Because travel across the Taiwan Strait was no easy matter in centuries past, early settlers naturally chose the shortest route, and Tainan is the nearest place in Taiwan to the coast of Fujian. Tainan also had the natural harbor of Anping. The Fujian port cities of Xiamen and Fuzhou, moreover, were the biggest trading ports in China. All these factors combined to give Tainan an overwhelming advantage over other locations in Taiwan.
由於地理條件與交通工具的侷限，台灣先民強渡黑水溝，自然選擇最短距離登陸，台南離福建最近，又有天然港口安平，大陸貿易以廈門、福州為主，都使台南佔盡優勢。