13/06/2026
🐤【你也許不知道的冷知識06 - 東沙環礁篇】🐤
🐤【Fun Facts 06 - Dongsha Atoll】🐤
在20世紀初,它曾是吸引各國爭相前往開採「白色金礦」的金銀島。因為鳥糞富含氮、磷、鉀,成為全球農業最重要的天然肥料,其價值高到足以引發戰爭。南美洲就曾因鳥糞資源爆發著名的「硝石戰爭」,甚至讓玻利維亞失去海岸線。這股鳥糞熱潮也燒到南海。根據後來解密的美國CIA資料與台灣學者研究,日本在1907年開始大規模開採東沙島鳥糞,並由日本商人西澤吉次主導營運。
他甚至曾將東沙島暱稱為「西澤島」,招募琉球與台灣勞工前往採集。短短數年間,約一萬噸鳥糞被運回日本,成為發展農業的重要資源。這樣的開採規模引起了清朝政府的注意。
1909年,清政府向日本施壓並派員調查,最終迫使日本放棄開採事業,東沙島也因此被正式納入清朝的廣東省管轄。也就是說,鳥糞間接促成了東沙島主權的明確化。這段歷史少有人提起,但它真實影響了南海島嶼的政治格局。
In the early 20th century, it was a "Treasure Island" that drew nations into a frantic race to extract "white gold." Rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, guano (bird droppings) became the world's most vital natural fertilizer, possessing a value high enough to ignite wars. South America, for instance, saw the famous "War of the Pacific" break out over guano resources, which ultimately left Bolivia landlocked.This "guano fever" eventually spread to the South China Sea. According to declassified CIA documents and research by Taiwanese scholars, Japan began large-scale extraction on Pratas Island (Dongsha Island) in 1907, led by Japanese businessman Nishizawa Yoshiji.
He even nicknamed the island "Nishizawa Island" and recruited laborers from Okinawa and Taiwan for the harvest. Within just a few years, approximately 10,000 tons of guano were shipped back to Japan, serving as a critical resource for its agricultural development.
Such an extensive operation caught the attention of the Qing government.
In 1909, the Qing authorities pressured Japan and dispatched officials to investigate, eventually forcing Japan to abandon its mining operations. Consequently, Pratas Island was officially incorporated under the jurisdiction of Guangdong Province. In essence, guano indirectly catalyzed the clarification of sovereignty over Pratas Island. Though seldom mentioned, this history profoundly shaped the political landscape of the South China Sea islands.
#白色金礦
#東沙環礁國家公園
#海洋國家公園管理處