Ding Richang took over after Shen Baozhen, coming to Taiwan from Fujian likewise as a "shipping official." After arriving in Taiwan in 1876, he immediately began investigating all of the island's affairs. First he made a tour of the north, on which he undertook an arduous journey to the region around Su-ao.
丁日昌，是接續沈葆楨來台辦理「船政」的福建巡撫，他於光緒二年（一八七六年）來台後，立即開始調查全島情勢，先北巡，千辛萬苦到達蘇澳一帶。