Ling Wei (凌威) has built an empire within 10 city blocks. The owner of 99, Roxy Jr. and Roxy Vibe has opened his new flagship club, Roxy Wave, and hopes to continue the success of the brand name he's built over the past 22 years.
If anyone has a formula for success, it's Ling, who opened the first of his rock houses, AC/DC, in 1982, spurred on by fans of the popular radio rock music show he jockeyed.
PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES
"People would call me at the station saying they wished there were a place in Taipei where they could hear the Doors and the Beatles and Van Morrison," Ling said. "So I opened AC/DC and I sold the records I played there. In the beginning we didn't even sell beer."
How times have changed. Beer has become such an integral part of the Roxy pubs that it's part of the floor plan at Wave. Designed in the shape of a woman with curvy neon lights outlining the dance floor, Wave has its DJ booth situated on the breasts and a circular bar where the womb would be. In the middle of the circle is a large tub filled with assorted bottles of brew. "Beer is our baby," Ling says with a laugh.
For the teetotal Ling, however, Roxy isn't so much about beer as about the music. And it's here where he separates his club (all his clubs) from a host of lounge bars that have settled into the Taipei area.
Ling plays the best of rock music throughout the week, often DJing himself, with an emphasis on what he refers to as "party music" on weekends. "Lounges are fine and light house music is fine, too. But after a while it' s boring," he said.
What Ling is ultimately striving for in having opened his fourth bar is to get back to where he started.
"I feel lost," he said. "I miss the original Roxy, the music that we played there and the people that came to listen to it. It was a great! I hope people come here wanting to hear great rock music with their friends. It's something this city needs more of."
On Wednesdays, men over 30 get in free and receive a free single malt Scotch. Ladies also get in free and receive a complimentary glass of wine. Coming early is recommended as Roxy Wave's menu is greatly expanded from the menu of 99 to include lamb chops with mint sauce, smoked salmon with capers, sirloin steak in a black pepper sauce and more.
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
President William Lai’s (賴清德) March 13 national security speech marked a turning point. He signaled that the government was finally getting serious about a whole-of-society approach to defending the nation. The presidential office summarized his speech succinctly: “President Lai introduced 17 major strategies to respond to five major national security and united front threats Taiwan now faces: China’s threat to national sovereignty, its threats from infiltration and espionage activities targeting Taiwan’s military, its threats aimed at obscuring the national identity of the people of Taiwan, its threats from united front infiltration into Taiwanese society through cross-strait exchanges, and its threats from
March 31 to April 6 On May 13, 1950, National Taiwan University Hospital otolaryngologist Su You-peng (蘇友鵬) was summoned to the director’s office. He thought someone had complained about him practicing the violin at night, but when he entered the room, he knew something was terribly wrong. He saw several burly men who appeared to be government secret agents, and three other resident doctors: internist Hsu Chiang (許強), dermatologist Hu Pao-chen (胡寶珍) and ophthalmologist Hu Hsin-lin (胡鑫麟). They were handcuffed, herded onto two jeeps and taken to the Secrecy Bureau (保密局) for questioning. Su was still in his doctor’s robes at
RSS