Decline

　　 Since the Ching Dynasty, the population of Lukang may decline from time to time (due to the backing of the port or wars). According to the map, yellow part means the costal line in Emperor Chenlong. Pink is for Emperor Daoquang, whereas brown is for  Emperor Kuangshi. The backing of costal line get worse as times go by. Yet since it was the major business port of central Taiwan and due to the successful operations of the external port and the rivers, the business functions of ' No sky' street area were considerably maintained. But, as time went by, the prosperity of Lukang and ' No sky' street area diminished. Taiwan became one of Japan’s colonies due to The China Japan War, and the advent of the Japanese troops put an end to the golden age of ' No sky' street area.

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Japanese Reign

　　The immigrants from the southeastern coast of the mainland since the Dutch and Spanish Colonial Period were attracted by the prosperous business activities of Lukang. It was these immigrants that made possible the growth and prosperity of ' No sky' street area and even made it the very place that the cross-strait business took place. It follows that during the golden age of ' No sky' street area, the agricultural products from central Taiwan and all kinds of merchandise from the mainland would turn this street into a comprehensive and complete shopping paradise. The population of Lukang at that time ranged from 40 to 60,000.

      But these so-called “new immigrants” planned to stay in Lukang merely for the sake of business instead of settling down in Lukang. After Japan took over Taiwan, in a bid to enhance its business operations in Taiwan, it announced some colonial policy that did not disguise the attempt to separate Taiwan from the mainland. Because of that policy, those immigrants returned to their hometowns, which in turn led to the sluggish economics in Lukang. From then on, the prosperity of ' No sky' street area became a memory.

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The end　　

　　According to the study conducted by Han Bao-De, in Taisho (Japanese Emperor) the 12th, the Japanese made a rough survey about the numbers of ships going in and out of Lukang (Table 1), which shows that the numbers were stable during the Ching Dynasty, even if they were on the wane (during the reign of Hsein Feng). On the other hand, during the reign of Emperor Meiji, the numbers went down from 2,000 in 1896A.D. to 392 in 1899 A.D.. It was obvious that the port could no longer function, so ' No sky' street area was eventually demolished.

Table 1: Numbers of Ships Going in and out of Lukang in Different Periods of Time

(From the book written by Han Bao-De)

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