The birth of the Hong Kong Island family

Gordon came to the office of his boss, Laurence Kadoorie, handed over a letter, and said: "Boss, this is a letter from Cheung Kong Holdings to you."

Kadoorie said unexpectedly: "Is this Lin Zhichao determined to get that property?"

It turned out that a week ago, Lin Zhichao proposed to acquire the ownership of the Hong Kong Hotel in the name of Cheung Kong Holdings, and the two parties communicated through letters.

Naturally, Kadoorie did not agree and wrote back stating that he had no intention of selling the property. In Kadoorie's view, the Hong Kong Hotel can still generate profits, unlike the residential land that was sold to Cheung Kong before, which could only charge a little rent every year; .

Gordon said: "She must be eager to get it! After all, Global Shipping Lines is very wealthy. As the boss, Lin Zhichao is naturally rich."

Kadoorie made no comment, then tore open the letter and read it.

‘Willing to acquire at a high price’, ‘and can lease it to a Hong Kong hotel for three years at a very low price for the hotel business’

After reading the letter, Kadoorie suddenly felt a little loose. He was not interested in real estate; and he also knew that the Hong Kong Hotel had lost its competitiveness in Central, and it was inevitable that it would go downhill because the hardware in all aspects was not good.

"They said they were willing to buy the property at a high price and lease it to us for three years at a very low price to continue operating the hotel. Do you want to consider it?" Kadoorie asked Gordon.

Gordon did not answer this question directly, but said: "Cheung Kong Industrial is so fond of this land, I am afraid that it wants to build a headquarters building as the headquarters of its subsidiaries. If it is rebuilt, it will be built like the 'Alexander Building' completed this year." 'The value of such a beautiful building has indeed increased a lot."

The 'second generation' Alexandra Building is a property rebuilt by Landmark this year. It is located at No. 16-20 Chater Road, Central, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong Island, No. 6 Ice House Street to the east, and No. 5-17 Des Voeux Road Central to the south. It is a triangular area of prosperous land.

At present, in Hong Kong, commercial buildings are allowed to build high-rise buildings, but they need to pass administrative approval; for example, the Bank of China Building (the former site of the Great Hall photographed in 1947) completed in the early 1950s has 17 floors, 6.5 meters higher than HSBC (HSBC Bank only has 12 floors plus basement).

Kadoorie nodded and said, "It makes sense. If it is built into a ten-story commercial building, the value will be greatly increased."

Since the Hong Kong government has not yet encouraged high-rise development, there may be restrictions on building buildings that are too high. Therefore, Kadoorie did not expect to build higher. In fact, no one in Hong Kong could have imagined at this time that the Hong Kong government would amend the building regulations to encourage high-rise buildings.

Seeing this, Gordon asked, "What does the boss mean?"

Obviously, he saw that the boss wanted to get in touch, and if he could sell at a high price, the boss would agree. After all, the core industries of the Kadoorie family are the electrical industry and the Peninsula Hotel. It is possible to sell this land at a high price to develop the electrical industry.

As expected, Kadoorie said: "In that case, I will reply to them and let them submit an offer to see their sincerity! The land in Central has maintained its value even during the war; now that the war is over, the tide should naturally increase. "

"Well, then boss, you write back, and I'll pass it to them."

The unit price of commercial land in Central, even during the Peninsular War, was about 300 Hong Kong dollars per square foot, which was higher than the auction price in 1947.

Now, the Kadoorie family feels that according to the market price, the unit price of the property land in Central is HK$350 to HK$400 per square meter; however, he has no intention of selling it at this price unless he can get a higher price.

At the same time, it is also a temptation to lease to the Hong Kong Hotel at a low price for three years, provided the price is low.

The other side.

Lin Zhichao was in the office, seeing Kadoorie's reply, and heaved a sigh of relief.

Just interested in selling!

To put it bluntly, just let Kadoorie "open the mouth of the lion", how much can he ask for?

You simply lack imagination!

As for Lin Zhichao, he analyzed that the land of the Hong Kong Hotel would reach a price of more than 30 million Hong Kong dollars in 1957, which was the amount spent by the Xu Aizhou family in their previous life.

Although it is impossible for him to agree to such a high price now, it still gives him a lot of room for quotation; after all, if he waits until then, Lin Zhichao may face a bidding war with Xu Aizhou, giving the Kadoorie family a bargain.

Referring to the past life at this time, the Kadoorie family sold a large residential plot of land to Airship Tai, which shows that Kadoorie did not know much about real estate and had no intention of investing in real estate.

After various psychological analysis, Lin Zhichao still decided to offer a 'sky-high price' to defeat Kadoorie's psychological defense in one fell swoop. After all, given the market price, others will think that I run the hotel well, so why sell it!

The information on this land has been roughly introduced by Kadoorie. The total area is 26,000 square feet.

Lin Zhichao decided to quote a price of HK$460 per square foot, which is a total price of HK$12 million. At the same time, he agreed to rent it to the Hong Kong Hotel for another three years, charging only HK$500,000 in rent per year.

Generally speaking, it is 30% higher than the market price. It is like betting that this number can rise next year. It also gives Kadoorie the impression that after the war, real estate will probably rise by this number.

Lin Zhichao's mental limit is within 15 million Hong Kong dollars. If it is higher, then he can only give up and use the funds to buy oil tankers. He can make more than double the money in three years, and then participate in the bidding for this land at a high price.

Although he and Xu Aizhou maintained a good relationship, business was business and only the one with the highest price could get it.

In mid-December, Lin Zhichao and Kadoorie finally sat together. After a month of communication, the two parties finally reached an agreement and were ready to complete the signing.

The two of them were not familiar with each other, just a simple business relationship. In fact, this time Kadoorie was able to show off to Lin Zhichao.

Why do you say this?

Kadoorie saw that Lin Zhichao was interested in his property and was determined to get it, so he took the opportunity to ask for a price. In the end, Lin Zhichao asked for 12 million, and Kadoorie asked for 13.8 million. After a confrontation, the price fell to 13.2 million Hong Kong dollars.

For Lin Zhichao, this price actually felt like a profit. According to his analysis, land prices in Xiangjiang were likely to rise by 50% in 1954 alone. Due to the influence of the government, hot money from Southeast Asia has flowed to Hong Kong one after another, coupled with the end of the war, the land in Hong Kong has increased at a rate of about 50% per year. Even in 1954, there was no news that the Hong Kong government intended to encourage the "development of high-rise buildings."

Therefore, the price of 13.2 million Hong Kong dollars was almost the price at the end of 1954. Lin Zhichao did not feel that it was a loss. After all, he was the one who initiated the transaction.

However, if the transaction price is disclosed, Lin Zhichao may be given indecent titles such as "the big guy" and "the water guy" in a short time, and will be laughed at by his colleagues in the business world.

So when we met, Lin Zhichao said: "Mr. Kadoorie, please don't disclose the details of this transaction." After speaking, he showed a wry smile.

Kadoorie felt happy, thinking about young people, you also know that this is a disgraceful thing!

But he still said seriously: "Of course, the details of this transaction should be kept secret." The conversation changed, and he said obediently after getting a bargain: "But having said that, this property is the best location in Hong Kong, Mr. Lin bought it It’s very worth it! If Mr. Lin insisted on buying it, I would not have planned to sell it. I know that Mr. Lin wants to build a beautiful headquarters building as the headquarters of Global Shipping, so I think you should be fulfilled!"

When Lin Zhichao heard this, he thought to himself, you really would think, how could this building be the headquarters building of Global Shipping? It is not a coastal building.

Of course it’s called ‘Yangtze River Group Center’!

"Then thank you Mr. Kadoorie for making it happen! Indeed, I plan to build a first-class building here." Lin Zhichao said calmly.

Kadoorie said with some suspicion: "Since Mr. Lin is planning to build a first-class building, why is he willing to rent it to us at a low price for three years?"

Although he felt that he had 'killed' Lin Zhichao, he was always a little uneasy. You must know that Lin Zhichao can build a huge fleet at a young age, so he is still a character!

Lin Zhichao smiled wryly and said, "It's not about the funds. Mr. Kadoorie doesn't know about it. Shipping companies have always been short of money. So slowing down will help fund allocation and avoid problems."

When he said this, Kadoorie, Gordon and others immediately felt relieved.

Kadoorie said: "Indeed, I also know that shipping is a big investment. A ship can buy a small or medium-sized building."

Subsequently, Kadoorie and others took the initiative to formally sign the contract.

The contracts were signed in two phases. The first contract was for the ownership transaction of the Hong Kong Hotel, and the second contract was for the rental property transaction of the Hong Kong Hotel.

If the rent is based on 50 years for one year, it will take Lin Zhichao more than 26 years to repay the capital, so it is said to be rented to the Kadoorie family for three years at a very low price.

Of course, for Lin Zhichao, he could earn some money by renting it out to the Kadoorie family from 1954 to 1956; if he didn't rent it out, he would start building buildings in the late 1950s.

Although it was in 1955 that the development of buildings to high-rise buildings was encouraged, it was impossible for Lin Zhichao to build commercial buildings too early. The first is the problem of construction technology, the second is the problem of tenants, and the third is that the real estate wants to do "development of real estate ( Residential)' Let's talk about it after making a wave of funds.

Especially for tenants, Hong Kong only attracted the world's major companies to set up branches and offices in Hong Kong in the late 1950s, so office buildings in Central were relatively easy to rent at that time.

Witnessed by the lawyer, the two parties completed the signing, and Lin Zhichao also handed over a check.

After deducting the first year's rent, the total is HK$12.7 million, equivalent to less than US$2.3 million.

All this money is allocated from the accounts of Global Shipping, and Global Shipping should be able to have a cash flow balance of about US$4.5 million this year.

"Happy cooperation, Mr. Kadoorie!"

"Happy cooperation, Mr. Lin!"

In fact, how can cooperation be happy!

Lin Zhichao, who returned to the company, was thinking about his strength in real estate in the office.

The land properties he owns include:

Causeway Bay (commercial and residential): Paterson Street "half a square (215,000 sq. The whole street (156,000 square feet), the embassy building

Central (commercial buildings): Hong Kong Hotel on Pedder Street (26,000), No. 9 Chiu Lung Street (14,000), No. 77 Des Voeux Road Central (16,000), No. 10 Ice Factory Street (09,000)

Kowloon (commercial and residential): Yau Ma Tei Public Square Street (172,000), Miramar Hotel opposite Kowloon Park (88,000)

In addition to these large properties, Cheung Kong also owns a small number of small properties and land; including a land of more than 20,000 square feet in North Point, which together with the embassy building is owned by Uniqlo clothing company.

All properties added together have a total value of about 45 million.

Although it is still far behind Global Shipping's net assets of about HK$300 million, it still gives Lin Zhichao a lot of peace of mind.

At this time, no one in Hong Kong knew the specific assets of Lin Zhichao, and now even HSBC Bank did not know how many ships he had, because when he bought more than a dozen ships later, HSBC had already paid off a lot of debts; Ships are registered in overseas offshore locations such as Panama, mainly to facilitate business with the United States.

In fact, no one in Hong Kong thinks that Lin Zhichao's wealth has surpassed that of Ho Tung, including some of Lin Zhichao's friends. Everyone prefers to believe that Lin Zhichao's wealth should be at the same level as that of established families such as Xu Aizhou.

"Boss, you're busy!" Tang Caiyun walked into the office and said in a joking tone.

It can be seen that she is very happy because Cheung Kong Holdings has added another large-scale property.

Lin Zhichao placed a chair next to his seat and asked Tang Caiyun, who was six months pregnant, to sit down. As Lin Zhichao's career is getting more and more expanding, he himself has been very "preparing for a rainy day", which has led to Tang Caiyun and Xu Caiying to go to work one after another.

What he fears most is flying. Even with his superhuman body, he can't survive, but he still has to fly everywhere for a year.

Lin Zhichao said with concern: "If you are tired from work, you can just stay at home. If anything happens in the company, I will tell you!"

Tang Caiyun stroked her pregnant belly and said, "I don't want it! It's not like you don't know that I have a very easy job and I have an assistant, and Cheung Kong is still in the preparation stage."

Lin Zhichao nodded. Although Yangtze River Industrial has huge assets, it is relatively idle at work. At present, Cheung Kong has moved into the third floor of Qiuyi Building. It is in the same building as Global Shipping, and also occupies the first floor, including Uniqlo's clothing and hotel departments.

Tang Caiyun's job is indeed simple. She is still on the remuneration committee. In fact, she is idle, at least for now. He also became Lin Zhichao's assistant and shared an office with him, which was considered a sure status.

However, there is one thing that the two of them have a very tacit understanding about, that is, Tang Caiyun does not interfere in the company's work, only listens, watches and asks, but does not give advice.

Later, Lin Zhichao popularized Cheung Kong’s gameplay to Tang Caiyun: “The building purchased this time will probably be built in the late 1950s. A first-class Central Grade A office building will be built as the headquarters of Cheung Kong Group, including Cheung Kong Industries. Headquarters.”

Tang Caiyun listened carefully, and then asked curiously: "Then how do you know when the Hong Kong government will allow high-rise residential buildings?"

She knew that Cheung Kong Holdings should first develop residential buildings and then develop buildings after collecting funds, so that it would be financially healthy.

Lin Zhichao said: "The governor of Hong Kong once mentioned this to me. I don't know the exact time, but now so many people live on the mountain; at the same time, Hong Kong's industry began to develop, creating many wealthy people and forming market purchasing power. So, it will be within three years. Changjiang Real Estate is also developing some redevelopment properties, and with the collection of rents, it will not be a problem to support twenty or thirty people in the company. Don't worry!"

Tang Caiyun nodded, feeling reassured.

According to Lin Zhichao's idea, before the first, second and third readings (passage) of the "Building Regulations" in 1955, he will plan and cooperate with Li Gaofu's Kimberley Road "Champagne Building", once the "Third Readings" of the Building Regulations are passed , immediately applied for review, and then sold the off-the-plan property, taking the lead in igniting Hong Kong's property market.

Of course, it is unavoidable that Lin Zhichao's shareholding will fall to Lin Zhichao. After all, there is no such problem in five-storey tenement buildings. When it comes to residential buildings with many units on the first floor, the issue of shareholding must be involved. Public stalls will not be an annoyance to the public in Hong Kong, not to mention that they were later abolished in 2003.

After the sale of Champagne Building, Hong Kong real estate has been ignited, and other real estate projects will be planned at that time.

In terms of commercial buildings, the land at No. 10 Xuechang Street will be the first commercial building of Cheung Kong Industrial Co., Ltd. in 1956. It is expected to be 17 stories high and will serve as the temporary headquarters of Global Shipping and Cheung Kong Group.

Lin Zhichao's thoughts were told to Tang Caiyun almost without reservation, just let her keep them in mind.

Shek Kip Mei, Pak Tin Shang Village.

In a wooden house in Bajiapo, the owner Chen San was rummaging for something on the bed with a lit 'fire water lamp'. Inadvertently, a small spark splashed into the cotton tire, but it did not cause anyone to be alert.

"Head of the house, what are you looking for? Let the children sleep well!" the wife complained.

In a small wooden house, there are two beds. The beds are covered with messy quilts and old clothes, which is very messy; even the environment of the whole wooden house is dirty and messy, with a foul smell in the air.

But hundreds of thousands of people in Hong Kong living in government houses and wooden houses have become accustomed to it. Not only are they poor, but they are also short of water, not to mention that they are tired from work and who wants to clean up.

"I'm looking for my cigarette and want to smoke!"

"Over there, what are you smoking at night, go to bed early, and you have to go to work tomorrow!"

"I know about going to work. If a man doesn't smoke, how can he have the energy to go to work? It's a lot of trouble!"

Women just need to shut up!

The man finally found a pack of cigarettes, and there was only half a cigarette left in it, which was the half he had already smoked. Although he is addicted to smoking, he doesn't earn much, so he can only smoke less.

After lighting it and taking a deep breath, the man inhaled the smoke into his lungs and fully felt the taste. He repeated this twice. Looking at the few cigarettes left, he gritted his teeth and put it out, saving it for smoking in the morning.

When the two children smelled the smoke, they dared not say anything in anger. If they complained, their father would bring them up and beat them up again.

It was late at night, everyone was asleep, but the sparks in the cotton tire were burning more and more fiercely. Suddenly, an open flame encountered a flammable object, and a huge fire broke out. The thick black smoke quickly suffocated the four people in the room.

In the end, it was the man who held on.

"Ahem"

Chen San tried his best to open the door and ran out. He looked for water, but found that there was no water at all. When he looked at his wooden house again, it was already in flames.

"Wife, son, come out quickly!"

"Wife and son, come out quickly!"

For a moment, Chen San howled hard, but the only response he received was billowing fire. And time, only less than a minute passed.

"It's on fire"

"It's on fire"

The fire spread quickly, and Chen San could only escape alone. He was very sad but did not dare to speak out. Because he might have started the fire, he wanted to escape as soon as possible, because the fire had already filled dozens of wooden houses and was out of control.

People made shrill screams for help, mixed with "Huo Zhu!" ’ and a knock on the door. The residents woke up from their dreams, helped the old and young, and fled for their lives.

Less than ten minutes after the fire started, the fire had spread to Zhongyue. The weather was not perfect, and a violent northeast wind was blown. The tail of the fire was blown down by the wind from the middle of the upper village of Baitian, forming a sea of ​​fire. In the sky, fire was everywhere, and the light of the fire made the whole sky red.

It was too late and then it was too late, the fire had spread to Baitian Zhongyue. Although the fire brigade personnel did their best to fight the fire, the fire had spread in all directions. The pungent flames and scorching sea of ​​fire could not withstand the northeast wind. , the fire rushed down the mountain like a scourge, forcing the fire brigade personnel to retreat.

By 10 o'clock, the entire Baitian Upper Village had been burned to ashes, and the fire continued to spread to Baitian Lower Village. At first, residents thought the fire would be extinguished soon, so they didn't move anything until firefighters knocked on the door and told them to evacuate. But in order to save their lives in the wooden house closer to the fire, they ran towards the narrow alley before even moving out the cotton tires.

After the entire Baitian Upper Village and Zhongyue were patronized by the Vulcan, the fire had spread to the Lower Village, and the fire started even more. In less than 20 minutes, the entire Baitian Lower Village had been burned up. The homeless residents of Zhongyue fled to Baitian Village one after another. Because the width of these alleys was narrow enough to accommodate only five people, the people in front had already piled up like a sea of ​​people, making it difficult to escape, and the fire behind them chased them like wild beasts. The residents standing behind could not escape, so they had to climb up the wooden houses, jump from one wooden house to another, and use the roofs of the wooden houses as a way out. Due to the weak construction of the wooden house and the large number of people on the house, the whole wooden house often collapsed. Dozens of fleeing residents, including people and belongings, followed the wooden roof and collapsed. The cries of the residents shook heaven and earth.

With no way out, the residents jumped from one ditch to another ditch as if they had wings, turned around the fire scene, and climbed to the top of Baitian Village to escape.

By about 11 o'clock, the fire had spread to Wo Tsai Village, and the villagers of Wo Tsai Village fled to the top of the mountain like the residents of Pak Tin Village. Some residents climbed halfway up the mountain and suddenly rolled down, crying miserably: "I'm going to die!"

At about 11:10, most of the wooden houses in Wozi Village had been burned down. Then another fire started burning at the wooden houses in Tai Po Road Village, and the residents here fled again in chaos.

At 11:10, the Shek Kip Mei Fire Station issued an emergency fire alarm, and firefighters asked residents to evacuate. In an instant, the fire had spread to Shek Kip Mei Village.

The personnel of the fire station were scattered on the edge of the fire site, raised their axes, and hacked the door of the wooden house there. They opened the door with great difficulty, went in and moved a few things out, but the fire rushed like a flood, and the things moved out were destroyed again. Vulcan burns away.