臺灣外商貿易史
安平是臺灣史上最早的港口，歷經荷蘭、明鄭、清朝、日本等時代，皆為臺灣主要的貿易港，清咸豐八年(1858)天津條約增開臺灣口岸，最初為淡水、雞籠，後開打狗及臺灣府。同治三年(1865年1月1日)安平開埠，外商陸續來此設立洋行，其中以英商德記、怡記、和記，美商唻記，德商東興等合稱「安平五洋行」，最負盛名。日本時代，洋商因鴉片為日人專賣，海運業務又為其所奪，洋行遂撤出安平，洋行建築陸續改建或做他用。唻記洋行改成大阪輪船株式會社、東興洋行改成安平支廳、怡記洋行改為安平水產學校、和記洋行改建臺鹽職工眷舍。德記洋行館舍售予臺灣製鹽株式會社。光復後，為臺灣製鹽總廠接收為辦公廳舍，後臺鹽遷址。民國一百零四年（2015）舉辦「與世界連線—打開安平時光寶盒」，展出十七世紀大航海時代文物，用系統性分區解說方式介紹洋行緣起、貿易航運路線、交易模式，重現安平貿易史。現與東興洋行為僅存兩棟洋行建築，見證清朝末年臺灣外商貿易的歷史。
Taiwan’s Foreign Trade History
Anping is the earliest port in Taiwan’s history and has been through the rules of the Dutch, Zheng’s reign of the Ming dynasty, Qing Dynasty and Japanese era. It was also an important trading port of Taiwan. In 1858, the 8th year of Emperor Xianfeng’s reign during the Qing dynasty, with the Treaty of Tianjin (Tientsin), more ports were opened in Taiwan, including the earlier Danshui and Keelung ports, and subsequently the ports in Takao and Taiwan Prefecture. In 1865, the 3rd year of Emperor Tongzhi’s reign, Anping opened its port on the 1st of January, and foreign merchants came successively to set up their firms. The British Tait & Co., Elles & Co., Boyd & Co., US Wright & Co. and Germany’s Mannich & Co. were the five well-known traders in Anping at the time. During the Japanese occupation, with the Japanese monopolizing the opium trade and taking away the shipping businesses, the foreign merchants gradually withdrew from Anping. The merchant buildings were subsequently converted or used for other purposes. Wright & Co. building was converted into Osaka Shipping Corporation; Mannich & Co. building was converted into Anping subprefecture, Elles & Co., was converted into Anping Aquatic Products School; and Boyd & Co. was converted into dormitories for Taiwan Salt Company’s employees. Tait & Co. building was sold to Taiwan Salt Making Corporation. After Taiwan’s Retrocession, its main factory was made into office buildings, and the factory was relocated. In 2015, in the “Connecting with the world: Open the time treasure box of Anping”, Dutch cultural relics from the 17th century Age of Discovery were exhibited. Through a systematic commentary by zone, the exhibition introduces the origin of merchant houses, trade shipping routes and trading models, reproducing the trading history of Anping. Today, Tait & Co., and Mannich & Co. buildings are the only two remaining merchant buildings having witnessed the history of Taiwan’s foreign merchants during the late Qing dynasty.