The birth of the Hong Kong Island family

It was already early November when Li Jiacheng returned to Hong Kong from Singapore. He returned to Hong Kong alone.

After returning to Hong Kong, he immediately went to the factory in Chai Wan.

"boss"

His generals Sheng Songsheng and Zhou Qianhe stepped forward to greet them.

Sheng Songsheng is from Shanghai and Zhou Qianhe is from Chaozhou. They both followed Li Jiacheng in the early 1950s. At the beginning of their business, they only had an income of about 100 Hong Kong dollars. They had no complaints and followed Li Jiacheng loyally. Come to today.

Today, Cheung Wo Plastic Factory has two industrial plants with a rentable area of ​​about 180,000 square feet. In the plastic field, it is engaged in the production of plastic flowers, plastic toys, and daily necessities, and has about 300 workers.

"You did a good job this time and avoided the company's losses!" Li Jiacheng said with an expression of approval.

It turns out that in this incident, Cheung Hutch Plastics Factory was not immune, and a labor unrest broke out. Fortunately, the two capable generals decisively negotiated and persuaded the workers, and with the increase in wages, the labor unrest was calmed, so that the company's production was not greatly affected.

"This is what we should do! Boss, do you want to inspect the production situation first?"

"Yes, let's go and take a look!"

Li Jiacheng returned to Hong Kong this time because he heard that the incident had improved a lot, so he decisively returned to Hong Kong. His career is all in Hong Kong, and he feels out of place living in Singapore. It is difficult to develop his career and everything is unfamiliar.

Therefore, he decided to risk returning to Hong Kong to see the specific situation.

When inspecting the production workshop, many workers saw the boss coming back. Some were very happy, some bowed their heads in shame, and some looked rebellious. The happy workers were undoubtedly those who had received favors or knew satisfaction; the ones who bowed their heads in shame , are workers who participated in the strike; the rebellious workers naturally feel that Xiangjiang is now dominated by the working class, and these bosses do not dare to fire people at will.

Looking at everyone, Li Jiacheng remained calm and greeted everyone in a friendly manner, as if there had never been a labor strike. He also summarized some of the reasons for this incident. The fundamental reason was the influence of the epidemic in the mainland, but another reason was that the wages of workers in Xiangjiang were very low, so many workers joined the team this time.

"How's the situation with the plastic flowers?"

"Some orders have been reduced. All plastic flowers in Hong Kong have been affected by this incident, which has had a bad impact internationally. At the same time, plastic flowers from Southeast Asia have taken away many orders from Hong Kong."

Li Jiacheng nodded calmly. This was expected. Changhe Plastic Factory has increased the production and OEM of plastic toys. He will never give up the plastic industry, because it is an important source of funds for him and the foundation of his development.

According to analysis, Li Jiacheng believes that the profit of the plastic business this year may only be HKD 6.7 million. As for the two factories, due to falling rents in recent years, it is estimated that the rent can only be collected at HKD 4.5 million.

The profit barely exceeded one million Hong Kong dollars!

Back in the office, Li Jiacheng was deep in thought while handling matters.

As a bourgeoisie, what we are most concerned about is the ‘prospects of Hong Kong’.

When he was in Singapore, he inquired about information through various channels. Although Xiangjiang was full of rumors about "recovering Hong Kong", he did not believe it.

"It's impossible. If you want to regain Hong Kong, it could have been achieved as early as 1949. Why wait until now? Hong Kong is the only channel for foreign trade in the mainland. Preserving the status quo of Hong Kong is actually of great benefit. Therefore, Hong Kong still maintains its current status."

After careful consideration, Li Jiacheng came to an important conclusion.

After coming to this conclusion, Li Jiacheng became vaguely excited. Because he knows that there are many cheap properties out there, and this is his most important opportunity.

He had long known that the popularity of plastic flowers was only temporary, and coupled with the cruel competition, he predicted that plastic flowers would eventually decline; therefore, he asked some machines to start OEM production of toys.

However, even so, he is not willing to be just a plastic flower boss for the rest of his life. He still remembers his father-in-law's prejudice against him in his early years, so he is eager to achieve better results.

The two industrial buildings he invested in over the years were his plan. Although rents plummeted just after the second building was built, he still believes that the real estate industry has great prospects.

Li Jiacheng most appreciates the conservative approach of British-owned real estate companies, which focus on rent-collecting properties. After more than half a century of development, Land has always been the "King of Land" in Central District and owns a large number of building properties. As long as the property is there, it will be a cornucopia of permanent benefits.

As for Cheung Kong Holdings, the largest real estate developer in Hong Kong, Li Jiacheng felt that he could not learn from it. First of all, Lin Zhichao has sufficient funds, and he is also a factory owner. He is well aware of the power of the Yangtze River Industrial Group to make money; secondly, Lin Zhichao's style is 'innovation', 'big in and big out', and 'unique vision', which he also I feel like I can’t learn.

Soon, Li Jiacheng made a bold decision: I will take advantage of others' abandonment and take advantage of the low price.

And, he plans to continue investing in factory buildings.

Because he is a factory owner, he knows that once the real estate market warms up, the rent of factory buildings can be significantly increased. He has a capital of 3 million. If he can buy two industrial buildings or three industrial plots of land, he will own four industrial buildings or even five industrial buildings.

In the future, we will use the rent from the building and the profits from the factory to continue investing in real estate. Since he admires Land's style very much, he doesn't plan to take out too many bank loans for the time being, and he doesn't dare to do so. After all, the recent real estate crashes have had a great impact on him.

Stability is very important!

Lin Zhichao returned to Hong Kong from overseas and was in a very good mood!

First of all, judging from the situation in all aspects of Hong Kong, it has improved very much and will probably gradually return to calm soon.

Secondly, this time he went overseas, to the United States and Japan. He spent more than 20 days and gained a lot.

In the United States, the IBM stocks he and Audrey invested in are gradually being liquidated, totaling about 430 to 450 million U.S. dollars, which has appreciated more than five times. As for the stocks of Yangtze River Investment Fund, they have not been moved for the time being, and they plan to start liquidating them early next year. It is estimated that there will be more than 180 million, an increase of more than four times.

In other words, after all these stocks are cashed out, Audrey Hepburn will have a cash flow of 220 million U.S. dollars; and Lin Zhichao also has a cash flow of 400 million U.S. dollars. Lin Zhichao does not plan to take these funds back to Xiangjiang, and they will be stored in many overseas banks (Switzerland) , London, New York), and later as a family investment fund.

In Japan, Lin Zhichao ordered another 10 oil tankers of 226,000 tons, which was actually planned for next year (1968). However, the Japanese shipbuilding industry is now busy and it is impossible to launch them within 12 months, so he simply ordered them in advance, 16 ~18 months can be equivalent to losing two months. This is only possible because the Japanese shipyard gave Lin Zhichao the green light.

"Boss" Feng Yongfa came to the boss's office and greeted him respectfully.

"Well, sit down!" Lin Zhichao motioned for him to sit down and report on his work.

Not sitting on the sofa, which was a bit far away after all, but on a chair not far from Lin Zhichao's desk.

Feng Yongfa sat on the chair and then reported: "I will report to you the situation of Asian shipping!"

Lin Zhichao nodded. Universal Group has two listed companies, one is Asia Shipping and the other is Longfeng International. Among them, Asia Shipping was the target that Lin Zhichao planned to cultivate from the 1960s to the early 1970s. As for Longfeng International, he did not cultivate it carefully and kept it in his hands for the time being.

The so-called careful cultivation means trying every means to build a new ship (new stock financing, bond issuance, large amount of debt), and then develop and grow; the so-called not careful cultivation means normal development (a small amount of loans).

"Asia Shipping currently has a load capacity of 750,000 tons, with high development potential. It has sufficient cash flow. Early next year, we can consider building two 226,000-ton VLCCs. In terms of shareholding, we have increased our holdings to 71%. Taking advantage of this time "stock market crash"

Listening to Feng Yongfa's work report, Lin Zhichao was very satisfied with the development of Asian shipping. In order to control the company, Universal Group appointed four directors. Feng Yongfa served as executive vice chairman, which can be regarded as replacing Lin Zhichao's actual management.

Asia Shipping's 750,000-ton ships include three 100,000-ton ships and two 130,000-ton oil tankers, totaling 570,000 tons. The remaining ships are second-hand cargo ships that are more than ten years old. This company will mainly develop oil tankers in the future. It is expected that by 1972, there will be a fleet of 2.5 to 3 million tons.

"Every aspect is developing well. This company can be used as a listed flagship company of ours in the future! Longfeng International should not be so aggressive in its development. Just have a listed oil tanker flagship company!" Lin Zhichao commented.

Feng Yongfa nodded and said, "Yes, I understand."

Later, Lin Zhichao said: "Next year we will develop container transportation. The shipyard in Japan has already modified the Victory Ship and completed a technical feasibility report, so all six Victory Ships in our hands must be modified."

Feng Yongfa immediately said: "It's just that the Hong Kong government hasn't planned a place yet to invite tenders for container terminals?"

Lin Zhichao said: "It is expected that next year, I plan to jointly build the first container terminal with sea and land transportation. Moreover, after the container transportation is transformed, it can also be temporarily leased to others, or it can open its own routes."

Feng Yongfa knew that his boss had always been optimistic about container transportation. The Hong Kong government also organized departments to conduct a survey prospect report in 1965, but there was no tender plan yet.

"The boss is planning to use China Star Shipping as a container transportation company?"

Lin Zhichao said: "Yes, China Star Shipping will specialize in container transportation in the future. More importantly, when the time comes, I plan to list it for financing development!"

First, six second-hand container ships were used to build a platform, and then they were listed on the market in 1970-1971, raising hundreds of millions of Hong Kong dollars to order container ships. In this way, a small amount of capital can be used to develop shipping companies and then be privatized in the 1980s.

Containers really developed in the 1980s and 1990s. Just like oil tankers, they gradually increased the proportion of merchant ships.

"Okay, I understand, and I will come up with Huaxing's asset restructuring plan as soon as possible."

"Um"

As a result, Universal Group has three listed companies, including China Star Shipping, which is preparing to go public. Asia Shipping is an oil tanker, China Star Line is a container ship, and Longfeng International is a pawn of Lin Zhichao, which will be used when acquiring Wharf in the future.

The company that is a sole proprietorship and not listed is Global Shipping, and the company that is a joint venture and not listed is World Shipping.

The organizational structure is clear and clear. Of course, there are too many companies. After all, each ship is a company, but in fact it is just a separate financial statement, and everything else is managed by one company.

November 19th, weekend.

While having breakfast, Xu Caiying said happily: "TVB started broadcasting today, and Xiangjiang finally has color programs!"

When she was overseas, she had no problem watching English programs, and she was still keen on color TV. The Li TV station in Hong Kong had been showing black and white programs for ten years, and she was really tired of it.

In fact, when TVB invited tenders in 1965, Toshitakazu also invited him to become a shareholder, but Lin Chichao refused and did not bid alone. The major shareholders of TVB are three foreign banks - HSBC, Hutchison, and Times Life International, all of which probably own more than 2 million shares; as for private shareholders, Li Xiaohe, Li Rongsen, Li Rongda, Shao Liushu, etc., they all only have a few dozen shares. Ten thousand shares are only a fraction of others.

If Lin Zhichao joins, he will only have a few hundred thousand shares. Li Xiaohe is just interested in his "jazz" status and influence. There is no need at all. Lin Zhichao planned to acquire Li's TV station in the early 1980s, so why bother to get involved!

For Lin Zhichao, if the media can only develop in Hong Kong, he would rather not do it. Therefore, when Lin Zhichao entered the television industry in the 1980s, he naturally focused on the global market, mainly focusing on program copyrights, satellite television, etc., and even increasing the influence of Hong Kong.

So there is absolutely no need to do it too early!

Lin Zhichao said: "At nine o'clock in the morning, TVB used microwave technology to broadcast the Omen Grand Prix (racing) live to the entire Hong Kong audience. This is the first live TV program in Hong Kong. You can watch it later."

Recently, he also heard the promotion that the racing competition in Omen will be broadcast live at 9 am. But in fact, TVB's first color program - the European and American drama "Rat Column" - was broadcast at 8pm. After the show, it was the sitcom "Below the Taiping Mountain" produced by Xiangjiang Radio and reflecting the lives of citizens; the next day , there is the variety show "Happy Tonight" hosted by Shun Dianxia and Liang Jinbo.

That's probably it. The TV stations at this time were not broadcasting 24 hours a day. Even Lin Zhichao in his previous life knew that when he was a child, after twelve o'clock, the TV stations were all a round mosaic of colorful colors.

"Okay, there are racing cars to watch!" the children said happily.

“Eat to eat”

The family is very warm!

At this time, Lin Zhichao suddenly felt the importance of entering the media industry and enriching the lives of citizens, which gave him a sense of accomplishment.

After eating, Lin Zhichao hid in the study and thought about things in his mind.

His career suddenly increased a lot, which made him feel a little uneasy, but he had to do it or wait for his son to do it later. This is because Lin Zhichao always finds the best time to do something. Cut in, miss the opportunity and fall behind.

Universal Group, Cheung Kong Holdings, Cheung Kong Industries Group, Shangri-La Hotel Group, Oriental Media, Uniqlo Clothing Company, this is equivalent to Lin Zhichao having six group companies.

The first three are still the most important, but Shangri-La Hotel and Oriental Media have begun to develop and require some of his energy. As for Uniqlo Clothing Company, after years of development, it has been developing steadily, but it also needs to start making breakthroughs.

"Dong dong. Husband, what are you thinking about?" Tang Caiyun walked in and asked with concern.

This man rarely takes his work home. Sometimes he would rather work overtime and go home to work. This weekend, I actually hid in the study, which was a little unusual.

Lin Zhichao motioned Tang Caiyun to sit down, and then he said: "What do you think about returning to Hong Kong after graduating from Ruihuan University and joining Cheung Kong Holdings?"

In the past, he disliked the fact that his eldest son was only twenty years old when he graduated, but now he can't wait for his relatives to join the company. Although Lin Ruihuan joined the company, he started from a low-level management position, and may even be an ordinary employee.

When Tang Caiyun saw Lin Zhichao's look, she immediately understood something and said, "That's great! Rui Huan has a precocious mind. He told me that he didn't plan to study for a master's degree and planned to work abroad for two years." She felt that her husband was a little tired, and she felt very sad. Heartache.

Lin Zhichao nodded and said, "After graduation the year after next, I will go to Singapore to join the Orchard Road shopping mall project."

Tang Caiyun asked: "When will this project start?"

Lin Zhichao said: "Lawyer Li has already approached me and said that he hopes to start construction of a shopping mall. I plan to ideally do it in the first half of next year and expect it to open in 1971."

In fact, the project could be approved by the middle of this year, but Lin Zhichao has been delaying it.

Tang Caiyun said: "Husband, why don't you arrange a practical job for me? Anyway, I have been practicing for so many years, and the children are getting older."

She could see Lin Zhichao's state. After all, after the three group companies, there were Shangri-La Hotel and Uniqlo.

Especially the Shangri-La Hotel, my husband attaches great importance to it and spends a lot of energy on it.

Lin Zhichao said: "It's not necessary to hold a practical position. I'm already relieved when you are in the company! But I feel uneasy about taking a specific job position."

It is a treasure that can only be used at critical moments. There may be no critical moments in your life, but you can't live without it.

Tang Caiyun nodded!

"Come on, let's go watch TV with the kids!"

Lin Zhichao stood up, his mood returning to his previous relaxed and domineering mood.

No matter how many careers he has, first of all, his brain is extremely developed and he works eight or nine hours a day, which is twice as efficient as other bosses; secondly, developing a career cannot only rely on oneself, but also requires the use of talents for my use; finally, It's still in the early stages, so worry about it for a few more years. Once it becomes stable, it will be easier.

To borrow the words of Konosuke Matsushita, the founder of Panasonic Electric Co., Ltd. - "When there are 100 employees, I must stand at the front of the employees, take the lead, and give orders; when the number of employees increases to 1,000, I must stand among the employees and plead for their help. ; When the number of employees reaches 10,000, I can only stand behind them and feel grateful; if the number of employees increases to 50,000 to 100,000, being grateful is not enough. I must put my hands together and pray to the Buddha with piety. Lead them with your heart.”

Konosuke Matsushita vividly describes the roles that business owners should play in different stages of the enterprise. If the scale of the business is small, you can do everything by yourself; if the scale of the business is medium, you must rely more on assistants; if the scale of the business is large, you must also rely on a spirit Strength to rule.

Konosuke Matsushita attributed the success of his career to the success of his concept of talent. He has a saying that is highly praised by the world's business community: "Create talents before creating things."

Lin Zhichao is such a person. His approach to talent has two characteristics - first, he likes people who study, or people with high academic qualifications; second, he likes to use veterans and cultivate capable assistants from the beginning.

The first point is that he does not only look at people with academic qualifications, but people who love to learn, so over the years he has sent almost hundreds of people overseas to study. Many people left for three or four years. Lin Zhichao was willing to pay and wait for his return, and then he was reused.

The second point is that the proportion of his staff who have resigned is extremely small. Many of them are veterans who have been with him for almost 20 years and have won his trust; but this does not mean that there are no channels for new talents to rise, because his career They are all on the rise, so the channels for promotion are very broad.

Lin Zhichao does not rule out poaching senior executives from outside, but the proportion of veterans must be relatively large. The senior executives coming in from outside are more of a 'supplement' to prevent the management from being too monolithic.