The birth of the Hong Kong Island family

In April, the Hong Kong government announced that the No. 6 Kwai Chung Container Terminal will be jointly developed by International Containers and Modern Containers.

Kwai Chung Container Terminal No. 6 has a total of 4 berths and is a relatively large container terminal.

International Container, a wholly-owned enterprise of Hutchison Whampoa, currently holds all the interests in a total of 6 berths in Container Terminal 2 and 4, of which Container Terminal 4 has 4 berths, and Container Terminal 2 is owned by Hutchison Whampoa. Bought from Oyama Shipyard in Japan.

Modern Containers is owned by a number of consortiums, including a number of European shipping companies. The Wharf Group also has a 10% stake, and Hutchison Whampoa also holds a small amount of shares. The container terminals it holds include No. 3 Container Terminal and No. 5 Container Terminal. Container terminal.

As for Container Terminal No. 1, it belongs to a cooperative enterprise of Universal Group and Sea-Land Transportation (USA).

In other words, Lin Zhichao's companies probably already control 70% of the rights and interests of Kwai Chung Container Terminal.

Hutchison Whampoa.

In the conference room, Ma Shimin suggested: "If Container Terminal No. 2 is exchanged for half of the rights and interests of Container Terminal No. 6, we will invest another 2 billion Hong Kong dollars in Container Terminal No. 6, which will be more beneficial to us!"

Container Terminal 6 has 4 berths, but its area is not as large as the two parts of Container Terminal 2. The land is also expensive, and commercial buildings such as container buildings can be built in the future.

Therefore, using the built No. 2 Container Terminal in exchange for half of the interest in the unbuilt No. 6 Container Terminal will be beneficial to Hutchison Whampoa in the long run.

Lin Zhichao only thought briefly before agreeing: "This plan is feasible! Modern Container's shareholders are dispersed, and they may not want to make additional investments. There are ready-made 'cash cows'. I think all shareholders of Modern Container will readily agree. And for us For Hutchison Whampoa, investing in Kwai Chung containers is an important investment strategy in the future, and there is even investment in overseas container terminals. This kind of infrastructure shipping has long-term stable profits, so it is undoubtedly a very good investment project."

Everyone had to admire the boss's decisiveness. Most of the investment projects they proposed would be agreed directly without any hesitation or hesitation.

Ma Shimin nodded and said: "Our No. 4 container has the busiest business in Hong Kong. Its business itself is inherited from our original three container terminal operations in Hung Hom, North Point and Kwun Tong, and its excellent performance. Once Container No. 6 is put into use , the main business may come from mainland shipping companies."

In 1974, Whampoa Dockyard and Kwan Yick Cang won the development rights of Container 4, and then moved all their container terminal operations in Hung Hom, North Point and Kwun Tong to Container Terminal 4, and renamed it Hong Kong International Container Terminals Limited. company.

This was the origin of International Container Terminals, and later the acquisition of Container Terminal No. 2 at Oyama Dockyard in Japan.

Ma Shimin is optimistic about the container business, which certainly coincides with Lin Zhichao's ideas.

"This year, the mainland is expected to replace the United States and become Hong Kong's largest trading partner, the first source of imports, the first place in re-export trade, and the second place in the export market of Hong Kong products (first in the United States). Based on these prospect analyses, Hutchison Whampoa has only Only when we develop projects in Hong Kong can we consider going overseas. Of course, this investment in Japan is one of the strategic investments, but it does not affect our view of being based in Hong Kong." Lin Zhichao reiterated the development strategy to prevent his senior management from wavering.

Of course we need to develop overseas, but we must establish a foothold in Hong Kong. Fortunately, Hutchison Whampoa's annual profit can reach more than 1.5 billion, and it continues to surge. It is expected to more than double within five years. Of course, this is a recurring profit.

At present, many of Hutchison Whampoa's businesses are actually going overseas because the local market has reached a "monopoly position." For example, Watsons, a retail group, is currently asking PARKnSHOP to develop in Southeast Asia and Taiwan.

Next, Lin Zhichao asked: "How is the progress of Hutchison Telecom's launch of mobile phones this year?"

Hutchison Telecommunications is currently the largest paging company in Hong Kong, with 100 paging stations and a customer base of 200,000, accounting for 70% of the entire market. And this year it is going to be the first company to launch a mobile phone, and its development is rapid.

The telecommunications industry is very profitable in Hong Kong. The Taitung Cable and Telegraph Company and the Hong Kong Telephone Company merged in March this year. They have tens of thousands of employees and are huge in scale. This is because there are so many long-distance calls in Hong Kong. Whether it is companies or citizens, the number of calls per capita ranks among the top in the world. Especially for some companies, the annual phone bill may be hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong dollars.

Of course, long distance calls and local calls are collectively called fixed lines. At present, this business is protected by a franchise and is affiliated to the Taitung Cable and Telegraph Bureau. The local company Hong Kong Telephone was also acquired by it, so no one can enter this industry. However, as Jiu Qi approaches, I am afraid that this franchise will also be challenged.

Ma Shimin said: "No problem, it will be officially launched in August, and all preparations are being carried out in an orderly manner."

The person in charge of Hutchison Telecom was not qualified to enter this high-level meeting, so he answered the boss's questions on his behalf. At this time, Ma Shimin also understood that his boss was very concerned about the telecommunications industry, and he should pay attention to this.

The boss seems to have handed over the management of Hutchison Whampoa and Hong Kong Electric to him, but in fact the boss has very good plans and ideas, and he must firmly cooperate with the boss's plan. Only after this can he add new business points to the company.

Lin Zhichao finally said: "What about the real estate business?"

Then a Chinese senior executive answered: "At the end of this month, Huangpu Garden will launch the first phase of the project, with a unit price of more than HK$698 per square foot, with a total of 412 residential units and approximately 280,000 square feet of floor space. In addition, , in our Japanese business unit, we have identified two comprehensive commercial office buildings and are currently in negotiation, with an estimated total price of US$350 million."

It’s not that Tokyo’s commercial complex buildings are cheap enough, each one only costs 1.2 billion Hong Kong dollars, but Tokyo’s commercial complex buildings are not very high, generally less than ten floors, and the commercial floor area is less than 200,000 square feet. In Hong Kong It is a small and medium-sized building.

The current value of such a medium-sized building, even in Central, is only HK$500-600 million. Currently, property prices in Tokyo are still higher than those in Hong Kong.

Of course, growth will be highest in the next few years, when real estate prices will also rise sharply, and the Japanese yen will also rise sharply.

"Well, Japan's investment is a strategic mid-term investment," Lin Zhichao said.

In the whole conference room, the only Chinese people in the meeting were Lin Zhichao and Hutchison Whampoa's real estate director, so he also told the senior management that everyone does not need to focus on real estate, and Hutchison Whampoa will not be a real estate company.

Even the funds invested in Japan are only a medium-term investment.

Construction of the Bank of China Tower officially started in April, and then Cheung Kong Group also announced the construction of the "Cheung Kong Group Center" on the site at No. 1 Queen's Road.

The final design plan of the Yangtze River Group Center was "learned" by Lin Zhichao based on the appearance of "One World Trade Center (after reconstruction)" in his previous life.

In terms of height: a total of 62 floors (283 meters high), plus an 83-meter ‘Freedom Tower’. If you count the high-end tower, it is only 1 meter lower than the Bank of China Tower. This is Lin Zhichao's modesty and restrained meaning. If you don't count the tower, draw a diagonal line at the highest points of the Bank of China Tower and the HSBC Tower, and the Cheung Kong Group Center is here. below the slash '\\'. Because, in Feng Shui, there is a saying that "it is better to let the blue dragon rise a thousand feet higher than to let the white tiger raise its head and prosper". The blue dragon is the god of joy in the east, while the white tiger is the god of evil in the west. The green dragon and white tiger represent the left and right sides of the building respectively, representing the good and bad luck of the aura direction. The high degree of certainty of the Yangtze River Group Center is designed based on this principle of Feng Shui. The height of the 62-story building also hides a mystery. The number 62 is the Tai hexagram of the Book of Changes. "Tai" means smoothness and peace. This is the characteristic of the overall situation of the Tai hexagram. "

External appearance: The bottom 10 floors have a boxy shape, and the 50th floor above (no 4th, 14th, and 24th floors) is an 'octagonal triangle shape', with the Freedom Tower on the top floor. In fact, it was designed based on the "One World Trade Center" in the previous life. The only difference is that the boxy shape of the ten floors below has a steel frame on the outside, just like chainmail.

In terms of details: Smooth the convex rhombus shape to make it relatively round and reduce impact. This kind of appearance design is strong and dignified, stable and reliable, gentle and restrained. It will not cause the effect of killing or fighting on the surrounding buildings, but the eight-sided triangular mirror is like a Bagua mirror, which can reflect all enemy attacks.

The construction of the "Yangtze River Group Center" is expected to start in October and will be completed and put into use in 1990. The construction cost of the entire building is HK$1.8 billion, which is already an expensive building. After all, the cost of the Bank of China is only HK$1 billion.

After completion, it will provide 1.28 million commercial floor space and 1,000 parking lots.

In order to cause unnecessary trouble, the entire design drawings have been temporarily withheld from the public, so many people have speculated on what kind of high-quality building Lin Zhichao will build this time.

You should know that many famous buildings in Hong Kong belong to the Lin Chichao family, such as Shangri-La Hotel (Burj Al Arab), Victoria Harbor Center, Far East Financial Center Tower AB and other famous buildings.

After Cheung Kong Group announced the ‘Cheung Kong Group Center’ plan, the media immediately started reporting on it.

"HSBC Tower, Bank of China Tower, and Cheung Kong Group Center were all rebuilt in the 1980s. Who is more beautiful?"

“Cheung Kong Group announced the construction of its headquarters following Bank of China, which is the next tallest building in Hong Kong?”

Because the three buildings are all in the same area, and are next to each other except for the road; what's more, the three buildings symbolize the three major forces in Hong Kong in the future - British capital, Chinese capital, and Hong Kong capital, all representing enterprises.

Suddenly, the show begins!

Many people hope to get the first-hand plan information of Cheung Kong Group. After all, the blueprint of Bank of China Tower has been "leaked". If there is a blueprint of Cheung Kong Group, everyone can make a fuss.

A square somewhere in Wan Chai.

"Dude, what's going on here?"

"The auditions for "The Voice of Hong Kong" are ongoing. I heard that it is a program run by ATV. It is said to be the world's first 'reality show'. Whoever wins the championship can become a big singer!"

"Singer selection! This aspect is the strength of TVB. When did ATV come up with a reality show? What is that?"

"I don't know either. Anyway, ATV has stirred up public opinion. Why don't you watch ATV recently?"

"heard about it"

As the crowd chattered, a singer started performing on stage.

Since it is an audition, the judges raise their cards, and getting 1 vote means passing. The performers only have 3 minutes to perform, but the difficulty level is relatively small.

This audition will be held only in Hong Kong, and Hong Kong will be divided into 18 districts. In ATV's plan, if the program achieves good results, overseas regions will be set up next year.

A viewer said: "If I can advance through my average singing, I think I can do it too!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the host said: "Congratulations on your successful promotion on the 22nd. If anyone wants to participate in "The Voice of Hong Kong", you can also get the form from our staff. There is still time and opportunity to participate!"

"Hey, I want to participate too!"

For a time, "The Voice of Hong Kong", in which everyone in Hong Kong participated, became more and more popular. The most important thing here is that ATV is willing to spend money this time and is not as arrogant as TVB.

ATV even put out the slogan ‘Sing if you want’ and the program’s theme song.

Kowloon, TVB building.

Fang Yihua came to Shaw's office. Since Shaw Brothers Films was closed this year, Shaw asked Fang Yihua to join TVB.

"Asia TV is holding a singer selection competition again. The investment is very large and it is claimed that 'all people can participate and sing if they want to'."

Run Run Shaw suddenly frowned. He knew very well how difficult Lin Zhichao was. Originally, he really didn't care about Zhou Liang Shuyi, but with Lin Zhichao's financial resources and wisdom, he was really 'fearful'.

Legendary people describe people like Lin Zhichao who are successful in one line of work and dominate and monopolize one line of business.

Take the film industry as an example. There was a New Art City that suddenly emerged, but it was quickly suppressed by Golden Harvest Pictures. Last year, Golden Harvest had six films ranked among the top ten local films (Chow Yun-fat supplied two), while New Art City only Three parts. This year, Golden Harvest continues to give full play to Chow Yun-fat. Two of its box-office champions, including "Prison", have exceeded HK$20 million, as well as the "Lucky Star" series and Jack Cheng's movies. It is foreseeable that New Arts City will continue to be suppressed.

Of course, the most commendable thing is the "animation industry" of the media group. It is exported to Europe, America and Japan, with an annual profit of 100 to 200 million Hong Kong dollars (180 million in 1984), setting off a wave of great development of the entire Hong Kong comics industry.

Seeing Run Run Shaw's expression, Fang Yihua immediately advised: "ATV just announced a profit of HK$15 million last year. I'm afraid it will lose money again this year. If you spend money like this!"

Run Run Shaw shook his head and said: "Last year, when the ratings were 50/50, TVB could make a profit of 160 million, while ATV could only make 15 million Hong Kong dollars; but this year the situation has changed, and many advertisers have turned to ATV. , TVB’s advertising revenue has begun to decrease. As for ATV’s drama series, they have begun to be exported to the mainland, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia, and they have also gained a lot of copyright revenue.”

The dramas exported by ATV include classic dramas and mythological dramas such as "Bao Qingtian" and "The Legend of White Snake".

Especially "Bao Qingtian", a very long series of dramas, so much so that TVB also broadcast its own "Bao Qingtian" this year. Although the ratings are not as good as ATV's, the response is still good. For this reason, Hong Kong citizens ridiculed that the "double guarantee case" has become a reality.

Fang Yihua was speechless. She had once despised Lin Zhichao's entry into the film and television industry, but now she completely admired her opponent's skill.

Finally, Run Run Shaw said: "No matter what they do, any singer who wants to appear on our music program should not think about appearing on ATV's music program. Otherwise, they will be warned. If they seriously refuse to listen, they will not be allowed to appear on our music program." programme."

He was also ruthless and did not want to lose the last position.