The birth of the Hong Kong Island family

In the office of Changjiang Real Estate, Lin Zhichao was talking with lawyer Zhou Jianxun and marketing manager Hu Zhaoxu.

Since Lin Zhichao did not know anyone in Bu Nei Men \u0026 Co., the communication between the two parties could only be through letters. The only thing that is certain is that Bu Nei Men \u0026 Co. intends to sell a large warehouse on Paterson Street, with a total area of ​​212,000 square feet.

Therefore, Lin Zhichao entrusted Hu Zhaoxu and Zhou Jianxun to complete the transaction, and Bu Neimen Co., Ltd. also sent a management team and lawyer to take charge of the transaction. The main role of a lawyer is to handle the purchase and sale procedures, and also to make the boss feel at ease.

Hu Zhaoxu said: "Bu Neimen means the price of 15.5 Hong Kong dollars per square foot, and they will sell them all to us. The total is 212,200 square feet, that is, six warehouses. But they need to continue to use three of the warehouses for one year , give them time to move out.”

According to this price, it is HKD 3.28 million, which is considered a very good price. If it weren't for the current unclear situation, Bu Nei Men wouldn't be selling it so cheaply.

You know, in the first half of this year, the land price in Causeway Bay has risen to 35 Hong Kong dollars per square foot. After World War II, the price of land in North Point was only 9 yuan per square foot. Ningbo businessman Wang Kuancheng made a fortune by speculating on land in North Point.

Lin Zhichao estimated that from 1950 to 1953, residential land in Hong Kong and Kowloon was generally around 20 Hong Kong dollars per square foot, which was extremely cheap.

"The price is good, you can buy it!" Lin Zhichao said decisively.

He is worried that newspapers reporting similar news about Hong Kong's stability will appear soon; by then, land prices may recover somewhat. Therefore, if the price is reasonable, you must make a quick decision to avoid missing out on the market.

Of course, even if the "Hong Kong Island Crisis" is resolved, but the import and export are blocked, the land on Paterson Street will only cost about 20 Hong Kong dollars, which is not much more expensive.

The key is that Lin Zhichao took a fancy to this land and felt that developing commercial and residential buildings together would be very profitable and would bring him great momentum.

"Okay, let's continue communicating with them about the transaction details!" Hu Zhaoxu said seriously.

At this time, Zhou Jianxun said with a smile: "Lin Sheng is good at not taking action. Once he does, he will become a blockbuster! How many businessmen in Hong Kong can handle such a large land transaction!"

He said it was normal. At this time, there are really not many people in Hong Kong who dare to buy more than 3 million yuan of land. As for the old families, they already have a lot of land in their hands, such as the Hysan family, the Ho Tung family, the Kadoorie family, etc., so naturally they will not buy land.

Lin Zhichao said modestly: "To be honest, after buying this land, I don't have the ability to develop it at all, so I can only marinate it and plan for the future. It may not be developed in five years."

Zhou Jianxun seemed to have realized something, and said: "It's not that Lin Sheng has no strength in development, but he is waiting for the opportunity of booming real estate. Lin Sheng may not know that because of your invention of stratification and installment, many real estate businessmen in Hong Kong have started to develop in recent years. They are flexing their muscles in real estate, but recently due to the plummeting land prices, house prices have also fallen slightly, causing some property buyers to have difficulty with cash flow."

Lin Zhichao suddenly became concerned and asked: "Doesn't matter, will it affect the Hong Kong government's restrictions on this aspect?"

Zhou Jianxun shook his head and said: "It doesn't matter, the investment is not big, so it shouldn't alarm the Hong Kong government. What's more, general banks can provide certain support, but the interest rate is high and the building has to be mortgaged to the bank."

That’s okay!

The main reason is that market demand is still there, so it is impossible for property prices to fall below HK$25 US dollars, or around HK$25~30 US dollars. At present, there are not many powerful real estate developers in Hong Kong. After all, they have been speculating in gold in the past few years and will engage in smuggling in the next few years. When these people make money, and the Hong Kong government allows the construction of high-rise buildings, funding changes will come one after another.

"Thanks to Lawyer Zhou for informing me! I really have no plans to develop any more residential projects in the past few years. I will intervene in a big way after the situation stabilizes and new purchasing power is formed in Xiangjiang."

Zhou Jianxun is Lin Zhichao's real estate lawyer. The cooperation between Gao Luyun Law Firm and Changjiang Real Estate is very pleasant. Both parties have gained more in recent years.

A week later.

Representatives of Cheung Kong Holdings and Bu Nei Men sat at the signing table and completed this large-scale property transaction under the supervision of lawyers from both parties.

After paying the land purchase price of US$580,000 (HK$3.28 million) and a small amount of taxes, the west side of Paterson Street will belong to Changjiang Real Estate, and at least 8 to 9 commercial and residential buildings can be built, that is, the following are commercial properties , the one above is of residential nature.

This piece of land alone is basically comparable to the peak years of Liao Baoshan (the land king of Western District), Airship Tai, Chen Detai, and Li Kangjie (the land king of North Point) in the previous life in the 1950s; however, none of these four people later became popular. Liao Baoshan almost went bankrupt, Airship Tai was suppressed, Chen Detai almost went bankrupt, and Li Kangjie went bankrupt.

"Mr. Lin is really courageous. He can buy properties against the market trend, which is admirable!" Johnson, the foreign representative of Bu Nemen, said with a smile.

When Yangtze Real Estate proposed to acquire their warehouse in Causeway Bay, the instructions given by the headquarters were to deal with it as soon as possible because they were not optimistic about Hong Kong after losing the mainland market.

What's more, this warehouse is just a property of Bu Nei Men Co., Ltd. in Hong Kong. Bu Nei Men also has some properties in Hong Kong. Of course, the headquarters’ opinion is to reduce risks, not to withdraw entirely from Hong Kong.

Johnson's tone was not that he really admired him, but that he thought Lin Zhichao was a little stupid. This bargain hunter was probably the only one in Hong Kong who was Lin Zhichao.

Indeed, later generations have never heard of anyone who dared to buy the bottom of the land at this time. The people who are buying the Hong Kong land at the bottom at this time are probably the same type as the businessmen who were buying the Shanghai stock market at the bottom.

Whoever laughs last will be judged by future generations!

Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "We have no way to escape. Hong Kong is our terminal, so we take a gamble. And, I believe it."

Johnson's eyelids twitched, and he cooperated with Bu Nemen to sell the warehouse property. He had no confidence in the garrison and no confidence in London!

No Chinese has confidence yet!

"Okay, then I'm here to congratulate you on your success in bargain hunting!"

After all, Bu Neimen is not a real estate developer, so it is reasonable to sell the warehouse land.

After acquiring this piece of land, Lin Zhichao breathed a sigh of relief. Next, he temporarily had no funds to buy at the bottom. However, before 1953, he would definitely have scraped together money to continue purchasing land.

After all, land priced at more than 20 Hong Kong dollars per square foot is as if it was picked up.

When Lin Zhichao came to Changjiang Industrial, he first strolled around the factory, and he was in a good mood immediately. A full 66.66 mu of land (450,000 square feet) already belonged to Changjiang Industrial.

For these lands, Cheung Kong spent a total of less than 1.8 million Hong Kong dollars, or 4 Hong Kong dollars per square foot; Lin Zhichao believed that by 1950, the value of these lands would be about 3 million. In another thirty years, its value will be HK$3 billion; by the 1990s, these lands will be worth tens of billions.

Just like Pang Dingyuan, the "Steel King" of Hong Kong in his previous life, he bought an 80-acre piece of land in Tseung Kwan O. By the end of the 1980s, the steel company opened and closed, but the land was sold for 8 billion.

This is Hong Kong!

Lin Zhichao quickly dismissed the thoughts in his mind. It was only tens of billions, so there was no need to think too much, and it was not time to retire.

On the huge 66.66 acres of land, there are only two new factories, occupying only one-seventh of the area; in addition, there are old factories left by Degu Company, with an area of ​​more than 10,000 square feet, and the rest are The dilapidated warehouse is no longer usable.

Back at the factory building, the layout has also changed.

The zipper production workshop was moved into the first and second floors of the three-story factory building and divided into two floors according to the craftsmanship. The third floor is the administrative area and a large area is vacant.

Global Maritime Academy moved into an area on the first floor of the factory building, which was the original administrative area of ​​Yangtze River Industries; the original production workshop was converted into a warehouse to store raw materials and zipper products.

"Boss, after the Xingdao factory was put into production, Yangtze River Industrial has a lot more manpower. I want to fire some people." Wang Liang walked into Lin Zhichao's office and reported a job.

Sing Tao Cheung Kong Industrial has nearly 300 employees, of which more than 50 are skilled workers and management staff sent from Hong Kong.

The Tsuen Wan factory has eliminated six more automatic zipper machines, and currently has about 400 workers (excluding administrative staff), which is indeed a lot more people.

"Don't be in a hurry to resign! It's so difficult in Hong Kong now, and you still fire workers, what should others do?" Lin Zhichao said immediately.

Not to mention whether he had good intentions or not, just laying off a large number of workers would be bad for Feng Shui and luck.

Wang Liang insisted: "But if we want to hire 100 more employees, the monthly salary will be more than five or six thousand, which is a waste."

In his opinion, 20 automatic zipper machines in the two places can almost cope with the increase in orders next year; therefore, it is impossible to support more than 100 people for that long.

"How are you guys handling it now?"

Lin Zhichao did not blame Wang Liang for contradicting him. After all, he was doing it for the good of the company.

Wang Liang said: "Currently, each worker works a 9- to 10-hour shift, which is arranged through shift scheduling. But this is definitely not possible. Once you get used to it, it will be difficult for everyone to change in the future, and they are all skilled workers."

Lin Zhichao nodded and did not refute. It would take at least 12 hours to be reasonable.

If it lasts 9 to 10 hours, wouldn't it be more comfortable than when Lin Zhichao was driving screws in his previous life?

How unreasonable!

"In this way, you arrange the 100 workers who are going to be laid off, and then ask them to clean up the old factory over there. Clean up all the junk in the warehouse, and then repair the factory for me. You can ask the Changjiang Real Estate Engineering Department for these things. People manage it.”

"At the same time, Yangtze River Industrial plans to establish a Yangtze River Plastic Factory and hire these workers. It will purchase plastic machines and hire skilled workers to lead the production of plastic buckets, rubber stools, showers, nozzles, toys, etc."

"The plastics industry still has prospects, but let's just consider it a learning stage for the time being."

Although Wang Liang wanted to say that there were not so many people in the learning stage, he knew that the boss was determined not to lay off people, so naturally he would not be a bad person again.

"Okay, I'll make arrangements right away!"

"Leave it to your subordinates to do the work, you just need to organize it!"

"Yes, I understand!"

After all, Cheung Kong is a large manufacturing company. Of course, a deputy prime minister cannot do everything by himself.

Currently, Lin Zhichao has been managing all aspects of Cheung Kong Holdings, but the shipping business is about to start, and some of his energy will be diverted.

After Wang Liang left, Lin Zhichao showed a smile.

Yangtze Plastic Factory!

This is obviously intentional.

It was difficult to make a big difference when entering the plastics industry at this time. How much money could be made by producing buckets, showers, and toys? It would be difficult to support so many workers.

However, Lin Zhichao has a clever trick, which is to stock up on raw materials and make a lot of money.

It is said that in the second half of 1950, even plastic raw materials were classified as strategic materials and were prohibited from transportation. The price of raw materials in Hong Kong may double. In this case, let's stock up on supplies and make a profit.

Yangtze River Trading, a subsidiary of Yangtze River Industrial, specializes in raw material procurement, and Yangtze River Industrial has strong funds and sufficient factories, so there is no problem in making a small profit.

Therefore, Yangtze Plastic Factory wholesales raw materials and manufactures plastic products at the same time, and it will have no problem until the mid-1950s.

And there is a deeper meaning: Yangtze Plastic Factory will definitely occupy a large share of the market by virtue of its superior equipment and management. In this way, it will naturally squeeze the living space of its opponents.

In mid-December, the "Hong Kong Overseas Chinese News" headline reported a "shattering" secret: Hong Kong's status security has been guaranteed, and London will recognize the new regime within the year.

As soon as the news came out, although it did not completely dispel the concerns of Hong Kong people, it was a ray of warmth in the cold winter. Although the Hong Kong Island crisis has not been completely eliminated, the risk has at least been reduced.

Of course, this news is not reliable, and the official will never give clear information; because even London has no confidence guarantee.

And this signal is more like a speculation by the media; or the other party is actively releasing a signal. It depends on whether you, the British, are sensible.

In the morning, Lin Zhichao came to the ‘Yangtze River Garment Factory’ inside the Oriental Textile Factory to visit the new electric car clothing.

When we came to the production workshop on the third floor, there were almost dozens of workers inside, getting familiar with the new machines. The Yangtze Garment Factory currently has more than 120 workers. Because the garment industry and the textile industry are industries with high labor density, a garment factory with more than 120 workers can only be regarded as a small factory.

Of course, there are no large garment factories in Hong Kong.

Tang Zhongyuan introduced: "Only 30% of the various new sewing machines have been taken out, and the rest are stored in the warehouse so that the garment factory can be expanded at any time. Only half of these workers have been moved here, and they will all move here next month. As for Sham Shui Po, Leave a store for display and sales.”

The Changjiang Garment Factory has purchased new sewing machines worth RMB 500,000. If all are put into use, it will become a large-scale garment factory in Hong Kong.

Lin Zhichao said with satisfaction: "My father-in-law arranged it very reasonably!"

Tang Zhongyuan did not dare to take the credit, and said with a smile: "Only those who have worked in the garment industry can understand how difficult it is. After all, Hong Kong is mainly composed of Cantonese people, and you have to be a local to break into the market."

This is true. Retail bosses in local markets will hardly trust you, a Jiangnan native. The reason why the Yangtze River Garment Factory was able to open up the situation was because Lin Zhichao participated in developing the market, and the deputy general manager Zhou Zhaohui was also Cantonese.

Of course, without Lin Zhichao, Tang Zhongyuan would not have entered the garment industry.

As for the Southeast Asian market, Hong Kong locals (including Cantonese) also have the active advantage. Jiangnan businessmen who have not been familiar with the market for several years will not be able to make a difference in the field of ready-made garments.

Later, Lin Zhichao picked up a sample shirt and inspected the quality carefully.

"Don't worry, our workers are all skilled workers, and the machines are new electric motorcycles. We can produce mid-to-high-end shirts, etc. There will definitely be no problem!" Tang Zhongyuan said with a smile.

For his son-in-law to be a clothing brand, he has always kept in mind, so he naturally has high requirements for workers.

Lin Zhichao nodded reassuringly. If he wants to make crocodile shirts, he will not only use European textile fabrics, but also put forward high-quality requirements for OEM.

"Okay, I'm relieved now!"

Zhou Zhaohui felt a little amused, considering the status of the Weng and his son-in-law, they seemed like subordinates and bosses at the moment. Of course, he also understood that Lin Zhichao brought his father-in-law with him everywhere in his business, which was obviously the real reason.

Afterwards, Lin Zhichao left happily and drove towards Changjiang Industrial.

The two factories are not far away, both are near Castle Peak Road in Tsuen Wan, about three minutes' drive away.

Cheung Kong Industrial has added another 12,000 square feet factory, which is the old factory of Degu Company. Now after some renovations, it looks good. At least it is better than the factory that Li Chaoren rented in his previous life, which was more than 1,000 square feet when he entered the plastics industry. good.

It’s ten times the property area!

To be honest, if it wasn’t for the oppression of the ‘Hong Kong Island Crisis’, even if Degu sold more than 1 million yuan, there would still be people wanting it. But now, Lin Zhichao won it with less than 500,000 yuan.

The 12,000-square-foot factory building is now under preparation for the "Yangtze River Plastic Factory".

At present, plastic factories in Hong Kong generally use second-hand plastic machines that have been eliminated from the United States. The products are glass belts, buckets, showers, rubber stools, etc. The main markets are Hong Kong and Southeast Asia.

Tao Derong, the new manager of Changjiang Plastic Factory, immediately greeted him.

He was originally the manager of the zipper workshop, but was urgently entrusted by Lin Zhichao a week ago. This is Cheung Kong's long-term strategy of reserving talents, and there are people who can be used at any time.

"Boss, next month, Changjiang Plastic Factory will officially start production." Tao Derong said happily.

With the abundant funds of the parent company Cheung Kong Industries, plastic machines and technical workers were quickly in place. As long as the materials were imported directly from the United States by Yangtze River Trading, there was no need to purchase them in Hong Kong.

Lin Zhichao said while browsing the arranged machines: "Well, but you have to come up with the preparation of 'if you don't do it, you will do it once you do it'. Quality is still our most important thing."

He is like an 'in hindsight', because he knew that Li Chaoren almost closed down the company because of quality problems in his previous life, so he has to learn a lesson.

Tao Derong said: "We must at least produce top-notch products in Hong Kong to be worthy of the 'Yangtze River' brand name."

People who come from Changjiang Industrial have strict requirements on quality and management.

Lin Zhichao patted Tao Derong on the shoulder and said, "To tell you the truth, I am not interested in making money the most, but I am most serious about quality. Therefore, quality comes first, making money comes second. Cultivate a good Corporate culture, if the time is right, if we develop classic products, we can make a lot of money."

Tao Derong immediately admired his boss. What the boss meant was that the goal is not to make money right now, but to provide good products to customers, and making money is a matter of the future.

"I see!"

Lin Zhichao then continued to inspect the factory with satisfaction, chatting with the plastic technical workers and looking at the machines in the factory.