The three most important settlements in early Taiwan were Tainan, Lukang, and Mengchia, all ports. Tainan, being the administrative capital as well as a major commercial port, was naturally the first place missionaries targeted to establish a base.
「一府、二鹿、三艋舺」，早期台灣幾個繁榮的地區都在港口，排名第一的台南府城，自然是傳教士進入台灣傳教時的第一個據點。