The birth of the Hong Kong Island family

June.

In Cheung Kong's office, Lin Zhichao is working. Recently, Cheung Kong has made persistent efforts and purchased two more pieces of land, namely:

The first picture: The "Golden Triangle" located in Pok Wo Street, Paterson Street, and George Street, Kim Tak, in Causeway Bay. The old building on this land belongs to the prosperous area; it is surrounded by three streets to form a triangle. For a land like this, it The plot ratio must be very high (plot ratio: 'plot area' multiplied by 'plot ratio' is the floor area). If you build a triangular building (the tips are flattened to avoid offending people), then it will be covered on three sides. Street shops. At the same time, this land is parallel to the previously purchased 'Paterson Street West Half Street', only separated by Jiande George Street, and can be developed as a whole at that time. The land area is 40,000 square feet, and the price is HK$1.58 million.

The second picture: "Jardine's Warehouse" located on Jardine's Street, opposite Jardine's Place (later Jinhua Center), and also has two frontages - Hennessy Road and Jardine's Street. The land area is 28,000 square feet and the price is HK$1.08 million.

Because there are properties there, the owners will not sell based on the price of the land. Generally speaking, it is not expensive. Both plots of land are commercial in nature and only cost less than 40 Hong Kong dollars per square foot.

After purchasing these two old sites, Lin Zhichao decided to continue to purchase land in Causeway Bay and focus on developing the Causeway Bay area. For example, the development model of the three Causeway Bay land parcels in his hands adopts a mixed model of "commercial real estate" on the ground floor and "residential real estate" on the mid- and high-rises.

Causeway Bay is not yet considered a prosperous commercial district. Building all commercial real estate is a recipe for death, and office buildings can hardly be rented out. In real estate, there is a practice of using residential buildings to cultivate commerce, which is suitable for the development model of Causeway Bay.

At the same time, Causeway Bay was not a shopping area in the 1950s. If Lin Zhichao wanted to develop buildings in Causeway Bay, he had to cultivate the shopping trend in Causeway Bay, instead of simply building a building and renting out the shops on the ground floor. single thing.

He needs to attract investment and attract an attractive department store, and then this department store can drive surrounding business. In the 1960s and 1970s, Japanese department stores were of course the most popular because Japanese products were so competitive.

"Boss, the properties on Xiyun Street in Causeway Bay all belong to the church. They don't discuss business with us directly, saying it's not very good." Hu Zhaoxu walked into Lin Zhichao's office and reported.

Lin Zhichao suddenly thought about it, and then he said: "If you don't negotiate business with us directly, you can negotiate business indirectly. This church seems to be affiliated with Christianity. You should contact its Chinese believers, preferably reputable ones. If you can do it for We introduced that the agency fee can be 3 points.”

These properties total more than 120,000 square feet and are worth more than 3.5 million. They can build about seven buildings. If they are acquired, it will be another big project.

Lin Zhichao wants to focus on developing Causeway Bay and drive up the popularity, so that the rents of his commercial real estate can rise. Of course, land and old buildings in other areas will continue to be acquired, but they may be used for "land reserve."

"Okay, I'll go find out the situation right away and report back to you!"

"Well, if there is a suitable partner, I can come forward and chat."

It’s not that there is little land on the market, but that Lin Zhichao feels more motivated to develop such a large project. If we were to acquire the old site of this church, we would have spent more than 12 million yuan to purchase the land this year. In addition to the land purchased previously, more than 20 million Hong Kong dollars have been invested.

This courage is already unique in Xiangjiang!

After Hu Zhaoxu left, Lin Zhichao thought of one more thing, that is, he must get the Miramar Hotel. He was not interested in the Miramar Hotel, but the land of the Miramar Hotel, which was a full 86,000 square feet.

If the Miramar Hotel is taken down and rebuilt into the Shangri-La Hotel, it will compete with the Peninsula Hotel.

At this time, the Miramar Hotel was not called the Miramar Hotel, but a hotel founded by several Spanish priests. It was originally used to receive expelled mainland clergy. As these clergy went to serve in dioceses in various countries, the priests gradually transformed the hotel into a hotel. It is open to the public, and the proceeds are used to fund the church.

But what is certain is that such an approach goes against the missionary spirit, so sooner or later the new bishop will order it to be sold.

It's not urgent, but you should keep it in mind and inquire about the specific situation later.

Over the weekend, Tang Zhongyuan and Song Qiaoling and their two sons, Tang Xianqian and Tang Youqian, came to Lin's mansion as guests. The relationship between the two families has always been very good, and Lin Zhichao has always been grateful to Tang Zhongyuan and his wife for their support.

During the banquet, everyone exchanged glasses and exchanged glasses, chatting happily.

"Father-in-law, how is the development of the factory recently?" Lin Zhichao asked with concern.

Tang Zhongyuan immediately said: "With advanced equipment, I can still be among the best in Hong Kong's textile industry. Although my profits have not increased, they have been stable. I am now accumulating strength. Once the embargo is gone, I will continue to buy new equipment and open up overseas markets." market."

This is the case in the textile industry. Equipment is updated quickly, and even a certain type of cloth is "all the rage" but will soon be replaced. In this case, some small and medium-sized factories are actually more advantageous. They can quickly follow the trend and make a U-turn in time. Of course, large factories also have advantages. It can only be said that they do not have advantages in certain aspects.

Lin Zhichao suggested: "Equipment is not omnipotent. For example, South Africa has fundamental requirements for imported cloth, which must be at least 172 yarns per inch. Otherwise, heavy taxes will be imposed. As far as I know, Hong Kong textile factories think it is impossible?"

Tang Zhongyuan nodded and said: "It is indeed a difficult technique to complete!"

Lin Zhichao does not know anything about textiles. On the contrary, he has been involved in textiles for many years. Because the Yangtze River zippers require textiles, and the current crocodile shirts also require textiles, he still knows a lot about cloth.

The textiles in Hong Kong are generally divided into cotton spinning and woolen spinning. A factory can only make one type, and cotton spinning is the most popular textile. Cotton spinning requires spinning cotton first into yarn and then spinning the yarn into cloth. These are two processes. Therefore, some factories are called "spinning factories", which means that others only spin yarn, not fabrics.

Textile dyeing, four major steps, is the four major industries. However, large factories generally engage in industrial integration, at least they have to do "textile dyeing", and ready-made garments may not be involved.

"I don't know the specific technology, but I think since others ask for it, it can definitely be achieved. If anyone in Hong Kong can solve this problem, they will definitely open up the markets in South Africa, Indonesia, and even the United States. My father-in-law can set up a research group to specifically target the South African market. Carry out technical research and development. If straight textiles don’t work, you can try twill fabrics!”

Tang Zhongyuan was stunned for a moment, then said: "Twill?"

Lin Zhichao nodded and said: "Everyone is studying straight-grain fabrics, but they have not opened their minds. Twill fabrics not only look good, but they may also meet better requirements."

Tang Zhongyuan said happily: "What you said makes sense. I will organize a team to study it later. However, when will the embargo be lifted? It has made the people of Hong Kong miserable and the industry has been restricted. Alas!" At the end, he also Some pessimistic.

Lin Zhichao said: "The lifting of the embargo is inevitable, and the war will end soon. The important thing is that the Japanese textile industry is now dominated by the Japanese textile industry, and the Hong Kong textile industry cannot compete with it. So there is no need to seize the day. Although Japan's light industry is being dumped globally, It is bound to be targeted by Europe and the United States, and the wages of Japanese workers will also rise, so Hong Kong’s light industry still has great opportunities.”

"That makes sense!"

Tang Zhongyuan naturally believed in his son-in-law's vision. He was often surprised by his son-in-law's business talent and the incredible speed of fleet expansion.

Later, Lin Zhichao asked, "Does father-in-law know Dr. Tang Yuhan?"

Tang Zhongyuan immediately said: "I know him. He is a famous doctor in the medical field. I have known him since I was in Shanghai. Last year, my mother-in-law saw a doctor with him, and I have always been in contact with him. By the way, why are you looking for him?"

Lin Zhichao said: "I liked an old church site and planned to buy it. However, it was not convenient for people from the church to discuss business directly, so I planned to take a roundabout way and communicate with the Chinese people in the church. Dr. Tang happened to be a member of this church."

Tang Zhongyuan nodded, and said, "In that case, let me make an appointment for you, just to have a meal together."

Lin Zhichao said: "Well, thank you father-in-law."

Later, Tang Zhongyuan became concerned about real estate matters.

"Could it be that you are planning to do real estate again?"

"I have always been doing it. But now that global shipping has developed, I have spent some money to buy land and properties, intending to reserve it and develop it when the time is right."

Tang Zhongyuan asked again: "So, are you optimistic about the prospects of Hong Kong's real estate?"

Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "Industrialization reaches a certain level, that is, when many people are developed, real estate will form new purchasing power. Therefore, real estate is a very stable wealth, not as risky as a ship sailing on the sea. Could it be that my father-in-law is also interested in real estate?"

Tang Zhongyuan shook his head and said, "I still like industry. When industry develops in the future, I can consider development."

Lin Zhichao didn't advise anything. After all, before the 1970s, real estate in Hong Kong went up and down, which was not something ordinary people could play with. Although Tang Zhongyuan is his father-in-law, he only gives some superficial advice when he wants to develop real estate.

As for the old site that Lin Zhichao helped Li Gaofu find, the reason was that he wanted to purchase land and offered to cooperate in future development, so he found a good old site. Otherwise, he will not participate or make suggestions.

In the evening two days later, Lin Zhichao and Tang Zhongyuan entertained Tang Yuhan in Lu Yu's teahouse.

Tang Yuhan, a native of Ningbo, was born in Hong Kong in 1913. He returned to his hometown with his parents when he was still a baby, that is, Wantang, Zhenhai, Ningbo. In the 1930s, after graduating from the Shanghai Medical College, he entered the University of Leuven in Belgium, engaged in pathological research and practicing medicine, and obtained a doctorate in medicine. After returning to China, he successively served as the director of the Shanghai Zhongbi Radium Hospital, the director of the Shanghai Red Cross Hospital, and a professor at the Shanghai Medical College. In the 1940s, he went to the UK to further his studies and practice medicine. He was selected for his outstanding contributions to the prevention and treatment of cancer and cardiovascular disease. He is an academician of the Royal College of Physicians in London and the Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh, becoming one of the first Chinese people to receive this honor.

Tang Yuhan's wife Chen Yunshang is also a celebrity. She was once a famous movie star in Shanghai. She went from being a rookie in Hong Kong to reaching the peak of her career after filming "Mulan Joins the Army". This work became a breakthrough within three months after its release. She set a box office record and achieved a crowd-pleasing effect, so she was also known as the Queen of the Gudao Movie. Before her marriage, she had been named the Movie Queen three times, and her fame was comparable to that of Zhou Xuan and Hu Die.

"Lin Sheng, I have admired you for a long time!"

"Dr. Tang, you are the one who can save the world."

When the two met for the first time, they were both very polite.

In Tang Yuhan's view, Lin Zhichao is a leader in Hong Kong's business community and is rumored to be highly valued by the British Hong Kong government.

In Lin Zhichao's view, Tang Yuhan is a famous doctor; and doctors and lawyers in Hong Kong, or in capitalist society, are high-income people, friends of the powerful, and people worthy of respect.

The teahouse brews a cup of fine Pu'er tea for everyone, and the aroma is overflowing.

In this era, the term Pu'er tea refers to tea that uses fermentation methods such as sprinkling water, high temperature and high humidity aging, etc. The source of tea green is not strictly regulated. Therefore, there are also some tea houses on the Thai border using local raw materials to produce Pu'er tea.

The sales of Pu'er tea have always been "flowers outside the wall and fragrance within the wall". Before Dian Province obtained the right to export tea, the export production and sales pattern of Pu'er tea was almost dominated by Hong Kong businessmen of the Guangdong Tea Import and Export Company. In the 1950s, Hong Kong was not only the main base for Pu'er tea consumption, but also the main force in production. Hong Kong tea shops started with local tea drinking habits and used artificial aging technology to quickly age Pu'er tea and supplied it to teahouses.

This old-fashioned technique and technology actually uses artificial watering to ferment, shorten the aging time, and make black tea that satisfies Hong Kong tea drinkers. It also plays a role in saving storage rent and quickly recovering costs.

After accumulating technological advantages, the business of Hong Kong tea houses grew bigger and bigger. They even produced "replica" grade tea and sold these teas to Singapore, Malaysia and other Southeast Asian countries.

However, since Hong Kong does not produce tea itself, it needs to import tea greens from various places for fermentation. Among them, tea greens from Yunnan are the most popular, and there are also some tea greens from the border areas of Vietnam and Thailand.

After chatting for a while, Lin Zhichao got straight to the point: "Dr. Tang, I am meeting you this time to really ask for something!"

Tang Yuhan said with a smile: "Mr. Lin is serious! If something happens, just say it's okay!"

He thought Lin Zhichao or his family members were suffering from some illness, so he wanted to use a "back door" in advance.

Lin Zhichao nodded and said, "I am interested in the old church site on Xiyun Street in Causeway Bay, but I have no way to buy it, so I found out that you are a church member, so I wanted to ask you to be an intermediary."

No matter how famous a doctor is, an agency fee is definitely a huge amount, so let me tell you frankly about the agency fee.

Tang Yuhan was stunned for a moment, then said with a smile: "It turns out that this is what happened. It really surprised me. No problem, I can make a trip for Mr. Lin."

Lin Zhichao didn't expect Tang Yuhan to be quite cheerful, so he said: "That's troublesome! Don't worry, the agency fee will be funded by my buyer, and it will be calculated at 3 points of the transaction price."

The church cannot be a greedy person, so if it intends to sell, the price will not be too high. As for the three-point agency fee, it is a relatively high level in the industry, and it is just right for Tang Yuhan.

"Lin Sheng is a cheerful person. This will definitely help. But I am very curious. Hong Kong's real estate is currently at a low point. Could Mr. Lin be ready to show off his talents again? I have heard of Lin Sheng's deeds and the good method of tiered installments, but It was all brought up by you." Tang Yuhan said with interest.

Lin Zhichao said: "I plan to keep it in reserve and develop it at an opportunity in the future, at least until the war is over and the embargo is over."

Tang Yuhan nodded and asked: "Mr. Lin is optimistic about the future of Hong Kong's property market?"

"Overall, I'm optimistic. After all, if you have money, you will always find a more comfortable place to live."

"Haha, makes sense."

Next, Lin Zhichao did not expect that Tang Yuhan was so passionate about real estate and asked many questions about real estate.

Looking at him like this, I'm afraid he also wants to invest in real estate.

Lin Zhichao also talked about some real estate matters in a careless manner, and he was considered to be a good friend of Tang Yuhan. After all, a famous doctor like him might be useful to him in the future. Of course, it's not that Lin Zhichao needs medical treatment. He has never been sick since his rebirth and is very strong.

Be prepared, this thing!

In the end, Tang Yuhan became more proactive than Lin Zhichao, which made Lin Zhichao secretly wonder, wouldn't he be thinking about cooperating in real estate development projects in the future?

At the end of June, the former church site on Xiyun Street in Causeway Bay was finally acquired by Cheung Kong Holdings for HK$3.6 million. The price is not expensive because there is property above it and rent can be collected.

What's more, at less than 30 Hong Kong dollars per square foot, it's still quite a bargain. At the same time, he was very happy to pay Tang Yuhan an agency fee of HK$108,000, and the two became friends.

Cheung Kong Holdings.

In his office, Lin Zhichao was planning the land and old sites of Cheung Kong Holdings, including four in Causeway Bay, two in Central, and one in Yau Ma Tei. This land was enough for Yangtze River Industrial to develop in the two years from 1955 to 1957. If more residential land was developed, it might suffer a sharp decline. Although with the strength of Cheung Kong Holdings, the plunge will not have a big impact, Lin Zhichao will still avoid this risk.

Every sharp drop in Hong Kong real estate is an opportunity for Lin Zhichao. In his previous life, in 1957, due to the Hong Kong government's restrictions on the sale of pre-completed properties and the imbalance of supply and demand, land prices once fell by as much as 70%, and many people went bankrupt. Fortunately, it resumed rising in 1959, and did not fall again until a bank run in 1965.

Lin Zhichao likes this kind of behavior of following the market with big rises and falls, but does not like government intervention in real estate. After all, this way he can buy low and sell high.

Although Yangtze River Corporation has already purchased enough land developed in the 1950s, Yangtze River Corporation will definitely continue to purchase reserve land in the future.

However, this year, 12 million Hong Kong dollars, or US$2.15 million, have been spent to purchase land; but Lin Zhichao also wants to complete Global Shipping's goal for this year as early as possible and purchase the remaining 50,000-ton cargo ships. After all, he can sign a long-term contract.

Therefore, he stopped searching for land and properties and planned to raise money to buy a boat first, preferably in August or September.