The birth of the Hong Kong Island family

Early June.

Although the matter further developed, Lin Zhichao felt that it was not very dangerous, so he still chose to go to work in the Global Building every day.

He also went to work in Tsuen Wan, but the means of transportation was unexpected. He took a yacht to the pier in Tsuen Wan, and then arrived at the Yangtze River Industrial Park under the escort of bodyguards. In this way, Lin Zhichao does not need to go through too many places, and his safety can be greater guaranteed.

suddenly.

Feng Yongfa walked in excitedly and said. "Boss, the third Middle East war has begun, and the Suez Canal is no longer passable!"

Lin Zhichao also looked happy, raised his head and said, "Where did the news come from?"

Feng Yongfa immediately said: "This is news from Egypt. The news is absolutely true and reliable!"

Global Shipping Group has a global information network, which is absolutely the first-hand information for all ship owners. Of course, Lin Zhichao himself knew that it was during this period that the Third Middle East War broke out and the Suez Canal began to be closed for eight years.

Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "Well, it seems that the freight will increase sharply this time! The important thing is that there will be no shortage of leasing candidates for the oil tankers we are about to launch."

Feng Yongfa nodded and said: "Although the world's ships with more than 100,000 tons cannot pass through the Suez Canal, in fact, about 70 to 80% of the world's merchant ships have always used the Suez Canal. Now these ships have a longer distance. times, freight rates will definitely skyrocket, and demand will also increase significantly. We, the shipowners, once again occupy a dominant position!"

Yes, now it is the shipowners who are strong, not the charterers.

Therefore, if the ship charter period expires, there is no problem that Global Shipping will sign a three-year long-term contract. The price will naturally be the market long-term charter price; if you have a good relationship, you can get a discount.

The 10 226,000-ton oil tankers that are about to be launched will become even more popular. This type of vessel has low operating costs and can haul a large amount of oil at one time, making it a sought-after vessel.

For a 226,000-ton oil tanker, the normal annual rate of return is 20% (the larger the ship, the higher the rate of return and the greater the risk), which means it takes five years to recover the capital.

Now, Lin Zhichao predicts that the return rate in the first year will reach more than 50%, which means that the annual profit of a 226,000-ton oil tanker may reach more than 11 million US dollars.

Starting from the second year, it may gradually decrease.

Lin Zhichao plans to sign a three-year contract with everyone. They will not refuse to sign because the price will definitely be favorable. Moreover, Lin Zhichao has always signed a contract for three to four years, and it is not a sudden requirement.

"I may go overseas to discuss cooperation later this month or early next month. You have to guard Hong Kong. The first is to stabilize the mood of the company's employees and ensure the company's normal operations. The second is to sit at the headquarters and play a global game."

Another vice president is in charge of external affairs, and this vice president is in charge of internal affairs. The cooperation has complemented each other over the years, which is very good.

"No problem! We will ensure the normal operation of the company and overcome all difficulties!"

Lin Zhichao nodded and said, "Well, go get busy!"

"OK"

After Feng Yongfa left, Lin Zhichao began to think.

If he goes abroad, he will definitely call Tang Caiyun back to sit in Hong Kong. I believe there will be no problem with 8 to 10 bodyguards protecting her. When she returned to Hong Kong, she mainly represented Lin Zhichao and presided over bargain hunting for real estate.

At this time, because many places have been paralyzed and there has been a lot of bloodshed, a large number of wealthy people have begun to prepare to sell off their assets and begin to immigrate.

Therefore, real estate at this time had fallen sharply, and advertisements for properties for sale were everywhere in newspapers.

But Lin Zhichao is not in a hurry, just let the storm become more violent!

The Third Middle East War lasted only six days, so it was also called the ‘Six-Day War’, but the results achieved by Israel were nothing short of miraculous. The war lasted for six days. Israel occupied Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, Syria's Golan Heights, the West Bank, Jerusalem, areas under Jordanian jurisdiction and the Gaza Strip, totaling more than 65,000 square kilometers of land.

This world is dominated by the jungle. Israel has fought so many wars in the Middle East, and its land has expanded each time.

Although from a moral point of view, Israel is a typical example of bullying the weak; but from a rational point of view, Israel is getting stronger and stronger. I am afraid that the destruction of mankind will lead to the destruction of Israel! Because others in the future will have nuclear weapons and have three nuclear strike capabilities: land-based, air-based and sea-based, major countries will not go against Israel.

At the same time, although the Six-Day War ended, Egypt felt very aggrieved because it lost the Sinai Peninsula.

Unwilling to watch the canal change hands, Egypt decided to close the Suez Canal indefinitely. It sent troops to scuttle transport ships, dredgers and other ships in many sections of the canal to block the waterway, and also laid mines in the canal. Military patrols will be carried out to prevent Israel from clearing obstacles on the other side of the Suez Canal.

Egypt's canal closure work went very smoothly, but this caused hardship to the ships sailing in the canal at the time. After Egypt blocked the Suez Canal, 15 foreign merchant ships were blocked in the canal. 14 of the ships were forced to anchor in the Great Bitter Lake, the widest part of the Suez Canal. The remaining American merchant ship "Observer" was in the canal. Stranded in Lake Timsach.

All ships in global shipping escaped this disaster, so the war insurance purchased by Lin Zhichao was wasted for a year. Of course, he only instigated war insurance on ships passing through the Suez Canal.

Global freight rates immediately skyrocketed, one-way short-term rentals increased by 100%, and ship owners fell into a carnival!

At Kai Tak Airport, Lin Zhichao received Tang Caiyun who had returned from overseas. Under the protection of bodyguards, the motorcade did not return to Hong Kong Island through Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, but came to the pier in Kwun Tong.

Recently, Lin Zhichao has made full use of the advantages of water. Instead of taking the Star Ferry and car ferries, he should take his own yacht to shuttle between Kowloon, Hong Kong Island, and Tsuen Wan in the New Territories.

After boarding the yacht, Tang Caiyun asked: "I have seen newspapers overseas saying that things in Hong Kong are getting worse and worse!"

Lin Zhichao nodded and said: "It has a tendency to become more violent. Soon there may be real and fake things in Hong Kong. So, if you go back to Hong Kong and take charge, you only need to live at No. 80 Deep Water Bay. I have already arranged security forces."

Tang Caiyun said: "That won't work! Aren't you trying to buy low-priced properties? I'll go to the company to feel more at ease."

Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "There is no rush for that time, and the real estate has not been sold out. I will wait until I return to Hong Kong to buy the bottom. I will return to Hong Kong around mid-July, and there will be many opportunities. As for you, just stay in the villa, and occasionally visit your father-in-law. Just sit at home."

He just needs a magic needle. After all, if Lin Zhichao is overseas, he can remotely command the management of several group companies through the phone. This has been the case before. Tang Caiyun's stay in Hong Kong is more about dealing with emergencies.

Tang Caiyun nodded and said no more about this news. The man was her backbone, so it was better to obey.

Their eldest son is also eighteen years old and is about to enter his third year of college, but after all, he cannot support himself. Therefore, Lin Zhichao still trusted Tang Caiyun. As for Xu Caiying, she didn't like the company's affairs, but Lin Zhichao never forced her.

That evening, at No. 80 Deep Water Bay, Lin Zhichao and his wife entertained Tang Zhongyuan's family.

Tang Zhongyuan sent his youngest son, Tang Youqian, and his family of four to Vancouver for inspection, intending to buy a residential property there as a backup. The couple, his eldest son and his family stayed in Hong Kong to look after the family business.

The Shanghai faction in Hong Kong belongs to both sides, while the majority of the Cantonese faction belongs to the pro-British faction. This is because the Shanghai faction moved from the mainland and were all patriotic industrialists in the past; while the majority of the Guangdong faction has been dealing with the British Hong Kong government and recognizes the comparison. high.

Tang Zhongyuan hopes that the motherland will be good, but he does not want it. Therefore, he is also making two preparations.

During the dinner, Tang Zhongyuan asked curiously: "Zhichao, are you planning to go abroad?"

Lin Zhichao nodded and said: "Well, there are several 226,000-ton oil tankers that I want to talk to customers about the lease, but I just want to go to Japan first and return to Hong Kong soon."

Tang Zhongyuan and Tang Xianqian were surprised. Although they were not in the shipping business, they were concerned because their son-in-law and brother-in-law were in the shipping business. Now that the Suez Canal is closed and freight rates have skyrocketed, doesn't it mean that these oil tankers are going to make a lot of money.

"Very popular, right?" Tang Zhongyuan asked.

"Well, it's very popular, and the price is also high!" Lin Zhichao said softly.

He plans to go to Japan at the end of June and negotiate with several shipping companies; he will return to Hong Kong in July, and then go to Europe and the United States in the middle of the month, hoping to come back at the end of the month.

These matters could have been left to Bobby Blair, but Lin Zhichao is accustomed to negotiating such big business by himself. After all, it is impossible for his subordinates to know clearly what he is thinking in his heart.

As long as the matter is settled, when the oil tanker is launched, Bobby Blair will sign the contract on his behalf.

Cheung Kong Holdings.

"What? Are you planning to immigrate to Canada?" Lin Zhichao looked at Li Gaofu in surprise, not expecting that he would make such a decision.

Li Gaofu nodded and said: "Now many people outside are preparing to immigrate to Canada. The government there has been opening the door to wealthy people and technical talents, and a lot of Chinese have begun to gather in Vancouver, so I plan to immigrate there with my family."

Lin Zhichao fell silent immediately. He did not expect that Li Gaofu would make such a decision.

But now that I think about it, Li Gaofu's character is as dynamic as a rabbit. He will exert his strong ability to adapt to and overcome the environment, and even seek breakthroughs during the changes.

In his early years, he was asked to go to Japan to sell zippers, and he adapted quickly and achieved results; he was asked to smuggle goods to JF District, and he also achieved results; he was asked to smuggle goods to Omen and the opposite side, and he quickly achieved impressive results. He is like a person who makes people look down upon at first, but never disappoints him in the end.

Of course, precisely because he was always eager to seek breakthroughs, he also misunderstood some forms in 1957 and 1965 and made some rash advances, thus suffering losses. Otherwise, he may already have assets of two to three billion.

"Are you planning to sell the property cheaply? This is a direct loss on the books!" Lin Zhichao had no intention of persuading him to stay.

Just like Feng Jingxi, he is also planning to go to Canada for development, but in the end he will find that it is still not suitable for starting a business, only suitable for retirement; when the storm subsides, he will naturally come back.

Li Gaofu couldn't help but look at Lin Zhichao, and finally found some clues. He knew that Lin Zhichao wanted to persuade him to stay. But he decided to go to Canada because Hong Kong was so scary at the moment.

Therefore, Li Gaofu said: "I plan to sell the Taiping Building in Central (12 floors, 50,000 square feet), and an unbuilt building in my favorite area, with an area of ​​65,000 square feet. I will keep the remaining properties and wait and see what happens. .”

Li Gaofu's most valuable properties are the Fook Wo Building (22 floors) on Wing Lok Street in Sheung Wan and the Taipei Building in Central. Each of them was worth 20 to 30 million at its peak.

Lin Zhichao nodded and said, "Have you thought about the price?"

Li Gaofu said: "If you want it, just give it to me at the market price!"

He wasn't embarrassed, after all, this was business. At this time, he only had 20 million in cash, but in order to be safer, he decided to sell some properties.

Lin Zhichao said: "The price of Taiping is 8 million Hong Kong dollars, and the land in Western District is 5 million. I will give you 13 million Hong Kong dollars. At this price, based on the peak price in early 1965, you will lose 60%. Of course, there is another way, that I will lend you 13 million Hong Kong dollars and you will mortgage the property with me."

Li Gaofu immediately said: "Just sell it! I still have a lot of properties in hand. It doesn't matter whether I win or lose."

He thought that if he went to Canada to develop his career, he would definitely need more than 30 million Hong Kong dollars to feel at ease. At the same time, he also had a Fuhe Building, hundreds of residential units and shops (30% reserved for each building), multiple garden houses, multiple tenement buildings, etc. in Hong Kong. At the beginning of 1965, these properties It was worth as much as 60 to 70 million Hong Kong dollars, but now its value is only over 20 million.

Lin Zhichao nodded and said: "I will ask them to arrange a contract with you, and the money will be transferred to you in US dollars from Wan Guo Baotong, saving you the trouble!"

The price he offered was something Li Gaofu couldn't sell outside, and the transfer was in U.S. dollars, which saved him a lot of trouble.

"Well, no problem, thank you for your help!"

Lin Zhichao smiled and said: "Don't talk about that. I didn't plan to leave originally, but I planned to wait and see what happens."

Li Gaofu nodded. In fact, in his opinion, even if Lin Zhichao wanted to buy the bottom, he would not buy it now. In fact, the properties outside could not be sold at all, so I still helped myself.

But from another perspective, he also knew that Lin Zhichao's net worth was mainly in shipping. Now that shipping has surged and shipping is a tradable asset, Lin Zhichao is definitely in a stable win-win situation.

After Li Gaofu left, Lin Zhichao shook his head. This good friend made a mistake about the real estate situation again. If he didn't have a strong foundation, his wealth would really not be able to withstand such a torment.

But Li Gaofu did have a solid foundation. When real estate was popular in 1955, he was ranked among the top five in Hong Kong. Therefore, he is still rich now.

Of course, this is also related to the fact that he always makes two preparations!

Take this time as an example, if his career in Canada does not go well and Hong Kong has stabilized, Li Gaofu can completely change direction and return to Hong Kong for development. With the properties he owns in Hong Kong, he can easily go public in 1972 .

Of course, the top ten real estate developers may have missed him.

For example, Guo Desheng, Li Shauji, Wang Dehui, Chen Zengxi and others may only have 15 to 25 million in total assets, but as long as they start bargain hunting at the end of the year, their funds can be doubled quickly; in addition, they enter the market immediately In developed areas, wealth increases faster.

Zheng Yutong is more powerful. It is estimated that this time he bought at least 30 million, because in 1960, his Chow Tai Fook Jewelry had made more than 5 million Hong Kong dollars. He also invested in real estate several times in these years (build one building and sell one building model), and naturally made money. .

There are also Hu Yingxiang of Hopewell and Chen Detai of Dachang Real Estate. They are also relatively good, but I don’t know if they can buy the bottom first, so they probably won’t do much.

The above are the tiger generals from 1968 to 1972!

It should be the 'six tiger generals' - Sun Hung Kai, Chinachem, Hang Lung, New World, Hopewell, and Dah Chong. The five tiger generals in the previous life were just a general term. In fact, Chinachem and Dah Chong were both powerful at that time.

In this life, Li Chaoren has seriously fallen behind, of course because of Lin Zhichao.

Li Gaofu fell behind because of his own fault!

On the other side, Li Chaoren suddenly became bitter when he saw that the situation in Hong Kong was getting more and more complicated.

Finally, in real estate, two industrial buildings were developed (individually holding 65% of the shares, CK Hutchison invested), but I did not expect such a thing to happen. At this time, the cash in his hand was only 2.6 million yuan. The factory was still operating, but the profit was not much.

He didn't think about buying the bottom because he didn't know how far Hong Kong would develop.

What he really thinks is that a mere 2.6 million Hong Kong dollars is not enough to ensure that his family can live a prosperous life overseas. Yes, he has already planned to take his family to Singapore for safety.

"Mingyue, have you packed your things?" Li Jiacheng looked at his wife and two sons and asked.

"It's packed and ready to go! But Brother Cheng, do we really want to live in Singapore?" Zhuang Mingyue said reluctantly.

Not only does she not want to leave Hong Kong, she also doesn’t want to let go of the career that her husband has worked so hard to build.

Li Jiacheng reassured: "We are just going to Singapore for a while. Once the situation in Hong Kong calms down, we will come back immediately. Moreover, while we are in Singapore, I will direct the factory over the phone and it will not affect production and delivery."

At this time, only the rich can immigrate, and the middle class is not worthy of immigrating, such as senior corporate executives of ordinary companies. Therefore, the management of CK Hutchison Plastic Factory does not have the ability to immigrate, so they can only do their current work well.

Lin Zhichao's senior officials are all capable of immigrating, but they can only guarantee a basic life. Because Canada's immigration requirements require an investment of about 1.25 million Hong Kong dollars (purchasing a property is also included), and the senior executives of Cheung Kong Industries and Yangtze River Industries are barely qualified, and the senior executives of Global Shipping have slightly more, but they can't live a good life. Of course, with Lin Zhichao leading by example, none of them would consider immigrating.

Because Hong Kong's middle class cannot immigrate, Hong Kong's strength is still there and it has made great contributions to subsequent recovery. Of course, the rich will also return.

Zhuang Yueming nodded and said, "That's good! To be honest, I'm used to living in Hong Kong. I've been to Singapore several times and I don't like it."

Li Jiacheng said: "Let's go! I will always pay attention to Hong Kong!"

As long as Hong Kong calms down, he will definitely return to Hong Kong.