Local legends say these early inhabitants lived in caves and made frequent raids on the many ships that plied the local waters. Chinese settlement on the island began during the Ming dynasty in about 1686.
受到天然環境的限制，小琉球漁民的生活過去相當困苦。七十七歲的李漏于說：「小時候，琉球附近的魚蝦雖然很多，但島上的稻米產量很少，魚總不能當飯吃，我便經常坐船到高雄、屏東撿拾當地農家收割後掉落在田裡的稻穗。