Reborn since 1993

Chapter 1186 Rebuilding a New City

Faced with the toast raised by the Hong Kong government leader, Zhang Xiaocheng and others quickly raised their glasses as well.

What is the current status of Hong Kong? In China, it is the city with the highest GDP and is regarded as a symbol of a prosperous and modern international metropolis. In short, it is rich in the eyes of outsiders!

Within Asia, only Tokyo can rival Hong Kong. Not only do countless people from within China want to go to Hong Kong to seek their fortune, but even people from places like Vietnam and Siam come to Hong Kong to make a living.

In the past, when gangs ran rampant in Hong Kong, in addition to the Big Circle Gang, which was known for its fierce fighting ability, the Cochin Islands gang was also a notorious group of desperate criminals. Like the Big Circle Gang, many members of the Cochin Islands gang were veterans of the Cochin Islands War and were known for their willingness to risk their lives for money.

Previously, when Li Dongling came to Gangcheng, he flexed his muscles and dealt with the Zhao family, including Zhao Shinan, who dared to bar his teeth at the great philanthropist Li.

Back then, Li Dongling had just arrived in Gangcheng. If he didn't flex his muscles and deal with Zhao Shinan, then probably nobody in Gangcheng would dare to mess with him.

When Zhao Shinan and his family were driven to bankruptcy, they wanted to kidnap Li Dashanren. The two desperate men they hired to help were from the Jiaozhi gang.

Why do countless people from the mainland and from Jiaozhi flock to Hong Kong, even if they become involved in gangs, and refuse to go back? It's because Hong Kong now offers not only jobs but also the chance to get rich overnight!

The attitude of Zhang Xiaocheng and others in the face of the Hong Kong government leaders is self-evident. If you still don't understand, let me give you an analogy. Imagine you are attending a banquet in the future and the leaders of the Shanghai and Beijing governments raise their glasses to you. How would you feel?
"Gangcheng welcomes more companies like Torch, Zorro, and Ruyan to come to Gangcheng, and Gangcheng is willing to fully support them!"

The Hong Kong government leader was very warm towards Zhang Xiaocheng, the general manager of Torch Group. Although the production site is in Hanxi, the registration sites for the Zorro and Ruyan brands are in Hong Kong City because of export needs.

Zorro's metal lighters and Ruyan e-cigarettes are now popular in America and Europe. E-cigarettes, in particular, are marketed as "healthy" in America, and with high commissions, they have been promoted by countless people in America!

Although the production site is not in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong government still attaches great importance to Torch Group. It not only provides tax exemption, but also provides subsidies and loans to keep Torch Group, Zorro, and Ruyan e-cigarettes in Hong Kong.

The production sites for products like cigarettes and Zorro are not expected to be moved to Gangcheng. Given Gangcheng's current labor costs, producing these products there would be too expensive.

However, placing the headquarters in Hong Kong, or using it as a cargo transit point, or even listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange if possible, is also a way to "keep" Torch Group, Ruyan Company, and others "in" Hong Kong!

Zhang Xiaocheng first glanced at Li Dongling. It was true that he was the general manager of Torch Group, but everyone knew perfectly well who was in charge of operating Torch Group, Zorro, and Ruyan brand.

"Zorro and Ruyan Company headquarters will not leave Hong Kong!"

Zhang Xiaocheng said to the Hong Kong government leader that, nominally, Hong Kong is still the headquarters of the two Zorro companies, but whether it will be listed depends on the wishes of Mr. Li.

There must be a lot of people in Hong Kong who hope that Zorro or Ruyan can be listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange so that they can also get a piece of the pie.

If it were listed on NASDAQ or the NYSE, it would have nothing to do with the port city, and the local tycoons and celebrities would not be able to benefit from it.

"The Hong Kong Stock Exchange is willing to support Zorro and Ruyan e-cigarettes to list on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange!"

The speaker was Lin Yaohua, the current CEO of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. He naturally hoped that Zorro and Ruyan could be listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

In particular, the reputation of Ruyan e-cigarettes is incredibly high. It has been touted by the media as the one that will end the era of traditional tobacco. It's been hyped up to the skies. If it could be listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, wouldn't it bring a huge wave of global investors to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and greatly enhance its reputation?

For a time, Cao Zongyan, Ren Zhigang, Lin Yaohua, Secretary Zeng and other Hong Kong government officials chatted and drank with Zhang Xiaocheng, Qiu Bojun, Lei Jun, Guo Jingyun, Zhou Hongyi and others.

With both sides eager to cooperate, the atmosphere was naturally very enthusiastic.

At that time, mainland internet and technology companies had not yet developed the idea that going to NASDAQ was a source of pride.

Instead of listing on Nasdaq, mainland tech companies would be willing to list on the A-shares, Hong Kong Stock Exchange, or even the Japanese or Singapore Stock Exchanges.

But the reason why stock markets in these places can't rise is that it's easier to go to Nasdaq, where you can get a lot of financing and become rich overnight. This is why more Chinese Internet companies are going to Nasdaq.

The Hong Kong government chief looked at the mainland delegation members who had accompanied Li Dongling on this visit, then smiled and asked Li Dongling, "It seems that Mr. Li's Silicon Harbor plan is making progress?"

Standing with the Hong Kong government chief Li Dongling was Chen Guoan, director of the mainland's Hong Kong office.

Although the Hong Kong government leader spoke casually, Chen Guoan, who was familiar with him, noticed that the leader's gaze was fixed on Li Dongling.

Chen Guoan was well aware of the immense pressure on the Hong Kong government's leadership. As the first leader of Hong Kong after its return to China, he had a tremendous amount of work to do. Hong Kong had undergone a period of tremendous change in recent years. Although the British had nominally left, their influence in Hong Kong, a city with a century of history, couldn't possibly disappear so quickly.

The British, known for their meddling, are particularly adept at creating problems, and they have certainly created quite a few in Hong Kong. Firstly, in the judicial system, the Hong Kong judiciary is still dominated by the British, which puts the Hong Kong government under considerable pressure.

Many industries in Hong Kong, including public opinion, are still in the hands of British capital or wealthy families supported by the British. The British are gone, but these people are still here.

These industries, in particular, involve a large number of tax revenues, jobs, elderly care, and other issues, so the Hong Kong government is hesitant to take action.

The Hong Kong government leader wants to get things done, but the traps set by the British and the overt and covert obstruction from some local tycoons have made it difficult for him to act.

Just like the Hong Kong government wanted to solve the problem of high housing prices in the city and wanted to approve more land to build rental housing, but was firmly opposed by several major real estate giants in the city. Coupled with the media campaign, the Hong Kong government leader had no choice but to give up.

What was even more painful was last year's Asian financial crisis. Although it saved Hong Kong's exchange rate and prevented Hong Kong from being completely plundered like South Korea and Siam, it also severely damaged the city's economy, making the Hong Kong government even more hesitant to take action for fear of further damage to Hong Kong.

In reality, those who are willing to cooperate with and support the Hong Kong government leader are basically the Huo family, Bao family, Dong family, and the emerging wealthy Ning family in Hong Kong, who are all inclined towards the mainland, as well as mainland conglomerates such as Bank of China, China Merchants Bank, and Dongling High-Tech, which are outsiders.

The Hong Kong government leader hopes to change the landscape of Hong Kong, allowing local tycoons who are inclined to support him, as well as companies like Dongling High-Tech, to gain more influence in the city.

In this stalemate, the Hong Kong government needs someone to break the deadlock, and the Silicon Harbor project has become the key to the game. If this project succeeds, the city's elite may face a reshuffle.

The Silicon Harbour project is supported by the head of the Hong Kong government. He has the right to decide which wealthy families or clans in Hong Kong can join and reap the benefits, and he also has the right to prevent any family from joining!
Li Dongling took a sip of wine. Tonight at the banquet, the philanthropist Li hadn't eaten a single bite of food, but had poured himself a bellyful of wine.

"China.com has now been completed. I hope that the Hong Kong government and Director Chen can attend the launch ceremony of China.com together!"

China.com is a Cyberport company, a real internet company. Even before it was fully developed, it was already touting itself as the world's number one Chinese portal website!
Forget about whether it's achievable or not, just focus on how impressive the reputation is. The boast has already been made.

China.com is also the first step in Cyberport's launch of the Silicon Harbor plan. If this step is successful, the rest will be much easier!
"Once the first phase of the Cyberport Global Center Industrial Park is completed, Cyberport can guarantee that companies such as Tianya, Himalaya FM, Yahoo! Taiwan, Jiangmin Antivirus Technology, Seasun Entertainment, and Kingsoft will move in."

In addition, Cyberport will also seek to attract Yahoo! America, Microsoft, Sequoia Capital and other investors to set up operations here!

Cyberport Global Center will be developed into Asia's largest server center in the future!

Li Dongling said to the Hong Kong government leader that the Cyberport Global Centre Industrial Park was originally intended to become a bridgehead for mainland internet companies to go global, using Hong Kong as a springboard to enter Asian and overseas markets.

Similarly, we will seek to make Cyberport Industrial Park a bridge to the mainland market for more overseas companies, and to place their Asian headquarters here.

Once the Cyberport Global Center is completed, it will not be like the Cyberport under PCCW Power in its previous life, which failed to attract international giants and ultimately became a gimmick for selling houses.

With the launch of China.com, or even its IPO, coupled with the establishment of Cyberport Global Center and the hype surrounding the Silicon Harbor project, it's easy to create a buzz!

The Hong Kong government leader's eyes lit up, and Chen Guoan's breathing became heavier. He did not expect that Li Dongling would prepare to bring so many companies to Cyberport Global Centre, especially Microsoft and Yahoo, two companies with huge global reputations.

Although Li Dongling said he was just trying to invite him, Chen Guoan knew that Li Dongling must have some confidence to say that, otherwise he wouldn't have said it out of the blue.

"I will be there in person on the day China.com goes live!" The Hong Kong government leader said very directly, meaning that no matter what happens on that day, he will be there.

The Silicon Harbor project is centered around Cyberport, but once it's completed, it will involve more than just these companies.

At that time, it will be able to attract a large number of international giants to use the port city as a bridgehead to enter the Asian market, establish their Asian headquarters, R&D centers, warehouses, and put their servers here, etc.

In addition, it can attract engineers, investment institutions, law firms, accountants, etc., which are all high-end positions, meaning that a large number of middle-class families can be born in the port city.

If these projects can be successfully completed, the future port city will become a hub for international companies in Asia, an incubator platform, a data center, and an investment center. This will indirectly drive demand in real estate, shopping malls, catering, education, conventions and exhibitions, and create hundreds of thousands of new jobs!

There's even a chance that real estate could reach a level that accounts for a significant portion of the port city's GDP, at which point the reshuffling of the port city would be completely complete.

This is why the Hong Kong government attaches so much importance to the Silicon Harbour project, and it's what they most want to see—because this pie is just too tempting!
This is an opportunity to rebuild a new port city and make a name for oneself in history. Which person in a career would be willing to miss it?
(End of this chapter)