The birth of the Hong Kong Island family

"Mr. Cai, stay here," Hu Zhaoxu shouted to a person who had just walked out of the Catholic church.

Cai Yongxi was a little stunned because he didn't know Hu Zhaoxu. After waking up, he asked: "Who are you?"

Hu Zhaoxu came to Cai Yongxi with a smile and said sincerely: "Mr. Cai, I am the manager of a real estate company. My name is Hu Zhaoxu. This is my business card."

Cai Yongxi took the business card, looked at it for a few times, and said politely: "It turns out to be Manager Hu from Cheung Kong Holdings, so your boss must be Mr. Lin Zhichao!"

"Lin Sheng is our boss!"

Immediately, Cai Yongxi said suspiciously: "Then Manager Hu doesn't know why he wants to stay here?"

It is a little strange that he has no property to sell and no plans to buy a house.

Hu Zhaoxu had already inquired about Cai Yongxi. He was a member of the Spanish Catholic Church and had a close relationship with the priest. At the same time, Cai Yongxi was also a businessman, engaged in trade-related businesses.

In this way, Hu Zhaoxu analyzed that although Cai Yongxi is a believer, it is not that he has no desire for money.

"It's like this. Our boss wants to acquire the Priest's Hotel opposite Kowloon Park that your church owns to develop the hotel industry. So, I would like to ask you to be an intermediary. If it comes to fruition, we are willing to pay 3% of the fee."

When Cai Yongxi heard this, although he was excited about the generous commission, he immediately said: "Our priest is so good, why would he sell the hotel? What's more, this hotel can bring a steady stream of funds to the church. So, I really do this. I can’t help you!”

Hu Zhaoxu observed the words and found that Cai Yongxi was still interested in the commission, so he deliberately said: "That's okay, let's just get to know you. To be honest, our boss also feels that there is no church doing business. Isn't it inconsistent with the teachings of the Catholic Church? Are you preaching, or are you a businessman? That’s why I was asked to ask, but we don’t insist.”

Cai Yongxi suddenly said with some embarrassment: "Actually, this hotel is not open to the public at the beginning. It mainly receives clergy from the mainland. In this way, I will inquire for you, and if the priest is interested, I will tell you."

Hu Zhaoxu immediately smiled and said: "Okay, then I'll trouble Mr. Cai. Don't worry, we are very reputable and effective at any time." The implication is that there is no need to worry about the commission.

Cai Yongxi said casually: "Mr. Lin has done such a big business, of course he enjoys a high reputation."

Even if things come into contact like this.

After the two left, Cai Yongxi became more active. He also felt that it was shameful for the church to run the hotel, and if he could really be a middleman, he could gain something from a generous commission.

But he also understands that if he asks the priest whether he sells the 'priest's hotel' for no reason, it may be easy to alienate him from the priest.

Cai Yongxi thought as he walked. After a long time, he finally grasped Hu Zhaoxu's words, "Running a hotel and the missionary spirit go hand in hand." In other words, as long as the headquarters knows about this, it will definitely be dissatisfied with the Hong Kong branch's business practices and order the sale. The hope is great.

Thinking of this, he felt that he was a bit 'excessive' and plotted against his priest.

Soon Cai Yongxi shook his head and comforted himself: "It is indeed shameful for the church to operate the hotel industry and should be corrected."

However, he will definitely not report the situation directly to the headquarters, and can only do so anonymously.

In late February, the Lunar New Year has passed not long ago.

Global Shipping built a 12,000-ton cargo ship in the UK, which caused a sensation in Hong Kong; even in London, it caused a great response.

There are three surprising aspects of this news:

First, a Chinese shipowner from Hong Kong can actually spend US$2 million to build a new ship;

Second, London sent senior officials at the deputy ministerial level (invited by the shipyard) to attend the signing ceremony, and senior officials at the ministerial level subsequently received Lin Zhichao.

Third, 80% of the shipbuilding funds come from HSBC.

For a time, everyone in Hong Kong's business community knew that this was Lin Zhichao's counterattack against the major foreign banks, saying that if you put pressure on the government, I will ask your government to support me. At the same time, it is interesting for HSBC to grant loans, as if to say - we will not be threatened.

Wheelock Shipping.

After Madden Sr. learned the news, he called his son Madden Jr. and said, "I plan to return to London to take charge, and you will be responsible for the business in Hong Kong."

Little Madden nodded and said, "Okay, I will definitely live up to expectations." After saying that, his eyes revealed strong confidence.

In this scene, Old Madden was a little sad. He used to be arrogant and arrogant, but Lin Zhichao taught him a lesson with reality. Now, he worries that his son is still arrogant and moving too fast, putting him at risk.

Therefore, Old Madden said: "Eggs cannot be put in one basket, and we must always be wary of the other side. Hong Kong is too close to the opposite side. Jardine's loss of 30 million pounds (480 million) in the past few years is the best Proof, so you can make money in Hong Kong, but all investments must not be in Hong Kong.”

In their previous lives, Wheelock and Jardine Matheson came from the same background. They had been wary since the 1950s and pursued the policy of 'make money in Hong Kong and invest overseas'. Because of this, it missed the opportunity for Hong Kong's rapid economic development, and therefore fell behind Swire and Hutchison Whampoa.

Madden Jr. said: "So I plan to continue to develop the shipping business. Ships are portable assets and there is no need to worry about being lost in the Far East."

Old Madden didn't say anything about it. He planned to take command of the semi-retired situation in London. If there were any problems in Hong Kong, Wheelock would not be wiped out.

Then, Ma Deng said: "If you want to cooperate with Chinese, Lin Zhichao must be the first choice."

Little Madden asked puzzledly: "You don't have a good relationship with him. On the contrary, there are many conflicts. How can we still cooperate?"

Old Madden said with a smile: "Since it is a cooperation, it is of course based on interests. As for the personal relationship, Huayang is not in the same way after all. He and I are just a competitive relationship, not a life-and-death enmity. What’s in front of you!”

Little Madden nodded and said: "His long-term rental theory is indeed very trustworthy by the bank; coupled with his relationship in the Japanese business community, it is even more conducive to the development of shipping."

After this campaign, Ma Deng felt that Lin Zhichao's development in shipping was impeccable. In fact, when these foreign firms were active in London, they did not get official confirmation, and it was more influenced by public opinion.

However, Lin Zhichao directly built ships in the UK, and received two ministerial interviews one after another, which strongly proved that London had no intention of interfering with those P matters.

And HSBC Bank's 80% loan for the new ship can also prove that the reputation of Global Shipping is better than everyone else.

Lin Zhichao returned to Hong Kong from the United Kingdom. During this trip, he spent 2 million US dollars to build a "talisman" - a 10,000-ton freighter built in the United Kingdom. There is no problem with spending the money. At this time, Japan's shipbuilding industry can't reassure him, so if new ships are built, they can only be built in European countries such as Britain, France, and Germany.

At present, the UK currently builds about 1.2 million tons of ships a year, so a huge ship of 10,000 tons is not a small business.

Although the cost of this 12,000-ton freighter built in the UK is three times that of a second-hand ship, global shipping does not require much money, and only needs to pay 400,000 US dollars.

The construction period of this ship was 18 months, that is, it was launched in August 1954. At that time, whether it is a two-year long-term contract or a two-year short-term lease, in 1956, you can make a lot of money.

Therefore, there is not much pressure on Global Shipping's funds, not to mention the different meanings behind it. Lin Zhichao cannot let rumors affect the relationship between Global Shipping and HSBC.

If Japan were to build a 12,000-ton cargo ship, the estimated cost would only be US$1.4 million to US$1.5 million. But having said that, even in the 1960s, Global Shipping had to build some new ships in Europe, which was considered a good political relationship. The important thing is that there are differences between different ship types and different construction methods.

At the same time, Lin Zhichao was also annoyed by the increase in Wharf warehouse rental prices.

But twenty years is never too late for a gentleman to take revenge.

Global Shipping Headquarters.

Lin Zhichao works in an office. In the past two or three years, he has been very focused on the shipping industry.

In terms of real estate, we only purchased a large number of properties and did not plan any projects; the industrial foundation was laid a long time ago, and we have been consolidating our capital in the past two or three years.

Therefore, in the past two years or so, 70% of his energy has been devoted to the shipping industry. Therefore, Global Shipping is the best-managed and largest-growing enterprise.

Now the monthly profit of Global Shipping can reach about 1.9 million US dollars, and the profit in the first half of the year can be about 11 million US dollars; which means that in the first half of the year alone, Global Shipping can not only pay off all debts, but also have 8 to 8.5 million Cash flow in dollars.

Assuming that US$2 million is spent to purchase property, there will still be US$6.5 million in cash flow available for shipping development. Of course, we choose to increase the second-hand freighter to 500,000 tons, which requires almost 5 million US dollars in funds.

Everything is developing as he expected. Although shipping prices will fall again in the second half of the year, most of the global shipping companies have long-term contracts, and new ships are put into operation, so profits can still be stable.

At the same time, the drop in shipping prices does not mean a reduction in business volume. His fleet can still have sufficient business. After all, a mere fleet of several hundred thousand tons cannot affect the overall shipping trend.

"Boss, it's time for the meeting!" Assistant Chen Tianan walked in respectfully and said.

Lin Zhichao immediately stood up and walked towards the conference room, not forgetting to encourage Chen Tianan: "A Tian, ​​you should study more, read more, and ask for advice."

Chen Tianan is a serious graduate of the University of Hong Kong, but after all, his major is not shipping, so Lin Zhichao also hopes that he will learn more. In fact, Lin Zhichao doesn't like people who are unmotivated. In short, the employees who follow him must be as motivated as him, otherwise they will be abandoned sooner or later.

"Well, I read a book every day during my lunch break." Chen Tianan reported a few sentences.

He feels that his boss is trying to support him, so even during his break, he is willing to invest in learning company and industry-related knowledge. What's more, the prospects and benefits of global shipping are excellent.

Lin Zhichao walked into the conference room without comment, and then sat down for the meeting.

"In the next few years, Global Shipping will enter a relatively stable period of development. It will not take on too much debt and expand Global Shipping's fleet. At the same time, we must take time to carry out internal management, fleet management, etc. We must work hard to lay a solid foundation for the company. As management, you must be prepared for new challenges."

The senior executives listened attentively and nodded in agreement from time to time.

They discovered a problem, that is, the boss was capturing the rise and fall of shipping. The boss's words today revealed a message that the shipping situation may return to the level before the Peninsula War.

This makes people admire the boss's analytical ability in this area. After all, according to the boss's development in the shipping industry, it is to enter in a big way before the war, expand wildly during the war, and converge at the end of the war.

As for whether the war is the 'end', no one knows, but according to the boss's analysis, it seems to be the case.

Deputy General Manager Feng Yongfa was the first to express his position: "Global Shipping's management still has a lot of room for improvement, and Global Shipping can significantly expand its fleet even without debt. We are already ahead of other competitors in Hong Kong, and it is time to stabilize. "

Just like a dream, with the support of HSBC, Global Shipping's fleet has grown exponentially in a few years. Without the support of HSBC, even though the boss invested huge amounts, it would probably only be at the level of 100,000 to 200,000 tons now.

And Lin Zhichao didn't take other opponents to heart. He now wants to compete with European and American fleets. When Bao Yu first entered the market, Lin Zhichao probably had a huge fleet of 1 million tons, and his business had already included European and American oil tanker transportation.

After all, Lin Zhichao would definitely have a huge fleet by the second half of 1956, so that he could make a lot of money.

Next, the meeting discussed some technical issues, and everyone was very positive.

For example, Japanese shipyards can transform cargo ships into "mixed oil and cargo ships". The leasing market for such ships is very good. Therefore, Lin Zhichao plans to try to take out a batch of ships for modification this year and then lease them to Japanese companies.

Just take a batch of purchased cargo ships and conduct experiments.

At the same time, Lin Zhichao always observes the development of the Japanese shipbuilding industry and visits Japanese shipyards every year. Although no new ships are built in Japan yet, Japanese shipyards receive high-standard receptions every time.

The other side.

Bishop Seeger went to Father John and said seriously: "Father John, the headquarters is very dissatisfied with our operation of the small hotel and doing things that are contrary to the mission, so we order you to sell it within a short period of time."

Father John was stunned, and then said: "But Bishop Sig, you know that this priest's hotel was only used to receive our clergy at the beginning, and it was not my missionary mission."

Bishop Seeger nodded. He has always supported his subordinates in building small hotels, which can be used as missionary funds.

"I have explained it to the headquarters for you, so they just let you sell it. The priest's hotel has ended its glorious mission. If you continue to operate it, you will inevitably be distracted from preaching. Even if I can convince the headquarters for you, but then I will be transferred in a few years, and the next bishop will not understand you so well."

Father John said: "No, Bishop Seeger, I have no nostalgia for the Priest Hotel, so since the headquarters has given the order, of course I will comply and will not make it difficult for you."

Bishop Sige nodded with satisfaction.

Father John frowned again and said, "It's just one thing that confuses me. Why do we let the headquarters know about our running a small hotel?"

Bishop Sig said philosophically, "That's God's will, so don't ask."

Father John nodded quickly. He originally wanted to know if the clergy who had been taken in had complained, and he was kind enough to take him in, but he didn't get the respect he deserved.

However, since Bishop Seeger said so, he also decided to sell the priest's hotel and hand over the money to the church (Spain's state religion, Catholicism).

John took it for granted that he found a fellow church member, Cai Yongxi, and told him the reason for the incident. This made Cai Yongxi secretly happy. He had been feeling guilty recently, and now he disappeared - God, this was the right choice for me to persuade Father John to return to his lost ways.

"Mr. Cai, I need to sell the priest's hotel as soon as possible. The price is only 2.6 million Hong Kong dollars. Please find a predestined buyer for the church."

Cai Yongxi quickly said: "Father, is 2.6 million Hong Kong dollars too low? The location here is very good, not to mention the hotel business."

Father John insisted: "At this price, as clergy, we cannot pursue profits like businessmen. In the past year, I really shouldn't have been distracted by the priest's hotel. God, forgive John, a child who has returned from his own way. ."

Cai Yongxi suddenly trembled and quickly followed the act of praying. Seeing Father John's appearance, Cai Yongxi just wanted to complete the transaction as soon as possible and come to the church to pray more often.

This time, he was a little confused.

He couldn't blame Hu Zhaoxu, because Hu Zhaoxu didn't ask him to report anything at all. This behavior was Cai Yongxi's personal behavior.

When Lin Zhichao learned that the Priest Hotel only cost 2.6 million Hong Kong dollars, he couldn't help but be a little surprised. I'm afraid that even if it costs 3.5 million Hong Kong dollars, there will be people rushing to get it; after all, it is a commercial land in Tsim Sha Tsui. Although it is not a land near the sea, it is close to Kowloon Park. Also an advantage.

In any case, Lin Zhichao quickly arranged for lawyers to go to sign the contract and win the land.

a week later.

Lin Zhichao held a management meeting of Yangtze River Industries. He first said: "From now on, Huang Changhong will serve as deputy general manager and engineering department manager to assist me in managing Yangtze River Industries."

For a long time, Cheung Kong Properties (Cheung Kong Properties) has been dominated by Lin Zhichao. If he is not in Hong Kong, no major incidents will happen, because there are no major projects under his company, and they are all rent-collecting properties, land, and old sites.

As for the tenement buildings developed every year, they are actually not to make money, but to support the people of the company. In fact, the management of Cheung Kong Holdings has already lived in the building. Lin Zhichao allowed the senior management to deduct the money from their salary to buy the company's house.

Therefore, in 1951, 5 people from Cheung Kong Industrial Co., Ltd. got a floor. The price was very cheap. The company hardly made much money, and the annual salary of 5 people was around 12,000 Hong Kong dollars.

Lin Zhichao has high requirements for management, and his salary is naturally high. What's more, learning this kind of thing is not for the boss.

Huang Changhong stood up quickly and said, "Thank you, boss, for your trust. Please take care of me, colleagues, in the future."

He is a major student who graduated from the University of Architecture, but there is not a shortage of college students in this major in Hong Kong. Not to mention that there are such graduates in the University of Hong Kong, there are many from the mainland in the past few years.

The crowd applauded.

At this time, Tang Caiyun was also attending the meeting. Although she was idle, she enjoyed a high status in the company. Unlike many wealthy people whose wives only know how to play mahjong, Tang Caiyun is a career woman.

Later, Lin Zhichao said: "We are going to set up a hotel department, and then change the priest's small hotel into a 'Miramar Hotel' to continue to operate. This will be prepared in the near future."

No changes were made to the building, only renovations were carried out. It operated until the late 1950s and then was completely dismantled and rebuilt.

Huang Changhong quickly got into the mood and said: "It is necessary to re-hire hotel talents and then renovate it. In this way, it can be regarded as a good hotel. The lobby on the first floor is very large. I suggest that it can be rebuilt into a 'big stage'." It is used to perform traditional dramas and juggling to attract customers."

Lin Zhichao nodded and said: 'This plan is feasible! The time and cost of renovation must be managed carefully. It is estimated that in five or six years, it will be completely dismantled and rebuilt. You can also understand one thing today, that is, a large number of land and old buildings owned by Cheung Kong Holdings are waiting for reconstruction. As for when to rebuild, I believe that sooner or later Hong Kong will need high-rise buildings, similar to the modern development model of the United States, because there are too many people. '

Everyone was shocked. It turned out that the boss was waiting for this. Although there had been some guesses, Lin Zhichao often asked everyone to pay attention to high-rise buildings in the United States. But today, for the first time, everyone understands the company's development direction.

Afterwards, everyone worked even harder!

The properties currently owned by Cheung Kong Holdings are so lucrative.