The angler, surnamed Hu, from Taiwan's outlying Kinmen islands was found with a friend on March 18 by the coast guard of China's Fujian province after the engine of their boat failed.
His friend was repatriated to Kinmen a few days later, while Hu -- an active member of Taiwan's military at the time -- was held as Chinese authorities accused him of intentionally concealing his identity.
On Wednesday, Kinmen lawmaker Chen Yu-jen accompanied Hu's parents and daughter on the first ferry service to the Chinese city of Xiamen -- located just five kilometres (three miles) away -- to bring him back.
Chen live-streamed their return around noon on her Facebook page, showing Hu holding his daughter's hands as they disembarked from the ferry.
"I miss home, I miss home very much," he told reporters gathered at the dock.
"This was just an accident and it's good that it can be resolved smoothly."
Hu's family had applied for him to be discharged from the military two months after he was detained in China, hoping to speed up his return.
Kinmen's Defence Command said in March that Hu had gone fishing while on holiday and lost contact due to heavy fog.
It has urged soldiers "to refrain from participating in various risky activities during their vacation" following the incident.
China claims self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory, and has refused to renounce the use of force to bring the island under its control.
Hu's case came in the wake of a row between Taipei and Beijing over a fatal boat incident in February.
A Chinese speedboat carrying four people capsized on February 14 near Kinmen while Taiwan's coast guard was pursuing it, leaving two dead.
The coast guard defended its actions, saying the boat was in "prohibited waters", but Beijing accused Taipei of "hiding the truth".
Last week, Taiwan said it had reached an agreement with China to resolve the dispute, and the victims' families agreed that "the cause of death is drowning".
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