As early as the Chienlung and Taokuang reigns of the Ching dynasty, Lukang was one of Taiwan's three best and busiest seaports, the others being Tainan and Manka. Lukang had the heaviest trading volume with the China mainland--because it was closer than any other port of Taiwan. Its heyday was between 1785 and 1851.
清代乾嘉年間，鹿港曾是個地位重要、備極繁榮的海港，當年所說「一府、二鹿、三艋舺」，她與台南、艋舺曾同為與大陸貿易的三大門戶，特別是乾隆五十年至道光末年，是鹿港盛極一時的黃金時代。