The birth of the Hong Kong Island family

Cheung Kong Holdings.

"Boss, the Hong Kong government has announced the specific information about the auction of the 'King of Land' in the Central District!"

Hu Zhaoxu took the "South China Morning Post" and handed it to Lin Zhichao.

Lin Zhichao immediately took the newspaper and read it carefully.

as expected.

The Hong Kong government has decided to hold a global public auction in late June - a 53,000-square-foot piece of land in the newly reclaimed land in Central District.

This land was the former site of Hong Lok Building in its previous life, which was later changed to Jardine House.

The Central site, which covers an area of ​​53,000 square feet, is undoubtedly very maneuverable and can be built into a first-class office building. The height can be more than 50 floors, with a total floor area of ​​about 700,000 square feet.

It’s a must!

This is Lin Zhichao’s idea!

He has rarely competed directly with British capital. After all, it is not the time yet.

This time, it’s a small appetizer.

Because there may be U.S.-funded consortiums and Japanese-funded consortiums joining, it is not considered direct competition;

But if we take into account that in the previous life, Real Estate defeated the US-funded consortium, it can be said to be a direct competition.

In any case, it was not until the late 1970s that we wanted to take action against British-owned foreign banks.

"Well, we're going to bid!"

"Okay. This land can be regarded as Land's home base. I'm afraid they will also bid with all their strength."

There are about six or seven buildings in this area, but none of them exceed nine floors.

If Lin Zhichao defeats Land and wins this year's Central District Land King, it will be equivalent to a stab in the heart of Land.

And I'm afraid Land will start the Central District redevelopment project a few years in advance because they have idle funds.

Is this considered doing a good deed?

"Who is not going all out! The US-funded consortium is bound to be eyeing this piece of land, so don't take a peek."

"Well, the location of this land is really great! In addition, the rent of office buildings in Central, Hong Kong is now soaring. The price of office buildings in Central is 2 to 2.5 Hong Kong dollars per square foot, setting a historical record."

Lin Zhichao nodded. The more prosperous real estate is, the more people dare to take action.

On the contrary, the real estate situation was unclear at that time, which led to the former naval dock site being easily acquired by Lin Zhichao.

In fact, the land was acquired at a price of 258 million, with a total of 4,660 square feet per square foot. In this world, Hong Kong's economy is more developed, and Lin Zhichao wants to join the competition, so overtaking is inevitable.

Cheung Kong Holdings couldn't come up with HK$300 million in cash, so Lin Zhichao planned to borrow debt. Of course, he would get a loan from the bank after the auction. After all, the Hong Kong government would not urge him to pay it up immediately.

Half a month later.

The real estate industry in Hong Kong is hotly discussing the bidding for the "Land King" in the Central District. Generally speaking, land auctions at the "Land King" level will only be taken out by the Hong Kong government when the real estate industry is booming.

The Hong Kong government has two purposes: first, to obtain higher fiscal revenue; second, to add another fire to the already prosperous real estate industry, making it burn even more vigorously, and setting the stage for the subsequent Crown land auction. increase price.

At that time, the Hong Kong government made a mistake when bidding for the former naval shipping site - they believed that global bidding could revitalize Hong Kong's real estate; but they did not calculate that the political events in the mainland suddenly hit, otherwise it would have some effect.

The office of Landmark Taipan.

John Keswick said to his son Henry Keswick, "What are you going to do with this land?"

He plans to return to London for retirement next year, leaving his eldest son Henry Keswick to serve as the head coach of the three major groups of Jardine Matheson, Wharf and Land. He has nothing to worry about Henry, this son is good enough.

Henry Keswick said: "Chinese Lin Zhichao has grown into a plutocrat not inferior to Jardine Matheson and HSBC, and he attaches great importance to commercial real estate in Central. He owns many commercial buildings and has made great profits. Therefore, this painting He will definitely be very interested in the land! In addition, the US-funded consortium has also shown its eagerness, so the price of this project is at least 230 million Hong Kong dollars."

Old John nodded and agreed with his son's view. He said: "Although there are two strong competitors, we are still determined to win Land. In recent years, Land has developed very slowly, and Hong Kong Chinese real estate companies have passed the 'sales of uncompleted properties' 'After development, the overall strength has surpassed that of British capital, but they are too scattered. So this time Land will take over this piece of land and build a first-class commercial building on it, which shows that we Land attaches great importance to real estate investment in Hong Kong."

Henry said enthusiastically: "Yes, as long as this project is completed and we start the redevelopment plan for other properties in Central, Land will still not lose to Cheung Kong Holdings."

In fact, Jardine Matheson is also building the Excelsior Hotel in Causeway Bay, which is a very large hotel, although it is only of four-star standard. Generally speaking, the Jardine style is still developing in Hong Kong, but only slowly.

Once Henry Keswick comes to power, he will lead the Jardines to a ‘peak’, but he will also sow a ‘bitter fruit’ for the Jardines. This is a story for later, so I won’t mention it for now.

Old John quickly calmed down and said: "It's just that Lin Zhichao and the American consortium are financially strong, and the real estate may not have too much capital investment. After all, Hong Kong is a colony of the British. Isn't there no convenience for our Jardine family?" ? At that time, Financial Secretary Guo Bowei formulated the 'free and non-interference in the economy', which was thought to be more beneficial to our British capital. Unexpectedly, the Chinese Lin Zhichao has now grown into a plutocrat that is not weaker than the British capital. Hey, things are unpredictable!"

In fact, the freedom of non-interference in the economy does favor British capital, and profit HSBC acquired Hang Seng Bank. That is, the government did not rescue local banks and allowed British banks to arbitrarily dismantle Chinese banks and even acquire the largest Chinese banks.

There are too many other aspects. If it were not for the rise of Lin Zhichao and the establishment of the Far East Club, there would be no doubt that British capital would have dominated.

Henry Keswick thought about it and then said: "It's not without convenience! Father, don't forget, the auctioneer of the official land this time is our Englishman Hockney."

Old John asked curiously: "What can he do for us?"

Henry Keswick said: "Although he cannot absolutely help us, he can favor us a little. My father should know that at the end of the auction for this kind of asset, everyone will bid carefully, while observing the opponent and trying to figure out his thoughts; while deliberately putting Slow down the quotation speed and attack the opponent's psychological defense. If Hockney can help us make the hammer fall faster at the critical moment, it may save a lot of trouble. The important thing is that this will not give people a clue."

Old John immediately clapped his hands and applauded, and said: "This method is very good! It's not that we are unwilling to bid. For example, for this land, even if it is 250 million Hong Kong dollars, it will be no problem if it is higher. The important thing is that we can use this method way to avoid getting into long-term bidding wars.”

Henry said proudly: "That's right. I'll invite Hockney right away and give us our gifts."

Old John nodded and said, "Remember, the reward must be given in two installments, lest he doesn't take it seriously!"

"no problem!"

Lin Zhichao came to the Media Building.

In his spacious office, he met with Bruce Lee, Luo Wei and other main creative staff of "Brother Tangshan".

"Mr. Li, it's our first time meeting you, but I've heard of you before!"

Bruce Lee was immediately flattered. This boss was not a simple boss. He could almost be said to be the light of the Chinese people in the world, and his influence was very great.

"Lin Sheng is so polite to you, you are the one with the greatest reputation."

Lin Zhichao smiled and said, "Isn't this person very cool?" It seems that he is still under pressure when facing himself.

You know, in his previous life, Bruce Lee and Luo Wei almost drew swords at each other, threatening to kill Luo Wei, the 2B.

As for the reason, Lin Zhichao also knew about it in his previous life. It is said that Bruce Lee was very thoughtful on the set. In addition, Luo Wei always regarded himself as 'Bruce Lee's mentor', but little did he know that Bruce Lee did not acknowledge him as his mentor at all. Therefore, when filming the second movie, Huge conflicts occurred.

Lo Wei believed that he was the one who made Bruce Lee successful, but little did he know that Bruce Lee's third film was directed and starred in "The Way of the Dragon", which was even more impressive than "Brother of Tangshan" and "Fist of Fury".

Based on this, Lin Zhichao's plan was also to let Bruce Lee direct and star in his third film, and give him an extra share of the director's dividend, which could be regarded as a way to win over him.

As for director Luo Wei, Lin Zhichao didn't care at all. As far as he knew, Luo Wei's second wife immediately became Zou Wenhuai's confidante after she divorced him. Because of this, Luo Wei later left Jiahe and hired a new guy - Jack Cheng.

However, although Luo Wei praised Jack's success, he only gave tens of thousands of Hong Kong dollars for each movie. As a result, a check of one million from Golden Harvest ruined Luo Wei's hard work.

Lin Zhichao still has memories of these past lives.

After everyone sat down.

Lin Zhichao asked: "When will "Tangshan Brother" be released? June or July?"

Zou Wenhuai said immediately: "The show will be held at midnight on June 19th, and it will be officially released on June 26th. So Bruce came back from the United States and prepared to participate in the "Happy Tonight" program to warm up the show first and increase the impression of Hong Kong people."

Lin Zhichao nodded. Although "Happy Tonight" is TVB's flagship program, Shao Laoliu does not have the final say in TVB. He is only the general manager, with only 4% to 6% of the shares.

Therefore, Shao Laoliu would not interfere with Bruce Lee's appearance in "Happy Tonight", otherwise it would be true.

Sometimes Lin Zhichao thinks that when he acquired Hutchison Whampoa in the late 1970s, he immediately owned more than 20% of TVB shares; coupled with his relationship with HSBC, he could buy another 2% More than ten stocks. Wireless TV stations can be included in the Lin family's industry.

He wouldn’t even give it to Lin Zhichao because it’s not challenging!

However, Lin Zhichao will make two-pronged preparations. He will first put the shares of TVB under Hutchison Whampoa. After he acquires Asia Television, he will cash out the shares of TVB from the stock market.

In the office, Lin Zhichao quickly started chatting with Bruce Lee, but he only had a few words with director Luo Wei; it gave the impression that Lin Zhichao valued Bruce Lee more as an actor.

Zou Wenhuai understood that the boss really valued Bruce Lee. The production fee of "Tangshan Brother" was given a budget of 800,000 Hong Kong dollars. Bruce Lee had a share in the director and screenwriter, which meant that Bruce Lee was allowed to participate in the directing and screenwriting.

Lin Zhichao is betting that "Brother Tangshan" has Bruce Lee's director and screenwriter elements, plus a much higher budget than its previous life, and can produce a better movie.

After chatting briefly for a while, Lin Zhichao ended the conversation, and Zou Wenhuai also took the people away at the right time.

After all, it's hard for him to say too much until the results of "Tangshan Brother" are tested.

Tuesday, June 23rd.

Businessmen gathered at the Hong Kong government auction, and many Chinese real estate developers came to join in the fun. There were seven or eight overseas consortiums, and three British consortiums included Land, Land Trust (Wheelock), and Hutchison Whampoa.

Since Cheung Kong Holdings lost to the US-funded consortium Sheraton Hotel last time, the hot spots in this auction are not Cheung Kong Holdings, but the Land Company, the US-funded consortium 'Leath Real Estate' - Galbraith Real Estate Company and Turner Construction companies.

The two shareholders of the US-funded consortium are actually two of the shareholders participating in the "Mobil Village" in Hong Kong.

At the auction site, Lin Zhichao briefly chatted with Guo Desheng, Zheng Yutong, Chen Detai and others before sitting low-key at the front. He felt Henry Keswick's attention and knew in his heart that he would become one of Land's competitors.

When the white-gloved auctioneer Hockney took the stage, the place fell silent.

"Everyone, welcome to today's auction. There is only one land auction today, which means that only one of you can walk out of the auction happily. So who will get it? We will wait and see. Okay, I want to introduce this land in a grand way. Its location and size are because it is in the core of Central, close to Victoria Harbour. Whoever owns it can sit in the top-floor office and drink coffee, with a panoramic view of Victoria Harbor and Kowloon, which is really wonderful.”

Hockney introduced the land today in a humorous manner. Although he promised Henry Keswick to take care of it, it did not mean that he did not want to pay a high price. Therefore, he will not take care of the property unless it is at a reasonable price, because he wants to be foolproof.

"Okay, now we will officially start shooting. The starting price is 150 million Hong Kong dollars, and each price increase cannot be less than 1 million Hong Kong dollars. Now we officially start!"

Generally speaking, if the auction can sell for 40% more than the reserve price, it has been successful; if it can sell for more than 70% to 80%, it is a great victory, and the real estate industry is extremely prosperous.

This is the law of Hong Kong Crown Land Auction!

The auction officially began, and the US-funded consortium showed an aggressive momentum and soon started to fight with Land.

Lin Zhichao took the opportunity to observe the auctioneer Hockney and Land Henry Keswick. As far as he knew, Jardine Matheson and the officials and staff in the Hong Kong government were cordial!

Although it is impossible to take care blatantly, it is natural to take proper care.

"Boss, it's already 200 million Hong Kong dollars!" Hu Zhaoxu couldn't help but remind his boss.

Lin Zhichao nodded and said with a smile: "I finally remember everyone's voices, so I can bid with confidence!"

It turned out that Lin Zhichao used hearing and memory to identify the bidder's voice to facilitate subsequent actions.

"205 million"

Lin Zhichao finally raised his sign and immediately attracted the attention of many people, and many Chinese real estate developers smiled. Anyone who is familiar with Lin Zhichao knows that this is the character of "a big shot in the last appearance" that the Chinese like.

Henry Keswick immediately snorted, and then began to quote.

Although he was very nervous, he still showed a calm expression and followed the price calmly.

"208 million"

Prices began to rise again, but only three consortiums remained as competitors.

"250 million"

Soon, prices soared to shocking levels.

The screen host couldn't help but breathe, for fear of disturbing everyone's heated exchange.

Some Chinese real estate developers couldn't help but whisper: "Real estate is going to boom!"

The person next to him nodded and said, "It's not only prosperous, it's so prosperous! It's almost 5,000 Hong Kong dollars per square foot. This price is very high in the world."

"252 million"

As soon as he heard someone making an offer, Lin Zhichao immediately raised his sign and was very decisive without any hesitation.

In other words, he did not give auctioneer Hockney a chance to say 'second'.

Lin Zhichao finally discovered that auctioneer Hockney's eyes always drifted to Henry Keswick, so there must be something fishy about him.

So he not only held up the sign, but even directly shouted out the price.

On the other side, Henry Keswick's face turned green. Lin Zhichao's decisiveness simply hit his heart.

"252 million. The second time."

Henry Keswick quickly raised his sign, but the American consortium on the other side was much slower.

"253 million."

"255 million"

The auctioneer didn't even mention the 'first' opportunity, so Lin Zhichao had already quoted again.

With no choice, auctioneer Hockney decided to give up the plan, or at worst, return the land gift. After all, the price of today's auction is high, and he also has a high bonus.

"260 million"

"262 million"

The price is still rising alternately and has exceeded the price in the previous life. But this is normal. Hong Kong's economy is better than in its previous life, and it has added Lin Zhichao as a strong opponent in the competition.

Lin Zhichao is not in a hurry, he knows Land's financial strength. If it is strong enough, why haven’t we launched the Harbor City project or the Central redevelopment plan after so many years?

Obviously, Land's financial strength is not strong.

On the contrary, if he had no money, he would withdraw it from the stock market. If not, he would still have money from private investment companies.

In his opinion, since the Navy Dockyard has made a lot of money, he should contribute more to the Hong Kong government's fiscal revenue.

"280 million" Lin Zhichao suddenly increased the price.

Caught Henry Keswick off guard, the price increased by a full 18 million.

At this time, everyone at the auction realized one thing, that is, Lin Zhichao was bound to win.

Thinking back to last year's "King of Earth" in Nathan Road, Kowloon, maybe he deliberately let his opponent get the better of him in the end?

"280 million. The first time. 280 million. The second time."

When the deal was about to be completed, Henry finally summoned up the courage to shout again: "282 million"

After shouting, he was looking forward to Hockney's performance and said in his heart: "hurry up and shout a second time, a third time, deal"

Before he could think of anything better, Lin Zhichao had already shouted: "286 million"

Hockney swallowed back the "once" after the "number" and could only look at Henry Keswick, as if to say: Come on, let's fight!

After returning the gift from Land, he was very satisfied with the profit today!

Henry Keswick was not stupid. The price had exceeded expectations by 20 to 30 million, so he hesitated.

Hockney waited on the stage and hesitated to shout, which made the people in the audience dissatisfied.

"What are you doing, favoring British capital?"

"That's right. No wonder Lin Sheng was abnormal today. He didn't give the auctioneer a 'second' chance at all. Could it be that he had already guessed something?"

The people below were talking a lot, and Hockney finally came to his senses and said quickly: "286 million for the second time."

finally.

Lin Zhichao still won the Central Land King at a price of 298 million, because the American consortium called once and Land followed again.

Henry Keswick didn't dare to bet on the later price and raise Lin Zhichao's price. In fact, he no longer dared.

"The world's shipping king really deserves his reputation!"

Everyone present thought that today was the highest record for Hong Kong's official land auction, and it was multiple highest records - the highest total price of a single piece of land, the highest unit price of the land sold, and the highest multiple of the reserve price.

In short, there was thunderous applause at the end, which lasted for a long time.

The thinking of the Chinese real estate developers is very simple: first, this is the best proof that Chinese capital has defeated British capital, which has greatly shaken the morale of Chinese businessmen; second, the "Central Land King" was sold at a sky-high price at the auction today, and tomorrow the Hong Kong property market will be full With the skyrocketing prices, the properties in everyone’s hands have appreciated a lot. (End of chapter)