The birth of the Hong Kong Island family

As soon as Bao Yu arrived at the project department office of HSBC, Sandus met him.

The two met in 1952. At that time, Bao Yugang and his friends were doing trading business, and the four-person company could earn 1 million Hong Kong dollars a year, so HSBC accepted the business of his trading company.

Not long after sitting down, Bao Yugang said something that surprised Sandus: "Manager Sandus, I want to do the shipping business!"

His words were full of determination; before that, he convinced all his relatives and friends who opposed him, including his father.

Sandus was stunned for a moment, then said: "The shipping business is not that easy to do!"

Here comes another one!

Of course, in his opinion, Bao Yugang and Lin Zhichao are completely incomparable. When Lin Zhichao started shipping, his net worth was already more than ten million, and he owned three large ships when he first entered shipping.

He knew that Bao Yugang was probably too rich to afford a ship of seven or eight thousand tons.

Therefore, he was not optimistic about Bao Yugang at all.

Bao Yugang immediately said: "After the Peninsula War, some economists said that shipping will usher in a good cycle of 20 years. So, I decided to enter this industry. I came today to hope that you can give me some advice, such as purchasing Ship channel.”

It's the same thing again.

Sandus advised again: "You have never done shipping. Like me, you used to be engaged in banking and now you are engaged in trading. You are too unfamiliar with shipping. Moreover, there is already a shipping king in Hong Kong. He owns With a huge fleet and extremely keen vision, he is the one who was born to do shipping!”

When talking about Lin Zhichao, Sundarshi changed from his usual tone and his tone was full of admiration. In fact, HSBC is optimistic about Lin Zhichao, especially since Global Shipping still holds many high-priced long-term leases in its hands, and its profits are at a high level.

Bao Yugang knew who Sang Da Shi was talking about. Although fellow Dong Haoyun was also a big shipowner, he could not be called the 'shipping king'; only the Cantonese businessman Lin Zhichao, who hired more than 2,000 seamen, was enough to be called the 'shipping king of Asia'. '.

In fact, if the 10 oil tankers with a load capacity of 520,000 tons that Lin Zhichao is building are reported, then even the Western world will be amazed. However, Lin Zhichao deliberately told the shipyard that only large fanfare was allowed when the ship was launched.

Wang Zha naturally had to save it until the critical moment!

Bao Yugang said confidently: "He also started with a boat and slowly developed into a shipping king. I admire his business strategy, but it cannot prove that I am inferior to him."

Immediately, Sandas's words made him embarrassed.

"No, when he entered this business, he purchased a total of three large ships of 10,000 tons, with an investment of tens of millions. And he seized the best opportunity. Not long after he entered the industry, there was a ship shortage in the Far East. I don't know how much Mr. Bao can have. Funds, enter this line?"

Bao Yugang didn't know how to answer. He hadn't prepared enough funds at all. He planned to mobilize relatives and friends to chip in based on the price of the ship. His own net worth was only a little over two million.

“It’s not a lot, but I can definitely raise the funds for a second-hand boat!”

After chatting for a while.

When Sandus saw that Bao Yugang had made up his mind, he still said: "Okay! I can introduce you to two people, hoping to help you. One is Mr. Madden, an old man from Wheelock, who has been doing shipbuilding. Agency' business, but now it is based in London; one is Mr. Lin Zhichao of Global Shipping, but I am not sure that he will sell second-hand ships, but he has a very wide network of contacts and information in the second-hand ship market in London. You can ask .”

Old Madden has been working as a "ship agent" and even quietly sold many ships to the mainland in the name of "scrap" to expand the navy. Yes, they are just a few merchant ships from thirty to forty years old that are used as naval vessels.

Bao Yugang was overjoyed. He was now a headless fly. Now that Sandus introduced two big names in the shipping industry, he might gain something.

a week later.

Bao Yu just came to London excitedly, it was autumn, and London was breezy and crisp, less the usual smog, and more gloomy. He came to Old Madden's office, ready to ask for help.

Old Madden looked at Bao Yugang who came to visit. He looked as high-minded and domineering as ever. Even after Bao Yugang told his idea of ​​​​shipping without being humble or overbearing, Madden suddenly wanted to laugh - do you think you are Lin Zhichao? Can all of you Chinese become ship kings?

After listening impatiently, Old Madden immediately said in a warning tone: "Young man, the investment in shipping is quite large. How much money do you have?"

Bao Yugang's face suddenly turned red. Old Madden's words hit the mark on his mind. Seeing Old Madden staring at him with disdain, he raised his head, looked directly at Madden and said, "Funds" There are some, but not many!"

Madden suddenly laughed loudly, and said in a sarcastic tone while laughing: "I'm afraid it's not 'not much', but it's so pitiful that you can't even afford an old boat, right?"

Bao Yugang's face turned red all of a sudden. Madden seemed to know his family's fortune well. Indeed, all his savings combined could not afford to buy an old boat, so he had to run around, looking for connections, connections, and Loan, I made a special trip to London today for nothing more than one purpose - to borrow money, who would have thought that I would be ridiculed and ridiculed like this.

Bao Yugang only felt a burst of anger rushing straight to his head, and he clenched his fists unconsciously. But soon, he restrained himself and said in a calm tone: "Mr. Madden, although I can't afford an old boat today, it doesn't mean that I will never be able to buy a new boat in the future."

Old Ma Deng was taken aback, he didn't expect this oriental man to be so ambitious, and he was a bit like Lin Zhichao back then.

After pondering for a while, Old Madden said: "Since you are so interested and confident in shipping, I will help you. I have a ship, which was built during World War II, called the Lord Granston, worth 40 Thousands of pounds, if you want to buy it, I can provide you with a 60% to 70% loan.”

Old Madden said as he handed the relevant information about the ship to Bao Yugang.

Bao Yu just took the stack of printed materials and found that it listed three major advantages of this ship:

1. The hull is made of high-quality steel plates and manufactured using advanced welding technology. Compared with ships using rivets, it is stronger and lighter.

2. Using turbines is more energy-saving and the ship speed is faster.

3. The cabin is spacious and the capacity is larger than other similar ships made in Britain.

Bao Yugang discovered that the situation provided by the materials was not consistent with what he had learned. Because three days before meeting Ma Deng, Bao Yugang began to understand the situation of the shipbuilding industry. He had heard several London shipping managers mention the Lord Granston, but he was extremely uninterested in it. The reason was that most of Madden's ships were built during the war. Although the steel plates were welded, the welding technology was poor. It was in extremely poor condition, with frequent water seepage. After being baptized by war, the hull was dilapidated and dilapidated. Let alone the cargo, there was no telling where it would be able to sail even if it was empty.

Bao Yugang looked at the contract handed over by Ma Deng again and found that the terms above were complicated and harsh. It was clear that Ma Deng was deceiving Bao Yugang because he had no shipping experience and wanted to make a lot of money from it.

Bao Yugang was originally a shrewd banker, so how could he not know about Madden's wishful thinking?

He suppressed the anger in his heart and said politely to Madden: "Mr. Madden, if I buy your boat, instead of you lending me the money, it will be like I lending you the money."

Madden was stunned, knowing that he had made a mistake again. The calm young man in front of him turned out to be a shrewd businessman, who had come prepared and had no chance to take advantage of him.

For a moment, Old Madden couldn't find the right words to respond to Bao Yugang, so he could only laugh twice, feeling very unhappy.

The talks broke up unhappily, and Bao Yugang had to return to Hong Kong to find a solution.

Lin Zhichao came to Global Shipping, recruited Gao Qiqiang, and arranged: "I plan to take out a cargo ship of seven or eight thousand tonnage and go to Japan to seek a two-year contract. You can make a trip for me. Here is the information about the ship."

Gao Qiqiang looked at the cargo ship's information and said: "The Jinhai is usually a one-way short-term charter ship. It would be good if we can get a two-year charter!"

How could he understand Lin Zhichao's thoughts!

Lin Zhichao didn't want to sign a two-year lease of a boat for no reason, but when he was playing golf with Sandus last weekend, he got a piece of information - that is, Bao Yu just approached Sandus, and Sandus asked Bao Yu Gang recommended Old Madden and himself.

Sandashi asked Lin Zhichao if he had any contact. Lin Zhichao answered "no" but was already wary.

It turned out that Lin Zhichao believed that one of the very important opportunities for Bao Yu's rapid development in his previous life was that when the lease for purchasing a new ship was about to expire, it happened to encounter the 'Suez Crisis', and the Japanese lessee renewed the contract at several times the price. Bao Yugang used the funds from the contract renewal to raise and borrow funds everywhere, and a year later the company expanded to seven ships.

In this case, Lin Zhichao can assume that Bao Yugang will come to him, whether he needs help or something else. When the time comes, he will do a favor - not only sell him a boat, but also provide him with the leasing channels for the boat.

By then, the Suez crisis will come, and Bao Yugang's only ship is being rented out at "cheap", which will naturally cause a setback in development.

As for Bao Yugang, he didn’t know that the ‘Suez Crisis’ was coming next year, so he probably had to be grateful to Lin Zhichao!

Of course, there is another situation. Bao Yugang will not find Lin Zhichao, so Lin Zhichao has nothing to lose.

"Let's talk to the shipping company first. Don't rush to sign the contract. I want to sign the contract in person."

"Ok, I see!"

Gao Qiqiang naturally wouldn't suspect anything, he just regarded it as one of the boss's business methods.

At present, there are many kinds of leasing methods for global shipping, long-term leasing occupies a large share, followed by fixed routes, and finally one-way short-term leasing; but undoubtedly all of them will expire in July next year, only a very small number of ships will expire later, but absolutely It won't be long.

At the same time, due to the strength of global shipping, Dong Yunhao's fleet has also been affected to some extent. After all, everyone is still in competition; after the business is reduced, the speed of Jinshan Shipping's ship purchase will naturally be invisible.

Shanghai Pai is not currently the main force in Hong Kong's shipping industry, nor will it be in the future.

Sit back and wait for the ‘hook’!

In mid-September, Bao Yugang found Lin Zhichao as expected.

Of course, his purpose of looking for Lin Zhichao was not to buy a ship directly, but to seek contacts, especially experience in buying a ship in London.

"Bao Sheng, I didn't expect that after we met in a hurry three years ago, you would also be interested in the shipping industry three years later. You have a good eye, and you will definitely have a head start in shipping in Hong Kong!" Lin Zhichao sat on the sofa with Bao Yugang heartily , said.

As soon as Bao Yu saw Lin Zhichao's attitude, he was overjoyed. Recently, he was looking for funds, contacts, and boats, but because he was a layman, he hit a wall everywhere.

"Lin Sheng, I can't compare with you. My funds are limited, so I want to learn from you, or give me some advice on how to buy a ship." Bao Yugang said sincerely.

Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "I was like you at the beginning. I didn't know anything about shipping. I thought of a way. I bought a 1,200-ton broken ship with my partner, and then I learned while doing it. I barely graduated a year later. As for As for buying a ship, I went to various brokerage companies in London to inquire, and later found that the British business is still very good, there is not much deceit, and the ship was successfully bought from the brokerage company.”

Bao Yugang immediately asked: "Then is there anyone who can provide installment payment?"

Lin Zhichao said: "Yes, but generally the client needs to be reputable. In your situation, you know that it will be difficult for others to recognize you when you are in this business for the first time. I'm sorry, did I say too much! "

Bao Yugang quickly said: "Lin Sheng is telling the truth, why did he come here?"

Lin Zhichao nodded. What he said is indeed true. You are a small ship owner and you are still a novice. Why should others trust you? It is impossible for novices to obtain financial convenience.

Afterwards, Bao Yugang said, "Then, is there any brokerage company that Lin Sheng is familiar with, and can introduce some selection of cargo ships?"

Seeing that Bao Yugang was so sincere, Lin Zhichao thought for a while, and said proactively: "Bao Sheng, I do have a boat that I can consider selling. This boat is a 26-year-old second-hand boat with a capacity of 8,200 tons. It was originally operated for one-way short-term rental. Recently, I found that the efficiency has deteriorated, so I plan to lease it to a Japanese shipping company for a long time. If you are interested, you can consider it and introduce it to you together with the lease agreement!"

Bao Yu was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect such a good thing. Regardless of whether it was appropriate or not, he of course said: "Lin Sheng, can you look at the specific information?"

Lin Zhichao nodded, then picked up the phone and called other offices.

After a while, his subordinates brought over the materials of the 'Golden Sea', and Lin Zhichao handed them to Bao Yugang.

Bao Yugang immediately looked seriously!

After a long time, Bao Yugang was quite satisfied with the ship, so he asked, "How much does Lin Sheng plan to sell this ship? What about the lease agreement?"

Lin Zhichao said: "This ship can be sold to you for 550,000 US dollars. The two-year lease was negotiated last week. The annual rent is 400,000 US dollars, and the cost will be paid back in the early two years. If you want to do it, you can do it. It has a good rate of return and allows you to learn shipping knowledge.”

Bao Yugang felt like the sky had fallen from the sky, and he paid back his capital in the early two years, so the annual return rate was more than 40%. This business is very good! Moreover, the ship's information clearly records the maintenance status and equipment status on the ship. It can be seen that Global Shipping is managed very well.

"Then I'll go back and think about it, and scrape together some money along the way!"

"No problem! Help me to the end. If it's close, you can give it to me after the rent is paid. The matter of a boat is nothing for me!"

Yes, this shipping king heard that there are two thousand sailors, so he may have more than fifty ships. It is understandable to sell one now. Bao Yugang thought so.

The important thing is that he feels that Lin Zhichao cannot deceive him. There is no enmity between the two, and from all aspects, there is no trap. Perhaps, as rumored outside, this young rich man likes to support others.

With this idea in mind, Bao Yugang excitedly went back to raise money everywhere.

Looking at Bao Yu's expression before he left, Lin Zhichao knew that he had been 'fooled'.

Of course, Lin Zhichao definitely did not cheat him. It can be said that Bao Yugang will thank him no matter how many years later.

There was nothing wrong with the whole transaction. No one would think there was a problem, and they would think it was a bargain.

In fact, when the ship Jinhai was purchased, it cost almost 550,000 U.S. dollars; but if Bao Yu had just gone to a London brokerage company to buy it, it would definitely have been tens of thousands of dollars more expensive.

In recent years, second-hand ships have been rising in line with the economy.

Four days later in the morning, Bao Yugang came to the dock with members of the Bao family. Looking at the huge "Jinhai", his naughty little daughter kept yelling whether it was this ship.

After all the members of the Bao family boarded the "Golden Sea", everyone cheered. They soon discovered that the ship was very beautiful, not at all like a 26-year-old ship that had gone through so many years of wind and rain.

Bao Yu just took everyone to the cabin to visit, and his four daughters were like a few happy larks, chirping and asking what this was and what that was.

On the deck, Bao Zhaolong looked at his ambitious son, facing the endless sea, which seemed to add a bit of pride.

"dad"

With a clear accent, the little daughter ran over as lightly as a wise swallow.

Pulling his father's lapel, he raised his red face and asked, "What's the name of this big ship?"

"It's called..." Bao Yugang wanted to say, Yingchenna, but when he said it, he found that he didn't like the name. It was difficult to pronounce and had no special meaning.

What should I call it?

He had heard that Lin Zhichao started with the word "gold" back then, hoping to make up 26 letters.

Now, why doesn't he think so, but obviously he can't call it 'gold'!

"Yes! It's called Dong'an! From now on, each of my ships will be crowned with 'Dong', Dongfang's Dong."

For a while, everyone applauded.

During this period, Bao Zhaolong said to Bao Yugang: "Yu Gang, will there be any problems with the two-year lease with Japan? Why are others willing to transfer it to you after they have already found a lessor?"

Bao Yugang said confidently: "Father, don't worry. After many investigations, I found that there is no problem with the freighter Dong'an. As for any problems with the lease, I will find out with a lawyer when the time comes. Lin Sheng is willing to transfer it to me. I'm afraid he will I felt that the rent for the two-year lease was too cheap. As far as I know, the prices of the long-term contracts he signed before were very high because the market was very good at the time. Now that the market is calmer, he may feel a little unhappy, so he transferred it to me. "

Bao Zhaolong nodded and said: "Recover the original investment in two years. This business can be done! As long as the ship runs smoothly for two years, the ship will almost return the original investment. Not bad!"

Bao Yugang also nodded with satisfaction and said, "Yes! This business is much easier than trade, and I can also take the opportunity to learn shipping."

He is also very satisfied with the rent. Although he also envies Lin Zhichao's previous high-priced long-term contracts, he feels that shipping should be more stable in order to gain the trust of banks. (End of chapter)