The birth of the Hong Kong Island family

Lin Zhichao, Huang Changhong, Li Paulo and other senior officials came to Des Voeux Road Middle.

The ‘Global Tower’ at 77 Des Voeux Road, which is under construction, and the just-photographed 71 Des Voeux Road Central are actually neighbors. After all, the area of ​​a building spans several street numbers.

Wearing safety helmets, everyone came to the internal construction site of the Global Building and found that workers were installing steel beams and columns. The construction sites in Hong Kong are very small. The Universal Building is originally a street-facing building, but during construction, it cannot affect the road or the sidewalk. Therefore, a safety shed will be built above the sidewalk to ensure the passage and safety of pedestrians.

The structure of the Global Tower is a steel beam and steel column structure instead of a traditional concrete structure. The HSBC Building in later generations is such a building. It is also conceivable that there will be no shortage of imitators in Hong Kong in later generations.

"There will probably be a typhoon this summer!" Lin Zhichao said casually.

Hong Kong is located in a typhoon zone, and major typhoons occur every few years.

Paul Li said: "Boss, please rest assured that the structure of this building is not afraid of typhoons. As for the glass curtain wall installed in the future, I believe it can withstand the test of typhoons. A strong wind of about 200 kilometers may not be able to damage it at all!" "

He is very proud and feels a great sense of accomplishment to be involved in the construction of so many buildings!

Lin Zhichao nodded and said: "I'm relieved! This building is the first to use 'steel beams and steel structures' in Hong Kong. Once completed, it will definitely become the object of imitation by latecomers. And the blue glass curtain wall will become Victoria's first The most beautiful buildings on both sides of Hong Kong.”

Before the Exchange Building was built in the 1980s, this building was the "Seaview Building". Lin Zhichao was looking forward to sitting in the office on the 22nd floor, overlooking Victoria Harbor and Tsim Sha Tsui through the floor-to-ceiling glass curtain wall.

Paul Li said: "It is indeed a first-class beautiful building! Only the boss is willing to spend nearly double the construction cost to build such a building. Of course, as the headquarters of Global Shipping, it does require this investment."

Architectural geniuses can also flatter themselves!

The Universal Building has 22 floors, a construction area of ​​220,000 square feet, and the construction cost is about HKD 15 million; while the Yingzhi Building has 22 floors, a construction area of ​​more than 190,000 square feet, and the construction cost is only over HKD 8 million.

Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "It saves money on land fees, so it doesn't hurt!"

Everyone laughed. This piece of land was bought from Ho Tung for only 4 million Hong Kong dollars; but now the land next to it is about the same size, but it cost 16 million Hong Kong dollars.

The 12 million Hong Kong dollars saved are indeed enough to cover excess construction costs.

Afterwards, everyone walked towards the adjacent site at No. 71 Des Voeux Road Central.

“We want this building to be taller, let’s build it to 32 floors!”

Huang Changhong nodded and said: "Yes. If the building is built above 30 floors, it would originally have two sides facing the street, which is equivalent to one more side facing the street, which can facilitate pedestrian access."

As the height goes up, it naturally has to be slimmed down, after all, the land area ratio is there; and the slimmed down area can naturally become a public space.

Of course, the building must be well-developed in all four directions. The more streets it faces, the greater the flow of people and the more popular it will be.

"We will try to complete the design drawings in the first half of next year and start construction in the second half of the year!"

"good"

It was put into use around the first half of 1963. After all, its height is many stories higher than the current tallest building in Hong Kong.

On the way back, Lin Zhichao was in a relatively happy mood. After all, another building was added to his foundation. Commercial real estate is like a needle that fixes the sea, and it is an asset that Lin Zhichao is currently keen on.

"By the way, Manager Huang, when will the property we are working with be sold? How much money can we make?" Lin Zhichao asked Huang Changhong, who was in the same car.

In 1958, when the real estate industry was at a trough, Lin Zhichao organized the company's middle and senior management to collaborate on a real estate project, which was considered a welfare for everyone.

This kind of cooperation that wins people's hearts is similar to the previous life when Lee Shau Kee let senior executives form a partnership. Lee Shau Kee even lent money to senior executives to buy shares because his senior executives' annual salaries were not high; Lin Zhichao's senior executives had higher annual salaries, so they naturally did not need Lin Zhichao to lend them money.

It is also similar to the way Li Jiacheng bought the company's stocks at low prices for senior executives after the company went public. For example, Ma Shimin's "bonus" in the 1990s made a profit of tens of millions or hundreds of millions; Li Jiacheng did not give this money directly, but Give Ma Shimin the opportunity to buy stocks at a low price. For example, the current stock price is 20 yuan, and give Ma Shimin the opportunity to buy it for 15 yuan. As a senior executive of the company, Ma Shimin naturally has confidence in the company. If it rises to 25 yuan after the one-year unfreezing period and then sells it, he will naturally make a big profit. Its beneficial.

Lin Zhichan is not a stingy person. He cannot just make money for himself and ignore the meager salary of his capable people, so he has always been generous.

Talent is hard to find, and loyal people are indispensable. If you want others to be loyal, just trying to spread the pie will sooner or later consume the trust of your subordinates, but you must give real benefits.

The management salary of Cheung Kong Holdings is higher than that of outside real estate companies, and the salary of senior management is far higher than that of outside real estate elites. The annual salary of core senior management is 80,000, the annual salary of senior management is 50,000 to 60,000, the middle management is 20,000 to 40,000, and the annual salary of low-level management is 10,000 to 20,000, even for ordinary employees, the annual salary is more than 6,000.

The salary of the middle management of Cheung Kong Industrial is equivalent to the core senior level of other real estate companies. Of course, it is also the huge scale of Cheung Kong Industrial that allows it to support more than 160 people.

"I heard from Manager Hu that we have been making preparations recently. It is expected to be sold before the year. I should ask you for instructions soon! After all, the construction funds for this property are still borrowed from the company. The sooner the sale is made, the sooner the funds will be withdrawn. The boss has been very good to you. .”

Lin Zhichao nodded. When the company raised funds, it raised a total of 1.2 million Hong Kong dollars, which was far beyond Lin Zhichao's expectation. The land was only 1.8 million Hong Kong dollars, so the company invested another 600,000 Hong Kong dollars and bought it.

But it has entered the development stage in the middle of this year, and half of the floors have been built. It is time to sell it. After all, the construction fee is paid by the company in advance!

"How much can you earn?"

"2.5 to 3 million, which is more than 100% of the income. Everyone is very grateful to you, boss!"

The capital amount equivalent to 180 has increased to 4.3 to 4.8 million Hong Kong dollars; for every dollar invested, you can earn 1.5 yuan and get back 2.5 yuan.

Lin Zhichao said with satisfaction: "I will ask for your opinions later. Do you want to build another real estate project?"

After withdrawing the funds and acquiring another piece of land, although the profit rate will not be that high, it will definitely be very lucrative.

Huang Changhong said with a smile: "I'm afraid everyone is very happy that the boss takes care of us again!"

Lin Zhichao waved his hand and said: "I can earn 1 million, and naturally I hope you can earn 100,000. This cooperation method can be regarded as a tradition of our company, but for the sake of the stability of everyone's interests, we can only sell one property and then start other projects." The next property.”

Huang Changhong nodded quickly and said, "Okay, everyone is very grateful to the boss. After all, our salary is higher than that of other real estate companies."

Lin Zhichao said nothing and accepted everyone's loyalty.

In fact, as a large company, if the salary is lower than outside, then the boss is really stingy and has nothing to say.

Paul Li, who was in the front row, also took the opportunity to say: "The boss is so kind to everyone, and everyone is very grateful."

This is a construction wizard, a serious founder of a listed construction company in his previous life, but in the end he was imprisoned for embezzling public funds for stock speculation.

The same goes for Lu Xiaopei, who is also the founder of a listed construction company.

What Lin Zhichao doesn't know is whether Paul Li and Lu Xiaopei will continue to work with him, or whether they will be ready to resign in a few years. But in any case, Poly Construction is already full of talents, and even if two people leave, it will not have a big impact.

Paul Li is a core executive with an annual salary of 80,000 yuan and a real estate cooperation. Looking at the current situation, there is a high probability that he will not consider leaving his job.

When Lu Xiaopei returned home at night, his wife complained: "Why do you work overtime so late again?"

"As you said, what can the construction industry do without working overtime? To do projects, you must be meticulous and strive for excellence." Lu Xiaopei said nonchalantly.

The wife no longer complained, after all, this was normal, but said, "Go and wash up, and I'll heat up some food for you!"

After a while, Lu Xiaopei started to devour the food. He is the project leader of all residential properties of Yangtze River Industrial. He is also the deputy general manager of Poly Construction and Paul Li's deputy.

The real estate projects on Paterson Street are under construction in full swing. Lu Xiaopei almost always needs to focus on this project, and he also has to supervise other small real estate projects.

Paul Li is mainly responsible for the overall situation of Poly Construction and is responsible for the construction of all purely commercial projects. He has greater responsibilities.

Busy, it’s true!

The wife called the children to the bedroom to do their homework. She sat next to Lu Xiaopei and said, "Are you really going to work for your boss for the rest of your life? I remember that your biggest dream was to be the boss of a construction company!"

Lu Xiaopei was stunned and suddenly remembered his previous dream. He was a construction boss and real estate developer in Shanghai. Although he wandered around various construction sites in Hong Kong, he never gave up his dream.

On the contrary, in the past five years, I have gradually forgotten my dream because the boss offered me too much.

"How much money do we have in savings?"

"The deposit is 100,000, and didn't you also invest 100,000 in real estate?"

Lu Xiaopei nodded and said, "Well, that property is about to open. My colleagues told me that the profit will be about 150%, which means we can get back nearly 250,000. Of course, it will take two years to get it all back."

The wife's eyes lit up and she said, "How can you make money like this?"

Lu Xiaopei said: "The reason why I make money is because the boss pointed me to a good time. At that time, the land was the cheapest. Try it with someone else. How many people lost their money last time."

The wife nodded. She also knew about the last wave of real estate crisis.

"You make up your mind, I will support you no matter what!"

She is worried about taking risks and also wants her husband to be the boss. In fact, she just has no idea.

Lu Xiaopei nodded, thinking while eating, and then said for a long time: "I'll work for another five years. The boss is very good to me. I can't just quit my job with a little money. But being the boss of a construction company is my dream, and I can't Give up. What's more, Poly Construction has Paul Li, his skills are not weaker than mine, and the company is also full of talents, so my departure in the future will not have much impact!"

Historically, Lu Xiaopei had saved 120,000 yuan in another year and started his own business, undertaking small projects and relying on credit for materials.

Now, Lu Xiaopei's assets are already 200,000 yuan, plus the real estate dividend of 150,000 yuan, and the house he lives in now, his assets are more than 250,000 yuan higher than in his previous life.

Of course, Lin Zhichao is not at a loss. Lu Xiaopei is very capable and can serve as the project manager of many real estate projects. It is natural that he should be given a high salary.

As a boss, you can't always hold on to a high platform for your subordinates, which is already doing your best, and you should give others a salary corresponding to their ability.

The wife nodded and said, "Indeed, it's better to be on the safe side!"

Lu Xiaopei calmed down again!

If it weren't for his wife's reminder, he would have been immersed in his current job, and he could receive a salary of 50,000 to 60,000 yuan a year. Although he supervised a lot of sites, Poly Construction also had a lot of talents, so he didn't need to do everything himself.

Busy, but comfortable to do!

At the same time, the company organizes middle and high-level managers to cooperate in the development of real estate. This dividend is equivalent to receiving another salary without having to work. If he hadn't worked as a builder and real estate developer in the Shanghai stock market, and occasionally remembered that he was a descendant of the royal family, he would have worked for others all his life.

Time flies, and it spans to the 1960s in a blink of an eye.

On New Year's Day in 1960, something happened: Audrey Hepburn took her two sons back to No. 79 Deep Water Bay to recognize their relatives.

Everything happened naturally. Tang Caiyun and Xu Caiying had long known and vaguely knew that Lin Zhichao had a room outside, but they pretended not to know so as not to offend Lin Zhichao; at the same time, they also gave the initiative to Lin Zhichao.

But the problem is, after Lin Xiner and Audrey Hepburn met, things began to develop in a different direction. Lin Xiner inadvertently revealed it to Wu Wenying, and Wu Wenying naturally couldn't bear to have two grandsons living outside, so she urged Lin Zhichao to let Audrey Hepburn, mother and son recognize their ancestors.

After seeing Lin Xiner, Audrey Hepburn also felt the family affection from the man's family, and also wanted to meet her.

Under such circumstances, Lin Zhichao made the decision, and Audrey Hepburn, mother and son, came to Hong Kong to meet and pay homage to their ancestors, and officially became members of the Lin family.

After all, the two sons also need to strengthen their sense of belonging to the family, not to mention how good their relationship with their brothers and sisters is, at least they cannot become strangers.

Fortunately, as the two hostesses, Tang Caiyun and Xu Caiying are not jealous people; or in other words, if this happened to Lin Zhichao, it was nothing serious.

On the grass, nine children were playing. The youngest child was Lin Ruinan, born to Audrey Hepburn. He was only 14 months old and could barely walk under the guidance of a servant.

On the other side, Lin Zhichao and others were sitting on outdoor chairs, surrounded by tables with drinks and snacks, and were chatting.

"They seem to have no barriers and can play together! The brothers are so caring. If I had known this, I should have communicated more!" Audrey Hepburn looked into the distance. Several older children took Lin Ruidong with them. They were not excluded at all. I was very happy immediately.

Lin Zhichao said ashamedly: "In this regard, I, the father and husband, did not think carefully."

In fact, at the beginning, he didn't really trust foreigners and whether they could be conquered by him; so he didn't want to intervene in these matters too early, and it was not too late now.

The eldest child, Lin Ruihuan, is only less than 11 years old this year (half a year away), so he can completely cultivate brotherhood. The point is that Lin Zhichao's status in the family determines that some things will develop in the direction he expected.

Upon hearing Lin Zhichao's review, the three women immediately comforted him, and their actions were surprisingly consistent.

Lin Xiner was dumbfounded by this scene. Her brother was so awesome!

Although polygamy is allowed in Hong Kong, it does not mean that those concubines who marry into the house will not cause chaos. At least they will have conflicts and intrigues when they live together.

Tang Caiyun continued: "It's too late now. From now on, we can get together here regularly. If we go to the United States, we can also get together there."

Audrey Hepburn immediately said: "Okay! We have a big villa in Los Angeles. You are welcome to come for vacation!"

Next, the three women performed a scene. Everyone talked about clothes, jewelry, and hobbies, and they were soon talking and laughing.

When Lin Zhichao saw this, he went to the group of children and started interacting.

On the first working day after New Year's Day, Lin Zhichao came to the Yangtze River Industrial Park.

As for Audrey Hepburn, Tang Caiyun and Xu Caiying were naturally there to entertain her, and they all made an appointment to visit Hong Kong.

Men have to work hard.

Crocodile shirts, travel suitcases, and doll noodles have all been separated from the Cheung Kong Industrial Group and moved to the factory in Kwun Tong for production. The office building is in the Crocodile Tshirt Building.

At this time, the Yangtze River Industrial Group's businesses included: zippers, toys, smelting, plastic flowers, wigs, ship scrapping, and the newly added 'Midea Electrical Appliances'.

Zippers and toys are core industries, steel and Midea electrical appliances are promising industries, and plastic flowers, wigs, and ship scrapping are temporary industries.

According to this classification, Lin Zhichao can better manage the enterprise.

Lin Zhichao came to a production workshop, where workers were assembling a 'Midea radio'.

"Boss, Deputy General Manager Wang." Xu Shaoan, the general manager of Midea Electric, came to greet the two of them.

Lin Zhichao nodded and immediately started to visit. Rather than producing radios, it was better to assemble a 'pocket atomic particle radio'.

The structure of this 'pocket atomic particle radio' is not difficult. The two most important parts are transistors made in Japan, and the rest of the accessories are made in Hong Kong. It is about the size of a palm and has a rope strap, making it very easy to carry.

The rope is easy to carry, but it can also become a lost key and can easily be picked out of the window.

At this time, radios were not cheap. The selling price of Sony brand radios in the United States and Japan was 38 US dollars, which was more than 200 Hong Kong dollars.

"How's the order?"

Xu Shaoan immediately said: "Relying on the overseas sales network of Changjiang Industrial Group, orders this month are expected to exceed 3,000 units."

The ex-factory price of a Midea radio is US$22, and Midea Electrical Appliances makes a profit of US$4, which is HK$22.

Calculated this way, the annual profit is less than 1 million.

However, this is just the beginning. Two years later, Hong Kong can export 1 million units to the United States a year, which puts huge pressure on Japan's radio industry; it also prompted the Japanese government to decide to ban the sale of transistors to Hong Kong. After all, this is to shake Japan. The foundation of electronic appliances.

But Hong Kong is very good at finding alternatives to this kind of low-level industry. After all, the United Kingdom and the United States can also produce it. Moreover, an American factory has opened a transistor factory in Hong Kong, which can not only be used by Hong Kong, but can also be used for export. In this way, the cost is cheaper than in Japan.

Lin Zhichao nodded and said: "The radio continues to expand the market, and another electric fan has to start too!"

Xu Shaoan used to be the management of Yangtze River Industrial Group. Now organizing two processing plants is naturally not a problem.

"OK!"

Radios and electric fans all earn some assembly fees. Do this for now, and then consider the next step after you have accumulated enough experience.