and his gang. However, the Fuchienese merchants avoided harsh punishment because the governor Yao Ch'i-shêng argued that they were useful in raising money for attacking Taiwan. After Cheng Ching retreated all his force to Taiwan, the Taiwan transit trade soon suffered from the recession of China trade in Kuangtung and Fuchien caused by the Peking court. Later Taiwan was struck by a drought. When the price of Siamese rice rose, the Taiwan authorities lost the fragile balance between food supply and commerce. After the Manchu naval admiral Shih Lang defeated the Taiwanese naval force in the Pescadores in 1683, the searoute to import Siamese rice to Taiwan was cut off and the Taiwanese authorities had to surrender. In taking over Taiwan, Shih Lang consulted with several members of the VOC and the EIC. He planned to lure the VOC and/or the EIC to become his exclusive partner of trade by conceding Taiwan on the one hand, and urged the Peking court on the other hand to maintain the maritime prohibitions ﹙except in Amoy﹚ to keep the foreign threat at bay. Playing out this two forked strategy, Shih Lang intended to help the Fuchienese merchants monopolize on the foreign trade at the expense of all other Chinese merchants. However, the High Government of the VOC in Batavia was not interested in his proposal. Because no foreign threats materialized, Shih Lang eventually failed to prevent the abolishment of maritime prohibition ordered by Emperor Kanghsi. As a consequence, Shih Lang’s proposal of returning Taiwan to the VOC remained a forgotten secret. Taiwan thus played no more the role as an Entrepôt but became a potential open-frontier for the new immigrants from China.

施琅，荷蘭東印度公司，臺灣，鄭克塽，澎湖之戰，海禁

Shih Lang；VOC；Taiwan；Cheng K'ê-shuang, Pescadores；Maritime prohibition