Oh, for the days of roller skating! Teens gathering in a rink on Friday nights to put their hormones on wheels. All it took was a little help from Lionel Ritchie and those magic words: "Couples' skate. Couples' skate only, please." Hokey Pokey nothin' -- roller skating was about hanky panky.
But the Xanadu days of roller skating were squashed under the wheels of in-line skates. Now even in-line skating isn't cool unless it's "extreme" skating or "aggressive" skating. Decades ago, aggressive skating meant you were getting frisky with your date during couples' skate, not how many flights of stairs you could leap off.
Luckily, there is still a place where skating looks the way it used to. Jin Wan Nian Skating Rink (
PHOTO: DAVID MOMPHARD, TAIPEI TIMES
"There used to be other skating rinks," said Scott Chiang (
Several other rinks previously owned by Chiang's family in Taoyuan, Chungli, Hsinchu and Taichung have all closed.
Jin Wan Nian Skating Rink is located in Taipei's Ximending District at 6F, 70 Xining Rd. (
Those who prefer their skating outdoors and in-line should check out the skating park located adjacent to Zhongshan Soccer Stadium on Zhongshan North Road.
That US assistance was a model for Taiwan’s spectacular development success was early recognized by policymakers and analysts. In a report to the US Congress for the fiscal year 1962, former President John F. Kennedy noted Taiwan’s “rapid economic growth,” was “producing a substantial net gain in living.” Kennedy had a stake in Taiwan’s achievements and the US’ official development assistance (ODA) in general: In September 1961, his entreaty to make the 1960s a “decade of development,” and an accompanying proposal for dedicated legislation to this end, had been formalized by congressional passage of the Foreign Assistance Act. Two
Despite the intense sunshine, we were hardly breaking a sweat as we cruised along the flat, dedicated bike lane, well protected from the heat by a canopy of trees. The electric assist on the bikes likely made a difference, too. Far removed from the bustle and noise of the Taichung traffic, we admired the serene rural scenery, making our way over rivers, alongside rice paddies and through pear orchards. Our route for the day covered two bike paths that connect in Fengyuan District (豐原) and are best done together. The Hou-Feng Bike Path (后豐鐵馬道) runs southward from Houli District (后里) while the
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