The birth of the Hong Kong Island family

In early March, Lin Zhichao and his eldest son were invited to the capital to attend the appointment ceremony for him to be appointed as Hong Kong affairs consultant by the Executive Yuan. After that, Lin Zhichao and his son met with several important figures one after another.

now.

The ‘No. 2 document’ has been issued for more than a week, and the ‘change’ has begun.

Inviting Lin Zhichao to the capital at this time obviously releases a lot of information; in summary, Hong Kong's unique status and Lin Zhichao's unique status are the reasons for this trip.

After finishing the state affairs, Lin Zhichao quickly started his business journey.

Shanghai Stock Exchange.

Lin Zhichao, Lin Ruihuan, and Changshi's management, accompanied by municipal staff, came to Nanjing West Road for inspection.

Nanjing West Road, later known as "China's No. 1 Commercial Street", has the "Golden Triangle" formed by Plaza 66, CITIC Pacific, and Westgate, and the "Golden Five Stars" composed of Wheelock Plaza, Yueyang Plaza, and Kerry Phase 2. They complement each other; at the same time, there are many famous and special shops, bringing together the essence of the district's commerce.

Even now, the Shanghai Exhibition Center and Portman are already open for business. These two are now benchmark properties in Shanghai.

"This is a treasure. The first stop at Raffles City Shopping Center should be here!" Lin Zhichao said with a smile.

This place is so easy to find. It is on Nanjing West Road, east of Portman, diagonally opposite the Shanghai Exhibition Center. This is the Plaza 66 in later generations; it is also the first shopping mall in the Mainland to make a profit of over 100 million in a month, and the first A shopping mall with a monthly profit of 200 million.

Lin Zhichao's two companies own multiple "shopping mall brands", and the one that Lin Zhichao values ​​most is Raffles City Shopping Center. Therefore, this project was handed over to Cheung Kong Group.

This time when I go to Shanghai, I have to discuss at least 7 to 8 projects. Of course, this does not mean that the deal can be concluded at once, but I believe that with his connections and influence, all contracts can be signed within 3 to 6 months.

Deputy Zhao who was accompanying him said: "Mr. Lin, this piece of land is not small. How much do you plan to invest in this shopping mall?"

Lin Zhichao said: "There is no limit to investment. I just hope to build a first-class modern shopping mall. According to this idea, I am afraid it will be at least about 300 million US dollars."

The people around were surprised. After all, this was just the beginning. How little knowledge did everyone have?

Deputy Zhao added: "Mr. Lin came to Shanghai for inspection this time. There are many projects, right?"

The city already knew that Lin Zhichao had sent his two sons to inspect the Shanghai market and were interested in investing in many projects.

Lin Zhichao nodded and said: "Yes, the Shanghai Stock Exchange was once the Pearl of the Orient, more prosperous than Hong Kong; now that the country has reopened, I believe that the Shanghai Stock Exchange can be the Pearl of the Orient again. For me personally, and hope to join With the construction of the motherland and the prosperity of the country, we overseas Chinese have confidence in our hearts!"

There was a round of applause!

Zhao Fu said: "Mr. Lin is a patriotic businessman and a business leader of overseas Chinese. Now that you can come to Shanghai to invest heavily, our officials are very welcome."

Everyone was just talking. After all, Lin Zhichao came to see the project, not to discuss it.

The project is handed over to the subordinates of both parties for negotiation, and the boss only needs to make the final decision.

Lin Zhichao then said to Lin Ruihuan: "How big can this piece of land be?"

Lin Ruihuan said: "More than 300,000 square feet, which is about the same area as the Yangtze River Plaza in Hong Kong. The construction area is expected to be more than 2 million square feet."

Lin Zhichao nodded. The Yangtze River Central Plaza (Hong Kong Admiralty) covers an area of ​​more than 300,000 square feet, but the property has 5 million square feet. Of course, there is no need for such high density in Shanghai, after all, it will not be beautiful.

The second project of the Changshi Department is to cooperate with the Shanghai Container Terminal Company with Shanghai Port.

This time it was in the name of "Hutchison Whampoa", but Ma Shimin was excluded. Lin Zhichao would not bring Ma Shimin to participate in all Hutchison Whampoa's mainland projects. Instead, he would bring Huo Jianning and a group of Chinese senior staff to participate.

The leader of the Football Association in later generations was still a shrewd and capable player.

When inspecting the Shanghai Port, Chen Yuan heard that Hutchison Whampoa was interested in cooperating, and said shrewdly: "Mr. Lin, the Shanghai port has an outstanding position in the whole of China, so if you want to cooperate, we have to account for 51%. Equity!”

Lin Zhichao suddenly laughed and said in front of everyone: "Investing in the Shanghai container terminal is actually a great resistance for our company Hutchison Whampoa. Many of my colleagues are opposed. They say that Hong Kong is now the busiest in the world. container terminals in Hong Kong, and we occupy 70% of the business of Hong Kong container terminals; if we invest in container terminals in the mainland, we are actually competing with ourselves for business."

His words have two meanings: first: Hong Kong is the busiest container terminal in the world, with top-notch technology and rich experience in all aspects; second: now that we were competitors, now that he has come to help you develop, you should be grateful. That's it.

After all, Chen Yuan was born as a worker. It was not that Lin Zhichao looked down on him, but that he was shrewd but had limited knowledge.

First of all, it has been changed. It is no longer the past. Many cooperations require the Mainland to take the lead. If this is the case, then it is not a change. The current situation is that 50-50 shareholding is the maximum limit. After all, it is a sole proprietorship. You can open it at will.

Secondly, Hutchison Whampoa's International Container Terminal Company has too many advantages.

Chen Yuan said: "Why would Mr. Lin choose to come to the mainland to develop container terminals?"

Lin Zhichao said: "It's just sad to see that the country's container terminals are so backward. If such facilities and services are provided, it will be a serious hindrance to the modernization of China as a whole. If infrastructure cannot be built, how can we talk about economic development! "

Chen Yuan and others immediately turned red!

Deputy Zhao, representing the municipal officials, quickly said: "Mr. Lin is absolutely right. Without the introduction of advanced technology and management, we will not be able to integrate with international standards. Director Chen, you have to be humble!"

The first level of the official university was overwhelming, but Lin Zhichaoque did not embarrass Chen Yuan, but said: "Director Chen, no matter how much I say, out of sight is out of sight, so I hope to invite you to come to Hong Kong to inspect the Kwai Chung Container Terminal, and also We have to go to the largest container terminal in the UK invested by outside companies in Europe. Seeing is believing and hearing is believing. Only by inspecting these places will we know how international standard container terminals operate. Later I will ask our staff to leave you with contact details,"

Chen Yuan also lowered his head and said: "No problem, thank you Mr. Lin for the invitation!"

Lin Zhichao nodded, the negotiation was carried out step by step, and he believed that this cooperation would be concluded soon.

Now that he is investing in the mainland, he is, to put it bluntly, a VIP among VIPs. It may take three months to reach an initial agreement on a project.

Lin Zhichao's third stop in Shanghai was Pudong, also known as "Lujiazui".

‘I would rather have a bed in Puxi than a room in Pudong. ’ This was a popular saying in the Shanghai stock market in the 1980s.

At this time, Lujiazui was still a muddy land, and construction of the Oriental Pearl Tower started last year. Although this area is still a 'wasteland', it is also the best time to invest.

Wharf Group wants to invest in the World Financial Center, the "world's tallest building" in Lujiazui, Shangri-La Hotels Group wants to invest in a five-star hotel in Lujiazui, Cheung Kong Group wants to acquire a luxury land plot by the Lujiazui River, and Hengfeng Bank A Hengfeng Bank Building is to be built.

Relying on the memory of his previous life, Lin Zhichao quickly identified four geomantic treasures.

Deputy Zhao and other staff were shocked to see that Lin Zhichao had already received investment intentions for six projects in just two days.

"Mr. Lin is indeed a patriotic businessman. In just two days, you have investment intentions for six projects!" Vice Zhao said happily.

Among Lin Zhichao's six investments, they include shopping malls, container terminals, luxury housing projects, hotel projects, world-class skyscrapers, and bank buildings, which just proves Lin Zhichao's achievements in the business field.

Lin Zhichao said: "Vice Zhao, I came to the mainland to invest more than ten years ago. At that time, the country needed foreign exchange and manufacturing, so I invested in the manufacturing industry; now that the country needs urban modernization, I will invest in these comprehensive properties." project. In short, I am very optimistic about the country’s future prospects!”

Vice Zhao said happily: "Mr. Lin's spirit is worthy of being a model for overseas Chinese. We in the Shanghai Stock Exchange very much welcome you to invest. We must take the projects you talk about seriously, so that we can live up to your patriotism."

Lin Zhichao is so humble!

Nowadays, investment is superficially ‘patriotic’, but in fact it is all about profit. If he gets the land earlier, the price will be cheaper and the conditions will be more favorable.

Of course, these projects will basically be opened after the millennium.

The fourth stop Lin Zhichao inspected was above the Xuhui Station of Shanghai Metro Line 1.

In this area, Wharf Group plans to build a 'Times Square'. The entire project includes a large shopping mall of approximately 7.8 million square feet, 'Twin Towers' of approximately 1.5 million square feet, and serviced apartments. It is a huge comprehensive commercial and residential project of high-end residential projects.

In this way, he finalized investment intentions for seven projects in the Shanghai stock market:

They are:

Raffles City on Nanjing West Road, with an estimated investment of US$300 million;

Shanghai Container Terminal (joint venture project), estimated investment is US$500 million;

Lujiazui’s luxury project, Binjiang One, is expected to cost US$100 million;

The World Global Financial Center in Lujiazui is expected to cost US$600-800 million (the taller the building, the higher the construction cost);

The Shangri-La Hotel in Lujiazui is expected to cost US$150 million;

The Hengfeng Bank Building in Lujiazui is expected to cost US$100 million;

Times Square in XH District has an estimated investment of US$350 million;

Total, about 2.3 billion US dollars!

Of course, the US$2.3 billion is not only a loan, but it is also not a one-time expenditure, so for Lin Zhichao's companies, it is just a sprinkling of water.

The Magic City is only the first stop in the mainland this year, and there will be a lot of investment in the future. It’s the Shanghai Stock Exchange. Maybe they will come again this year to finalize the project.

Many investments have been finalized this year, which is the lowest cost situation.

On March 26, Cheung Kong Group held its annual financial report in Hong Kong, and Lin Zhichao attended this annual ‘grand occasion’.

"In the past year (1991), Cheung Kong Group's recurring profits were HK$7.28 billion. Non-recurring profits were HK$8.22 billion. The total profit was HK$15.5 billion."

As soon as he finished speaking, the scene was in an uproar!

Non-recurring profits have been HK$8 billion for three consecutive years, while HSBC's profit in one year is only HK$8 billion; that is to say, Cheung Kong Group's profit is nearly twice that of HSBC.

Public opinion in Hong Kong at this time actually knew that Cheung Kong Group had made more than HK$20 billion from 'real estate speculation' in Japan. After all, Cheung Kong was a listed company, so it was difficult not to be known about it.

"The board of directors of Cheung Kong Group decided to distribute a dividend of HK$1 for each share of Cheung Kong stock, involving a capital of HK$2.06 billion; at the same time, 1 bonus share will be distributed for every 5 shares."

At present, the market value of Cheung Kong Group is more than 130 billion Hong Kong dollars, and the stock price per share is more than 60 Hong Kong dollars, so issuing bonus shares is equivalent to lowering the stock price and is conducive to circulation.

After the financial report was announced, the question-and-answer session quickly entered.

Reporter: "Mr. Lin, how much profit did Cheung Kong Group make from investing in real estate in Japan?"

Lin Zhichao: "This cannot be calculated. In short, non-recurring profits basically come from contributions from the Japanese real estate market!"

There are also three Raffles City malls in Japan. Cheung Kong Group holds 30% of the shares, which is also valuable.

The so-called bursting of Japan's bubble crisis did not mean that real estate fell to 'cabbage prices'. For example, the price of a house in Japan started at US$500,000 in 1986, and peaked at US$2 million in 1990. Even if it fell by 70%, it would still be worth US$600,000, which is a little higher than in 1986. In fact, Japanese housing prices in 1986 were already quite expensive. After all, Japan's economy had been developing for so many years.

And for example, the value of Raffles City will definitely not drop by 70%, and it is estimated that it will only drop by 50%. In this case, in fact, no matter what, there is still a large profit on the book; not to mention the three Raffles City malls. The profit is quite objective and can be used as a long-term investment.

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts has not sold the ownership of its hotel buildings in Japan, and its current operations are also very good.

Reporter: "Mr. Lin, is it because of your ideas that Cheung Kong Group was able to escape unscathed?"

Lin Zhichao: "It was a joint decision made by my colleagues and I to avoid losses. Therefore, they have received many bonuses in recent years!"

The scene burst into laughter!

It is rumored that the annual salary of the senior executives of the Changshi Group is in the tens of millions; some of the core executives' bonuses are obtained by purchasing the stocks of the Changshi Group at low prices, and they can earn two or three years' salary in one opportunity.

Next.

A reporter asked: "Mr. Lin, can you tell us about the situation of the Canary Wharf Group invested by Changchun Industrial Group in the UK? As far as I know, the leasing situation of several buildings in the first phase is not good, and the subway line has not been acquired yet." The British government approved it, and Cheung Kong Group has invested nearly US$3 billion in this project!"

The reporters at the scene immediately became concerned. According to this statement, Canary Wharf has invested 3 billion US dollars; but now because the subway project has not been approved by the British government, and the leasing situation of the built buildings in front is very bad.

If there is a loss, wouldn't it mean that all the profits made by Japan are given to the UK?

Lin Zhichao said: "First of all, the success of this project is related to the credit issue of the British government. After all, if it really fails, they will suffer huge losses; secondly, the investment of Changshi Group in Canary Wharf in the UK is actually The US$100 million was allocated in the late 1970s, and no funds have been transferred to London since then. Finally, the current cash flow of the Canary Wharf Group is relatively stable, and there are no plans to seek support from the headquarters. In short, this project will definitely The ones that are successful just have a longer cycle!”

There was a lot of information in his words, but there was no doubt confidence!

To put it more bluntly, Cheung Kong Group can afford to lose on this project, but can the British afford to lose?

The failure to join this project will first give the world the impression that Britain has such a large unfinished project, which is a great blow to Britain's credibility (Thatcher promised Lin Zhichao to build a subway to Canary, but the current government Should be put on hold due to lack of money). Then, in terms of funds for this project, Changshi Group took 100 million US dollars, and the rest came from financial investments in London and bank loans. Changshi was not under great pressure.

The reporters were immediately excited. For such a big project, Lin Zhichao was not in any hurry, and he seemed to be confronting the British government.

In fact, many people think that this project was invited by Lin Zhichao's good friend Thatcher to invest, and it is also one of Thatcher's political achievements. Now it is not going well, and it is from the British government, which obviously feels sorry for Lin Zhichao.

at last.

The reporter asked: "Mr. Lin, during this trip to the mainland, did you achieve many investment projects?"

Lin Zhichao: “There are investment intentions for some projects, and they are still being negotiated!”

Reporter: "Is the Changshi Group tightening its overseas investment and turning to the mainland?"

Lin Zhichao: "It's not about tightening. All investments have stages. At a certain stage, we invest overseas, and at a certain stage, we change direction and invest in the mainland. These are very normal arrangements for capital allocation."

Cheung Kong Group, as the largest company in Hong Kong by market capitalization, has attracted much attention from domestic and overseas media, and everyone has also taken turns to ask questions. As the chairman of the board of directors, Lin Zhichao also introduced it to everyone.

“The Changshi Department has had a great harvest, and the entire department earned a total of HK$24.9 billion last year!”

The next day, all Hong Kong media and even overseas media reported on the great achievements of the Cheung Kong Department.

Earning more than 3 billion U.S. dollars a year, Changshi Group is proud of itself in the world.

Moreover, Changshi Department’s achievements are not only in the field of real estate:

Cheung Kong Group owns Red Bull, Doll Noodles, Master Kong, 7~11 convenience stores, and Café de Coral, and these businesses are spread all over the world. Red Bull and Doll Noodles have entered many Asian countries, and 7~11 convenience stores are global brands. .

Husky, a subsidiary of Hutchison Whampoa, not only owns a large amount of oil and gas resources in Canada, but also has a large amount of natural gas resources in the United States. Other areas include: oil wells in Limao City, Indonesia (put into production last year), and oil wells in Libya, Vietnam, Australia There are also drilling projects; Hutchison Whampoa also develops the mining industry, and its joint venture with the British minerals and mining company has achieved good results - Zimbabwe's gold mine production is in good condition, Ghana's drilling projects, Australia's diamond and mining companies Drilling work in gold mines. Telecommunications retail industry. Real estate container terminals

In addition to its development in Hong Kong, HK Electric has completed the Covia power plant project in India, has power generation plant investment projects in Iran, Thailand, and Indonesia, and also has power generation projects in the Mainland.

Unconsciously, Lin Zhichao only paid attention to many projects once, but in fact, Lin Zhichao may not remember them all.

But what is certain is that the Changshi Group’s business is spread all over Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, the Mainland, Japan, many European countries, the United States, Panama, Australia, Bermuda, Singapore, the Cayman Islands, etc., with a large number of properties, securities, shares, holdings, etc. , trade and other business investments. (End of chapter)