Beigan Township (; Foochow Romanized: Báe̤k-găng-hiŏng), is an insular rural township in Lienchiang County (the Matsu Islands), Taiwan (ROC). The township is in the East China Sea off the coast of Fujian Province, China near Fuzhou (Foochow). Beigan Island, the main island of the township, is the second largest island in the Matsu Islands. Other smaller islands in the township include Daqiu Island, known for its Formosan sika deer, and Gaodeng Island and Liang Island which are off-limits to the public. The native language many of the inhabitants is Matsu dialect which is one of the statutory languages for public transport announcements in the Matsu Islands. Name Beigan Township is named for Beigan Island (Peikan Island), the main island in the township. Beigan Island has also been known as Pei-kan Tang / Peikantang (), Changche shan () / Changqidao () and Ch'ang-hsü Shan (). In Song and Ming records, Beigan Island was called Xiagantang/Xiagantangshan (//) as opposed to Nangan Island (Matsu Island), which was called Shanggantang/Shanggantangshan (//). History Prehistoric settlement of Beigan dates back over six-thousand years before present. Fishing villages were established on Beigan Island during the Song and Yuan dynasties. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the island was abandoned several times due to the Great Clearance edicts. Pirates were often seen in the area. In 1754, a watchtower was in place on Beigan Island. In 1869, the Qing government erected tablets in Tangqi and Qiaozi villages concerning salt taxes. Republic of China On August 18, 1928, during the middle of the night, the previous several days of torrential rain caused a landslide in Qiaozi resulting in the deaths of more than thirty people. One resident was rescued three days after the landslide. A family of eight was wiped out. In 1934, a lianbao (associated bao) was created encompassing the inhabitants of the islands of Nangan, Beigan, Daqiu, Xiaoqiu, Gaodeng, Xiyang () and Dongyong (Dongyin). Later, Xiyang and Dongyong (Dongyin) were divided into a separate lianbao. On September 10, 1937, Japan occupied Beigan and Nangan. Beigan's vast resources of fish attracted many coastal Fujian residents to settle in the area to fish. In 1949, with the establishment of the People's Republic of China in Mainland China, Matsu was separated from the mainland and was subsequently incorporated under Lienchiang County by the Government of the Republic of China. In the early 1950s, skirmishes between Nationalist and Communist forces occurred