During the Ching dynasty, Tungkang became a busy port, handling a large proportion of Pingtung County's agricultural exports such as sugar, rice, peanuts, hemp and rattan which were shipped to Shanghai, Canton and Amoy on the China mainland. Commodities imported from the mainland also came to the port before being distributed to every corner of Taiwan. Convenient land and water access made Tungkang a transportation center in southern Taiwan.
那時附近加苳鄉（今之佳冬鄉）的砂糖、米、落花生、胡麻、藤及潮州的砂糖等農產品，大部份都集結這裡轉運出口到大陸的上海、廣州、廈門等地，而大陸進口的百貨，也經由此地分銷各地，水陸駁運川流不息，曾是南台灣百貨吞吐的咽喉。