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Archaeological evidence of prehistoric cultures dating back 4500 years before present was found in Nangang Village in 1983.[13]Template:Rp There were residents on the island during the Ming dynasty.[13]Template:Rp
The island came under Qing control in 1683 after the Battle of Penghu. In the early Qing, the island was known as "South Island" (Script error: No such module "Lang".[14]) and "Southern Big Island" (Script error: No such module "Lang".).[12][15] The residents of the island were moved to nearby Wang-an and the island was declared permanently off-limits for human habitation.[13]Template:Rp The oldest temple on the island was established in 1706.[13]Template:Rp By the end of the Qing period, the island was generally referred to as "Big Island" (Ta Yu; Script error: No such module "Lang".[16]).[12][15] The island was ceded to Japan in 1895.[13]Template:Rp
Japan took control of the area during the Pescadores Campaign (1895). During Japanese rule, the island was a She「社」 under Mōan 「望安庄」 (today's Wang-an) called Ō-shima「大嶼」.[12] The Qimei Lighthouse (Cimei Lighthouse) was constructed in 1939, the final lighthouse built in Taiwan during Japanese rule.[17] In 1944, the area was administered as Script error: No such module "Nihongo". (Ta Yu), Template:Nihongo4, Hōko Prefecture.[12]
On April 20, 2002, President Chen Shui-bian visited the island and delivered remarks on healthcare services in the area.[18]
On October 24, 2019, at around 8 AM, two sand smuggling ships from China with a total crew of twenty-eight were apprehended in the waters southwest of the township.[19][20][21][22]
Cimei is 6.99 km2 in area with a coastline of 14.4 kilometers and a population of about 3,909 people. Composed mostly of basalt formations, the island is the fifth largest island in the Penghu Archipelago.
