清代以前闽东人为何很少主动渡海赴台

Fewer People from Mindong Sailing to Taiwan Initiatively before Qing dynasty

与闽南相比较,闽东与台湾相距同样很近,但因清代以前闽东尚无明显的人口过剩压力,无论土里刨食还是"讨小海",闽东人都能勉强维持温饱,加上外出需翻越无数崇山峻岭或渡过波涛汹涌的大海,因而闽东人便深深埋下了"远处一堆金,不如近处一堆土"等惮于外出的观念。同时,台湾海峡的风向、潮流和海流,使得从闽东沿海任何一个地点驾船赴台,一年绝大多数时间皆逆风逆流,这在主要靠风力、人力航行的年代,显然成为闽东人赴台的最直接障碍。因此,当时闽东人很少主动渡海赴台。

Compared with Southern Fujian, Eastern Fujian（also called Mindong） is also geographically close to Taiwan.But before the Qing Dynasty, there was no obvious life pressure with over population in Mindong. The folks here could keep fairly fed or clothed by just relying on primitive agriculture or fishing near the coast. In addition, they had to climb over the steep mountains or sail through turbulent seas to the outside, so they cultivated a self-contented idea of＂A pile of gold in the distance is not as good as a pile of soil nearby＂.Besides, the winds, tides and currents of the Taiwan Strait made the ships go against the wind most of the times from any location along the coast of Mindong to Taiwan, which became the most direct obstacle for the folks here to go to Taiwan, for shipping was usually powered by wind force and labor force at that time.Therefore, they rarely took the initiative to cross the Strait to Taiwan.