# Qing Coastal Evacuation Begins (1661–1683)

URL: https://allhistories.com/taiwan/timeline/1661-qing-coastal-evacuation-begins
Location: Fujian and Guangdong coast
Themes: Dutch colonisation, Keelung

In 1661 the Qing court issued the first of the edicts known as the Great Clearance or Coastal Evacuation, ordering residents of the coasts of Fujian, Guangdong, Zhejiang and other provinces to move inland. The first inspection set the boundary about 50 li inland, and it was later pushed further. Some sources date the policy to 1660. The aim was to cut Koxinga and the Taiwan-based Ming loyalists off from food, recruits and trade. Coastal residents had to destroy their property, ships were destroyed and anyone found beyond the boundary faced death. Foreign trade was confined to Macao. The policy was designed to deny the Zheng forces food, recruits and supplies from the coast, which had previously sustained them. The policy devastated coastal communities; about 16,000 people were driven from Xin'an alone. It was reissued in 1664 and eased after about 1669, and displaced residents were allowed to return in 1683 after the Qing defeated Tungning. Many coastal people sought new lives in Taiwan. At this point in the timeline (1661), Dutch Formosa was governed by Frederick Coyett (30 June 1656 – 1 February 1662). Other contemporary rulers included Joan Maetsuycker, governor-general of the Dutch East Indies (1653 – 1678), the Kangxi Emperor of the Qing (1661 – 1722) and Yongli Emperor, last Southern Ming emperor (1646 – 1662). The main location of this event lies outside Taiwan, its offshore islands and the Taiwan Strait.

## Why it matters
The policy cut Zheng supply lines and intensified the pressure that led Koxinga to move his base to Taiwan.

Ruler at the Time: [Frederick Coyett](https://allhistories.com/taiwan/rulers/frederick-coyett)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Great Clearance](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Clearance)
- [Wikipedia — Haijin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haijin)
- [Wikipedia — Kingdom of Tungning](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Tungning)