Tamsui was known in the past as Hu-wei. It has been a good port in northern Taiwan since the ancient times. When the Qing Dynasty opened the port to foreign traders, it was promoted as the biggest international port in Taiwan. The location of the current Tamsui Post Office is not only the birthplace of the Taiwanese postal service, it was also a busy harbor packed with ships and people from all over the world.
 
At 3:00 p.m. on March 9, 1872, Canadian missionary Rev. George Leslie Mackay landed in Taiwan at this spot from the ferry Sea Dragon, and since then, he based his missionary, medicine and educational work in Tamsui and chose this place as his home. He was married here, fathered children here and was buried here. His life has great impact on this place and has helped to create the unique history and culture of Tamsui.
 
Time has changed, and Tamsui is no longer the prosperous trade port that it once was. The wharf relic is hardly recognizable, only this plaque is left to tell the story of the past for visitor to imagine the history of this place.