The birth of the Hong Kong Island family

It is the crisp autumn season of the year, but Hong Kong is exuding vigorous vitality. Whether it is real estate or the stock market, everything is showing a prosperous scene. Hong Kong's industry continues to be the biggest driver of economic growth, while tourism also continues to grow.

It can be said that without the foundation laid in the 1950s and 1960s, how could Hong Kong have prospered since the 1970s? There is no doubt that Hong Kong's economy has taken off in the two decades from the 1950s to the 1960s, while the other three tigers in Asia took off in the 1970s.

Hong Kong developed 15 years earlier than Taiwan, South Korea, and Singapore.

On this day, Lin Zhichao invited Zhou Xinian to drink tea at Lu Yu Teahouse.

"Congratulations, Sir Zhou, for being knighted by Her Majesty the Queen!" Lin Zhichao sent out congratulations when they met.

Compared with businessmen, people engaged in politics are more likely to obtain the title of 'Sir', but of course it depends on the circumstances.

Zhou Xinian entered politics in the 1930s and served as a hospital in the Municipal Health Bureau. After the war, he began to serve as a member of the Legislative Council and the Executive Council. In 1953, he succeeded his cousin as the "Chief Legislative Council Unofficial Member". According to reason, he will In 1963, he resigned as the chief unofficial member of the two councils. Now it is relatively slow to be awarded a knighthood at this time.

Although Lin Zhichao is a businessman, he has a huge fleet and global influence. Within three years at the latest, the British royal family will have to confer the title of 'Sir'.

As for the KBE title (second class), I'm afraid it's a long way off. If you want to get this title, you probably have to make a real contribution to the UK - invest in the UK, not contribute to Hong Kong.

The GBE title (first class) above can only be obtained by a complete act of being a "lonely minister and evil son"; as a businessman, Lin Zhichao was even less likely to be oriented towards Britain in his heart, so he gave up on this ambition.

Both KBE and GBE are directly crowned with "jazz titles", while the weight of individual "jazz titles" is slightly lower. For example, Bao Yugang and Run Run Shaw in their previous lives had already obtained them in the early 1970s.

Zhou Xinian said with a smile: "Lin Sheng is so polite!"

There was pride in his words.

Zhou Xinian became the chief unofficial member of the Legislative Council and the Executive Council in 1953 and 1959. This was the highest position a Chinese could achieve in the British Hong Kong era.

However, the status of Hong Kong in this era is not high in the London government, so Zhou Xinian does not even have a KBE. Like Lin Zhichao, he has a CBE (third class), but he has multiple newly awarded 'knights'. .

In the 1970s and 1980s, after the British discovered the importance of Hong Kong, they immediately became generous. Kan Yueqiang in the 1970s and Zhong Shiyuan in the 1980s were directly awarded the title of 'GBE', or Grand SIR for short.

In the 1990s, in order to struggle and lay landmines, the British directly made Deng Lianru a "baron"; of course, Deng Lianru not only served as the chief councilor of two councils, but also married an Englishman, so she could have such "honor".

Generally speaking, the highest political figures among the Chinese in Hong Kong are Zhou Xinian, Kan Yueqiang, Zhong Shiyuan, and Tang Lianru.

After chatting for a while, Lin Zhichao once again brought up the old talk: "Sir Zhou, I wonder if there is any progress on the establishment of a polytechnic?"

Just last year, Zhou Xinian proposed the establishment of a polytechnic in the Legislative Council, but it was unlikely that such a thing would come to fruition soon; Lin Zhichao, on the other hand, was very active and contacted legislators everywhere.

Zhou Xinian said: "This matter cannot be rushed. The Hong Kong government needs to invite scholars from London to conduct research reports before finally deciding whether to establish a 'polytechnic planning committee'. I know that Lin Sheng is keen on this matter, but it is a pity that I will step down from office the year after next." .So many things are not done smoothly.”

Soon, Lin Zhichao heard the implication: Zhou Xinian's term as a member of the Legislative Council has ended this year, and he is currently only serving as the chief member of the Executive Council. However, as the highest political representative of the Chinese people, his influence is still there.

When he said this at this time, he was actually still greedy for power and wanted to continue serving as a member of the Executive Council.

But Lin Zhichao understood that it was impossible for the Colonial Office in London to agree. However, in order to have another ally, he still said: "Sir Zhou has made outstanding contributions to Hong Kong industry during his tenure in the two councils. I am willing to join hands with my friends from the business community to , let’s petition London together, hoping that you will continue to serve.”

Zhou Xinian was overjoyed. He knew Lin Zhichao's power in Hong Kong's business community, and there was still hope for this matter.

Of course, he still said modestly: "I haven't made a big contribution, it's all my essential work. Since Lin Sheng is so passionate about education, I can't just sit back and watch. I will raise this matter with the Hong Kong government again."

Lin Zhichao immediately said: "This is a major event that is beneficial to Hong Kong and a major event for long-term development. Then Sir Zhou will be troubled."

Zhou Xinian immediately said: "Lin Sheng has a deep relationship with the Hong Kong government and is also familiar with Governor Robert Brickey. Why don't you come directly to the door and explain your views. I believe that such an unselfish public welfare act is unreasonable for Governor Brickey. disregard."

Lin Zhichao said worriedly: "I am worried that the opinion of the Legislative Council is more important on this matter, so I have not discussed it with Governor Bai Liji!"

It is generally accepted that the Governor of Hong Kong will not veto matters decided by the Legislative Council.

Zhou Xinian said with a smile: "Not necessarily, the power of the Hong Kong Governor is very great, and the Legislative Council will also refer to it according to the wishes of the Hong Kong Governor. Mr. Lin is not interested in politics, so his understanding may be somewhat biased."

Lin Zhichao nodded, and then said: "Yes. I'd like to visit the governor of Hong Kong, Bai Liji, and hope he can pay attention to this issue."

Zhou Xinian said: "Your Mr. Lin's funding is not to establish a university. I don't think the problem is very big."

Lin Zhichao said: "I also know that the problem is not serious, but I don't want it to drag on for too long."

After chatting for a while, Lin Zhichao also decided to take the initiative and try to get the Hong Kong government to approve the establishment of a 'preparatory committee' within three years. By then, it would only take two or three years for the 'Hong Kong Polytechnic' to be officially opened.

What Lin Chi-chao wants to do is not something that did not exist in the previous life, but it was just a few years in advance. In the previous life, the Hong Kong Polytechnic was proposed by Zhong Shiyuan in 1965, and a 'preparatory committee' was established in 1969. Tang Bingyuan was the chairman of the committee, and it was officially opened in 1972.

In this life, Lin Zhichao hopes that the "Hong Kong Polytechnic Institute" will open in 1966.

As for upgrading the University of Science and Technology, it took 20 years in the previous life. In this life, Lin Zhichao can use the donated funds to upgrade in the early 1980s.

At that time, the time will be stuck in Hong Kong's industrial transformation.

In mid-October, construction began on the Midea Building at 71 Des Voeux Road Central. It is a 32-storey first-class Grade A building with a property area of ​​10,000 square feet per floor.

So far, the Lin Zhichao family has owned five first-class Grade A commercial buildings in Central, which are:

Crocodile T-shirt Building: 16 floors high, with a total floor area of ​​112,000 square feet including floor shops. It is affiliated to Uniqlo clothing company.

Yingzhi Building: 22 floors high, with a total floor area of ​​192,000 square feet. It is an asset of Cheung Kong Properties.

Poly Building: 26 floors high, with a total floor area of ​​280,000 square feet. It is an asset of Yangtze River Real Estate. It has been fully leased and will open early next year.

Global Tower: A new coastal building with a height of 22 floors, a mid-floor area of ​​220,000 square feet, a steel beam and steel column structure, and a glass curtain wall. It is an asset of Yangtze River Land. It has been capped and will be put into use in June next year.

Midea Building: 32 floors high, with a total floor area of ​​320,000 square feet, a coastal building.

Other commercial projects include:

Miramar Hotel, Miramar Shopping Centre, Sing Tao Daimaru Department Store, two buildings in Causeway Bay (Causeway Bay Daimaru Department Store, Xintiandi Shopping Center), Lai Chi Garden Amusement Park, a large number of scattered shops (first floor of street-facing residential buildings)

Soon, the Yangtze River Industrial Group will be able to live a comfortable life just by collecting rent.

This is like the foundation Xu Aizhou laid for his family, which is of course much more expensive than his family's real estate assets.

At the same time, there are still 1.4 million square feet of land owned by Yangtze River Real Estate that has not been developed (more than 260,000 square feet in Paterson Street and the Triangle Zone are considered developed).

In terms of cash flow, it is expected that by the end of the year, there will be about 50 million in cash and stocks, that is, the sale of the seven-building residential part of Paterson Street.

The total assets of Cheung Kong Holdings are probably already HK$400-500 million, an appreciation of about 50% compared with last year.

Back at the company, Lin Zhichao asked Zhou Fuzhao for rental information about the Poly Building.

The Poly Building is located in the heart of Central, next to the later Landmark Plaza. Now it has been developed into a first-class building by Lin Zhichao, and Landmark is envious of it; because in this area, Landmark's Alexandria Building is only nine floors high.

Currently, the rent of Grade A office buildings in Central ranges from HK$1.2 to HK$1.4. The Poly Building can collect rents of more than HK$5 million a year, of which the shopping mall contributes about 25%, but the fourth floor of the shopping mall only accounts for 16% of the floor area.

The land fee, construction fee, and miscellaneous fees for this building are approximately HKD 28 million. If the rent is approximately 80% of the net profit (depending on the vacancy rate), it will take approximately 7 years to pay back the capital.

The construction cost of this building is a bit high, but Lin Zhichao thinks it is worth it!

"boss"

"Um"

Liang Guangchang from Miramar Hotel Group came to Lin Zhichao’s office.

Liang Guangchang has the vague potential to become the fourth carriage within the group. The current Miramar Hotel Group actually manages Sing Tao Daimaru Department Store, Causeway Bay Daimaru Department Store (the building is called Walden Building), and Xintiandi Shopping Center (the building Also known as Xintiandi Building), Crocodile Shirt Shopping Center and a series of retail commercial properties.

The rent collection for other office buildings and scattered shops is actually managed by the rent collection department.

Lin Zhichao was very optimistic about Liang Guangchang, and he would later take charge of the group's commercial real estate business, becoming his fourth coach.

Liang Guangchang continued: "I asked someone to check the opening dates of Miramar Hotel and Shopping Mall. They are: You can choose which day so that we can organize a grand opening ceremony and invite guests." After that, he handed over a almanac.

Lin Zhichao then turned over the almanac and compared it, and quickly decided: "It will be Wednesday, January 18th next year (1961)."

"Okay. What about the guests?"

Lin Zhichao said: "I will give you a list as soon as possible, and I will personally invite the Hong Kong Governor."

"Um"

Asking for a Hong Kong governor is nothing!

The difficult thing is to meet the British royal family to participate in the opening ribbon cutting, that is courageous.

In his previous life, in order to have the British royal family cut the ribbon for him, Zheng Yutong deliberately delayed the foundation laying and opening ceremony of the Wan Chai Convention and Exhibition Center until the date of the Queen's visit to Hong Kong and the visit of Charles and his wife to Hong Kong. It can be said that he took great pains to check.

Last year, Prince Philip visited Hong Kong. At that time, Lin Zhichao did not have the foundation stone laying and opening of a building, so naturally he could not invite him to lay the foundation stone and cut the ribbon of a hospital.

Lin Zhichao came to the Governor's Mansion and was invited into the Governor's Office by Li Kei's secretary.

He is a Justice of the Peace and a recipient of the CBE title. He can call the Governor's office directly. Because he has many rights, in the eyes of people at their level, organizations and the police are just small people who can be crushed to death at any time.

As for Detective Hua, if he offends the Justice of the Peace, he will definitely be in trouble; after all, the Justice of the Peace can drink tea with those police officers, talk about social security, and then join forces with some prominent people in the society, and they can immediately kill a small Chief Inspector.

If it was Lin Zhichao, there would be no need for trouble, and he would soon be able to kill Inspector Zonghua.

Of course, then again, the chaos in Hong Kong is not the cause of these detectives, but the cause of these British officials in the Hong Kong government who are too greedy, so 'what goes up and what follows follows'. No matter who you are, they all look the same, so Lin Zhichao won't pay attention to it. It's a groundless worry.

Every era has its own characteristics. Hong Kong's "Inspector Era" in the 1960s was not the kind of scene in the movie; after all, if the movie didn't make it exaggerated and the club wasn't described as awesome, Only ghosts would watch it; of course, the society is indeed rampant. If you insist on describing it, it is actually the opposite of the 1990s, maybe not as good as that.

The status of foreigners in Hong Kong is still much higher. For example, in 1956, when the 14K caused trouble, the Hong Kong government did not intend to go on a killing spree, but instead they overturned the Swiss consul's vehicle, causing his wife to be burned to death. It was precisely because of this incident that the military and police opened fire, killing forty or fifty people very quickly.

In this era, when the British troops and police stationed in Hong Kong beat Chinese people to death, their deaths were in vain. There was no sense of human rights at all. Whoever makes the decision for you, neither party will really make the decision.

The society of later generations is really tolerant of young people.

"Hello, Your Majesty the Governor of Hong Kong!"

"Hello Mr. Lin, please sit down!"

After the two sat down, the assistant governor of Hong Kong made tea for them.

Lin Zhichao said: "I know that the Governor of Hong Kong attaches great importance to education in Hong Kong. He has built nearly a hundred schools in almost three years since he took office. In higher education, he also spared no effort to support it, increasing funding for the University of Hong Kong; inviting wealthy Erton came to Hong Kong to inspect the higher education situation and promote the merger of three Chinese tertiary colleges into the ‘Chinese University of Hong Kong’.”

When Bai Liji heard Lin Zhichao's words, he felt very happy. After all, it was a happy thing to be recognized by others.

Then, he said with a smile: "Mr. Lin came here this time not to praise me, right?"

As the governor of Hong Kong, he would not underestimate the power of Lin Chi-chao. This Chinese man’s financial situation is no worse than that of Jardine Wo; his influence in the Chinese business community is also ranked first; his influence in the world is also increasing day by day. .

Such a character is bound to grow even more powerful!

Lin Zhichao said seriously: "I came here to establish the Hong Kong Polytechnic. I knew that the Legislative Council had raised this matter, and I was very concerned about it. Hong Kong's current industries are all primary processing and assembly industries. Maybe within ten or twenty years, It is enough to support Hong Kong to become an economically developed region in Asia. But from a long-term perspective, when a region's economy develops, factories will move to less developed regions to reduce costs. Then Hong Kong's industry will need to transform in the future. So I I hope the Hong Kong government can speed up the establishment of the Hong Kong Polytechnic and better cultivate polytechnic talents for Hong Kong. As a member of the business community, I am willing to donate 10 million and will continue to donate."

Bai Liji listened very carefully. He was an official who delegated power to the colonies. Bai Liji played a big role in Sing Tao's ability to establish an autonomous government and form a prime minister and cabinet to take charge of all matters except "defense and diplomacy". Contribution, he even admired the lawyer very much.

At the same time, shortly after he took office as governor of Hong Kong, he announced that Hong Kong had gained independent economic and financial power. In the future, the Hong Kong government would no longer need to submit its budget to London for review. With the consent of the Hong Kong government, the Hong Kong government can independently formulate its own economic policies, and the Colonial Office will only intervene in Hong Kong's external borrowing matters.

"I will seriously consider what Mr. Lin said. After all, it is a matter that is beneficial to Hong Kong. And Mr. Lin is willing to donate education. I welcome it very much." Bai Liji said.

After all, it is not a university, but a junior college. It is not a big deal. As the governor of Hong Kong, he can make a great contribution.

If it's a university, things are complicated.

Lin Zhichao said: "Okay, thank you for your enlightenment. I also feel that the lack of talents in Hong Kong Polytechnic has greatly hindered the development of our company, so I want to promote this matter."

Bai Liji said with a smile: "Cheung Kong Industrial Group is well-known at home and abroad. It is only logical that Mr. Hualin has such a vision when he invented the trolley suitcase, instant noodles, and plastic. As the ruler of Hong Kong, I naturally hope that Hong Kong will become more prosperous." Better."

After the two were courteous, Lin Zhichao stood up and said goodbye.

After Lin Zhichao left, Bai Liji looked at his back and couldn't help sighing: "This young man is really a business genius!"

The assistant said: "The Chinese are developing so fast, will it pose a threat to British assets?"

Black said: "This is a commercial matter, and our Hong Kong government will not interfere."

The assistant said nothing else immediately!

Within the Hong Kong government, many officials are of course biased towards British capital, but as the governor of Hong Kong, factors such as governance and stability need to be considered first.

There are some departments below that favor British capital, which is enough for British capital to take advantage.

If we blatantly suppress Chinese capital, it will inevitably lead to an unstable environment, and it will be bad to lose the support of the people.

When the new Financial Secretary Sir Robert Kwok takes office next year, Hong Kong will completely enter the "free market" and the government will not interfere in the business sector. At the beginning, it was true that British capital had the upper hand - land and milk, but later, it was Chinese capital that turned around and gained the upper hand.