After 17 months of reconstruction, the 93-year-old Chien-Cheng Circle food market in Taipei's Tatung District reopened yesterday evening.
Due to the two devastating conflagrations in 1993 and 1999, Taipei City Government decided in March 2001 to revitalize the time-honored food market. Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) ordered the demolition of the Chien-Cheng Circle and announced that its reconstruction was one of the projects aiming to revitalize Taipei's older districts.
The reconstruction cost the city government about NT$160 million in construction and NT$50 million in compensation for old vendors residing in the former building.
PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
Located at the intersection of Chungching North Road, Nanking West Road and other four arteries, the Chien-Cheng Circle has been part of the collective memory of many Taipei citizens as well as international visitors because of the Taiwanese delicacies available there all night.
Dubbing the opening of the new circle as "the reappearance of Taipei's halo," the city government yesterday gave away 700 food-tasting coupons of NT$100 each and organized a tour of the historical building.
The tour was led by Chuang Yung-ming (莊永明), who is a vice chairman of the municipal historical research department and also a professor at Taipei Medical University.
Branded Taipei's new delicacies landmark, the brand new Chien-Cheng Circle is a cylindrical two-story glass building accommodating 20 food-vending booths, as well as a performing arts center on the top of the building.
Designed on the theme "the circle of life," the architect Lee Tsu-yuan (李祖原), a nationally distinguished architect who also designed the Taipei MRT's Hsintien Depot, said that he wanted to let people enjoy traditional fare in a modern building, attracting both old and young customers.
Blooming since the Japanese colonial era, the Chien-Cheng Circle was the most bustling and popular night market in northern Taiwan.
In its heyday during the 1960s and 1970s, there were about 100 booths selling popular Taiwanese snacks such as glutinous rice dumplings, oyster omelettes, fish ball noodles, unfried spring rolls and other delicacies.
During the reconstruction, the engineering team unearthed a reservoir from the center of the circle which was constructed by Japanese soldiers during World War II.
The city government has announced the reservoir as the 105th historic spot in Taipei.
Huang Jung-feng (
"It is Taipei's pride," Huang said.
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
SIX SUBSIDIES: The monthly allowance for older farmers is to increase to NT$10,000, and NT$5,000 is to be given to homemakers under the national pension system, Lai said The government is to implement major welfare policies for disadvantaged groups, including raising the monthly allowance for older farmers to NT$10,000 and providing homemakers with NT$5,000 per month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks during a visit to Wangling Temple in Chiayi County, saying that the planned increases were being introduced amid economic growth and an increase in tax revenue. Touting a policy, in which the government plans to provide a monthly allowance of NT$5,000 for every child under the age of 18 in a bid to address Taiwan’s low birthrate, Lai said that if received for the
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
ISOLATION: The outposts would serve as support and backup bases, forcing US forces to either face China head-on or reroute, increasing travel time and operational costs China’s outposts in the South China Sea could be used to delay and constrain foreign forces during a conflict in the Taiwan Strait, giving Beijing a critical window to carry out amphibious landing and blockade operations, a report said. The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) forward operating bases on islands and reclaimed features in the South China Sea could delay foreign forces long enough for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to secure a key 48-to-72-hour window in the Taiwan Strait, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council found. The report, conducted by the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, examined
RSS