The birth of the Hong Kong Island family

Sunday, December 7, is the time to break ground.

The ‘Shangri-La Hotel (Hong Kong)’, which has been in preparation for many years, has finally been officially laid. Lin Zhichao also invited many celebrities and politicians from Hong Kong and overseas to attend the ‘groundbreaking ceremony’.

Hong Kong has government officials such as Dai Linzhi, officials from European and American consulates, and heads of major foreign banks and Chinese-owned enterprises in the business community; overseas celebrities include retired politicians from Europe, the United States, and Japan, and business people. It can be described as a large scale.

The Shangri-La Hotel (Hong Kong) Building has a total of 50 floors, with a total construction cost of HK$300 million (including decoration and other costs), and can provide 700,000 square feet of floor space; the hotel has 820 rooms, including 186 suites and 36 presidential suites. , 9 supreme presidential suites.

"Mr. Lin, your investment in such a super-luxury hotel shows that you are very optimistic about Hong Kong's economic prospects. Am I right?" Hiroyor Eguchi, president of Industrial Bank of Japan, asked at the scene as a friend.

Global Shipping, Industrial Bank of Japan, and HSBC recently formed a consortium to invest in shipping; each of the three parties invested US$10 million to engage in the development of the shipping industry.

Of course, it is operated by Global Shipping, and the two banks are just investors.

After Universal Group owns 50 VLCCs and ULCCs (not all completed), the total tonnage is approximately 19.5 million tons. It does not include shipping companies invested by third parties, nor the assets of two listed companies.

Therefore, Lin Zhichao has achieved his goal and will no longer pursue wholly-owned shipbuilding (including Worldwide Shipping in cooperation with HSBC).

At this time, if Lin Zhichao still wants to develop shipping, he can unite other people and invest together. You can have win-win cooperation and make more friends.

There were many people around Lin Zhichao, all curious about how he would answer this question!

In fact, almost no one understands this kind of investment. In the final analysis, Hong Kong is just a relatively prosperous city in Asia; but at the world level, it is far less prosperous than Europe and the United States.

This ultra-luxury hotel usually only appears in the world's top cities such as New York and London, not even Tokyo, Japan.

"This is a good answer! I am a Hong Konger myself, and I am very optimistic about Hong Kong's economic development trend. Hong Kong, the Pearl of the Orient, will definitely shine in the 1970s. Industries such as industry, tourism, finance, and trade will become Hong Kong's Economical business card. Investing in this hotel is the best proof of my opinion!”

Some people doubt it, some people approve it, and some people are proud of it. Their attitudes are different. British officials such as Dai Linzhi were naturally very proud. In their view, it was the British who built such a city.

Eguchi Yangura became more serious and said: "Then what do you think of Tokyo, and how does it compare to Hong Kong?"

Lin Zhichao replied seriously: "New York, London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, I think it will be like this in the future!"

He did not mention the concept of "New York". After all, Hong Kong's finance had just begun to develop. If it was the late 1970s, he could still shout such a slogan.

But the answer of 'New York, London, Tokyo, Hong Kong' still shocked the people around him. It's really ridiculous that some people compare Hong Kong with New York and London.

However, it was Lin Zhichao who proposed this statement; so even if someone thought it was wrong, they would just smile in good faith. After all, Lin Zhichao is the 'World Shipping King' and a very discerning 'World Businessman'.

Eguchi Yangura seemed to be very serious and said: "When you compare Hong Kong and Tokyo, what can be said to be comparable or have advantages?"

Everyone could see that the relationship between the two was still good and they were just having serious discussions.

Lin Zhichao said: "Hong Kong is a free economic port and will attract a lot of wealth to Hong Kong; Hong Kong is the place where Chinese and Western culture and logistics meet, and port trade is unmatched by Tokyo; Hong Kong has the potential to become a financial city, and we already have a second securities The trading place will be open soon. These are my personal words. Maybe because I am a Hong Konger, I am a little optimistic about it. I hope President Eguchi will not laugh!"

Eguchi Yangpu immediately said: "I think Mr. Lin is right. At least Hong Kong is a very promising and charming city."

Everyone listened carefully to the conversation between the two, and already believed 60% to 70% of Lin Zhichao's words.

Actually!

Hong Kong in the 1970s in this life must be much more developed than in previous lives!

Because of the emergence of Lin Zhichao, many things are already changing.

After the groundbreaking ceremony, the construction of the ‘Burj Al Arab Hotel’ officially started, and various machines entered the site one after another.

It is expected to officially open in the second half of 1974, several months earlier than expected in 1975.

Coincidentally, not long after the opening, the 'oil crisis' officially ended.

The other side.

People from the Fu Laorong family gathered together to discuss.

Fu Laorong died of illness in 1960, and his children gradually moved their assets from Macau to Hong Kong. After all, Macau also lost its gambling license and just went to Hong Kong to develop.

Fu Laorong's eldest son Fu Yinzhao said: "We have just found a solution to the problem of spinning. Unexpectedly, we have opened another hotel on Connaught Road, and it is a top-notch luxury hotel with huge investment. Let's talk about it, should we open a hotel or convert it into an office building? "

Connaught Road already has the Mandarin Hotel, which opened in 1963. Now the Fu Laorong family was planning a five-star hotel as early as the early 1960s. However, because the Taitung Telegraph Bureau did not allow the sound of piling to affect the signal, they have been looking for a "silent" hotel. Piling', until recently a British construction company said that there was no problem with the technology, and they finally started planning to build the 'Fulama Hotel'.

But I didn’t expect that groundbreaking for the ‘Hong Kong Burj Al Arab Hotel’ had already started!

"Brother, don't worry about these problems! It is precisely because the tourism industry is becoming more and more prosperous that Lin Zhichao is willing to invest in such a luxurious hotel, which shows that opening a hotel is very promising. As for the three five-star hotels gathered on Connaught Road, they are not close to each other. Together, it’s the same as Bank Street between Des Voeux Road and Queen’s Road.”

"Indeed, and the British construction company told us that the main building can be completed in 30 months. We will renovate it and open it in 1973. By then, it will open before the Burj Al Arab."

Everyone expressed their intention to continue building the hotel.

Fu Yinzhao nodded and said, "In that case, we recently signed a contract with a British construction company (the predecessor of Kinmen Construction) to invest in a five-star hotel."

In fact, as the boss, he just routinely recruited his younger brothers for discussion.

This piece of land is only part of the assets of the 'Fu Laorong' family, not even one-fifth of it, and is already worth 60 to 70 million.

Three hotels gather on Connaught Road, who will be the winner in the end?

The answer has already been determined.

Starting from mid-December, Lin Zhichao started his overseas trip.

He first ordered 5 VLCCs and 5 ULCCs in Japan. This was the last large-scale oil tanker building by Global Shipping. These oil tankers will be delivered one after another in mid-1971. After the launch, Global Shipping's VLCCs will reach 50.

The total tonnage of these 50 VLCCs has reached 12 million tons. This batch of ships will not be included in the "ship reduction list" in 1973-1974.

After all, the tonnage is large and the operating costs are low. Lin Zhichao must find a way to avoid the impact of the oil crisis through long-term contracts. No matter what happens, Lin Zhichao can directly use this kind of tanker to buy a large amount of oil before the oil crisis and do oil spot business, and he can still make a lot of money.

However, in the first half of 1973, some small oil tankers (under 100,000 tons and some ships with 100,000 tons) will still be considered for sale, and the tonnage reduction will not exceed 2 million tons.

The real ideal time to reduce ships is from mid-1977.

After finishing his official duties, Lin Zhichao came to a villa in Tokyo to stay for two days, treating it as a vacation.

Yoshinaga Sayuri had already prepared everything to welcome his arrival.

But in fact, Lin Zhichao planned to end this relationship slowly. After all, the seventies were coming soon, and Hong Kong and Taiwan stars were still waiting for his favor. Compared to those beauties, Yoshinaga Sayuri is still a step behind.

"Mr. Lin, my screen image after graduation has changed from a girl to a mature woman, what do you think?" In the villa, Sayuri Yoshinaga, with an expression of admiration and adoration on her face, knelt down and sat under Lin Zhichao.

There was no communication or communication between the two, they were just chatting together normally.

Lin Zhichao smiled and said: "Then stand up and let me take a good look, so that I can draw this conclusion!"

Yoshinaga Sayuri immediately stood up and then showed herself in front of Lin Zhichao.

The upper body is a white shirt embellished with small flowers, which is tightly tucked into a knee-length hip-covering work skirt, revealing her graceful figure.

Indeed, it is no longer suitable to play a girl!

After all, in Japan, girls only start in high school, and it’s already too late for them to go to college.

"You're mature! I'm afraid I'll have to consider getting married in a few years!" Lin Zhichao said with emotion.

Sayuri Yoshinaga's expression suddenly tightened, and then she came to Lin Zhichao and said nervously: "I want to follow Mr. Lin for the rest of my life!"

Lin Zhichao caressed Sayuri's face who was kneeling in front of him, and said calmly: "This is not the best ending! What will your parents think? And it will also be detrimental to your future life! You know, I am a passionate person, Soon there will be a new girl who won't have so much energy for you, and you will be even more hurt by then."

After saying these words, Sayuri Yoshinaga burst into tears and just shook her head. It seemed that she was deeply emotional.

This is why Lin Zhichao doesn't find too many women. Many girls are not so easy to get rid of.

Seeing Yoshinaga Sayuri's sad look, Lin Zhichao became even more determined, but he decided to slowly end the relationship through a complicated emotional experience, lest the girl could not bear it.

"Okay, I'm not breaking up with you, I'm just letting you and I have time to think about the outcome of this relationship and face it calmly. Be good and stop crying."

After a few words of coaxing, Sayuri Yoshinaga gradually recovered.

What we want is this effect, which is equivalent to taking a preventive shot, and things will be better in the future.

"Let's go shopping together. I will stay in Tokyo for two days. I don't have any work arrangements, so I will just play with you!"

"Really?"

After Sayuri Yoshinaga cried, she felt a little better.

"It's absolutely true! Come on, let's go out. Today we'll go shopping and eat together, and then we'll go home in the evening to enjoy a pleasant exchange."

"Well, great!"

Not only was it great, looking at Yoshinaga Sayuri's appearance, Lin Zhichao planned to teach her a lesson today.

Then, just as Lin Zhichao promised, he put down all work and went shopping with the girl.

Arriving at a place in Ginza, Lin Zhichao pointed to an adult store and whispered something in Sayuri Yoshinaga's ear.

Suddenly, Sayuri Yoshinaga blushed with embarrassment, but still walked in without hesitation.

After a while, she came out shyly carrying her bag.

The New York branch of Horizons Ventures.

Victoria Harbor Investment is a "private investment company" prepared by Lin Zhichao in the second half of 1968. It was established based on the original "Yangtze River Investment Fund" with an initial capital of US$418 million.

The current "Victoria Harbor Investment" Asia, Europe and America investment division is headquartered in the top-floor office of the "International Building" in Hong Kong.

"Boss, you once again predicted the U.S. stock market. You are the real Wall Street stock god! The U.S. stock market began to stagnate in the second half of 1968, and in the second half of this year it began to plummet. Even the 'Nifty 50' fell It’s amazing.” Chris said with admiration.

The Nifty 50 is the 50 constituent stocks of the Dow Jones.

In early 1968, Lin Zhichao began to ask Chris to gradually clear his stock, and all his stock was cleared in March. The U.S. stock market began to experience stagflation in mid-1968, that is, a sideways pattern of neither rising nor falling; and in June of this year (1969), the Dow Jones and S\u0026P began to plummet.

It fully proves that Lin Zhichao once again won a perfect victory.

However, more than 400 million US dollars can only be left on the account to earn interest.

On the contrary, I invested a small amount of money in the Japanese stock market to get familiar with it in advance.

"I don't want to be a stock god. It's better for us to keep a low profile. After all, we are a private company. Next time we enter the market, we will use offshore and diversified investment channels to try not to attract the attention of Wall Street." Lin Zhichao said.

Chris has been with me for almost ten years and is absolutely loyal. Of course, the so-called loyalty is mutual, and his salary is high even among Wall Street financial companies. Of course, it does not include the "Wall Street geniuses" who lead the funds, because they receive large dividends.

Chris himself also understood that he was more of a loyal executor, buying and selling stocks according to the boss's instructions; and the part of the money he led from the "free stock trading" was almost all paid to everyone by the boss as salaries and bonuses. .

"Don't worry, boss, we have been preparing for more than a year and can enter the market at any time in a low-key manner. We will not let your fame appear on Wall Street."

Chris feels that he understands his boss very well. The boss has the humble and low-key spirit of Asians. Although there is no problem in making money by trading stocks in the United States, the boss still chooses the safest and most low-key method.

Lin Zhichao nodded and said: "There is no rush to enter. After all, the 'Nifty 50' on the market are not cheap enough. But we can study together to see who among these 'Nifty 50' had the advantage in the early 1970s. The next wave, I listen to your opinion and select the 'Nifty 50' stocks."

The next wave of market conditions will be when the Nifty 50 drops by almost 50%, and Lin Zhichao is ready to enter the market. At the approximate time, he thinks he should be able to enter the market in the second half of next year. The end time must be the first half of 1973, and all must be emptied, or even starting at the beginning of the year; this is because the "US economic stagflation", "oil crisis" and so on have followed one after another.

As for the specific stocks, Lin Zhichao didn't know much about them, so he just bought the 'Nifty 50'. McDonald's and Coca-Cola, on the other hand, were the ones Lin Zhichao must buy.

"Okay boss! We will analyze it carefully for your reference."

"Um"

Then, Lin Zhichao said: "As I told you last time, suppose I want to invest in spot gold, what is your plan?"

Chris said: "The United States does not allow people to hold spot gold. London and Switzerland do, and you can entrust banks to buy, sell and store gold. Hong Kong is also relatively good. The Hong Kong government has relaxed gold controls this year. The boss should have his own channels."

Lin Zhichao nodded and said: "The U.S. dollar is linked to gold, which has caused a lot of gold to be removed from the U.S. government's treasury by various countries. I think this - the 'Bretton Woods monetary system' will be canceled sooner or later, so I have the intention to invest in gold. . But don’t worry, I won’t consider it for a while.”

Chris nodded and said, "Okay!"

In fact, Lin Zhichao knew that Hong Kong completely liberalized gold controls around 1971 and allowed the free trading of gold. By then, major gold merchants in the world came to Hong Kong to do business, and Hong Kong gradually became the third largest financial center after London and New York. Big gold trading center.

At that time, Lin Zhichao was more inclined to store gold in Hong Kong.

The price of gold only started to rise from more than 40 to more than 60 in about 1972, but the real surge did start in 1973, and the first wave of gains lasted until the end of 1974, after the oil crisis ended.

As a result, from around mid-1972, Lin Zhichao had to cash out a large number of U.S. stocks and buy gold.

After finishing his work in the United States, Lin Zhichao and his family welcomed 1970 in their villa on Long Island, New York.

All the family members came here in batches for a week's vacation, which coincided with the students' winter vacation, so everyone was able to get together.

During the vacation, Lin Zhichao called his eldest son Lin Ruihuan to the study.

"In August next year (1971), you will end your work here and return to Hong Kong's Cheung Kong Industrial Group to work. This New York project will take a total of five years, but the project is too small. It is enough to sort out the doorsteps."

Lin Ruihuan calculated in his mind that his girlfriend Luo Huijun had to graduate in 1972 and could only be separated for one year.

"Well, two years have given me a deep understanding of this project, and I have been trained to deal with various problems."

Lin Zhichao nodded and said, "I won't care about your personal matters until you get married. Just take care of yourself!"

Lin Ruihuan blushed and whispered, "It's enough to fall in love once!"

Lin Zhichao waved his hand and said: "You don't have to talk about this in front of me. I'm not qualified to talk about you anyway. But if you marry, you must get the consent of your mother and I. Theoretically, we don't value the other person's family background very much. "As long as she is Chinese and has no problem with the girl's moral character, you can just like her."

Lin Ruihuan immediately said: "No matter what my father does, it will not affect your being a good husband and a good father! I will definitely abide by your and mother's opinions on emotional matters."

The first words are what his mother has always said; the second words are the 'family responsibility' that he has always been proud of.

Lin Zhiming said with satisfaction: "Go!"

It is better if my wife is sensible and there will be no family conflicts.