Return to 1958 and build a century-old giant

Chapter 829 Heading to Shekou
After a while, Luo Bishi left;

Yang Wendong also fell into deep thought. During this period, he had indeed been too active in Europe and the United States, which inevitably led many media outlets and even individuals to suspect that he was transferring assets.

However, some investments are time-sensitive and require specific opportunities; once missed, they are gone forever.

Furthermore, the investment will continue to grow in the future;

But he didn't care. Where I invest is none of your business.

As the head of Hong Kong's top conglomerate, even if some forces have some doubts, they will not come forward to ask rashly. It is only the Hong Kong government that is using the acquisition of Mini as an opportunity to probe indirectly.

Time flew by and it was mid-September. Fang Xianming came to report on his work, his face beaming with smiles: "Mr. Yang, the price of gold has risen to over $500. Our investment has yielded a profit of at least $2-3 billion."

"Yes, things are progressing well. Keep an eye on the gold price; as long as it doesn't plummet, it's fine." Yang Wendong smiled.
In his early years, when he went long on gold, although he had great confidence thanks to his prophetic insights, it was still a high-stakes gamble and he was under some psychological pressure, fearing that his actions might cause short-term fluctuations.
Now that the price of gold has nearly doubled in a few months, his investment is not only completely safe, but he has also made a lot of money.

History has largely remained the same, and it seems that his existence has little impact on such major international events.

Fang Xianming asked cautiously, "Mr. Yang, at today's price, shouldn't we release some shares?"

"Not for now, I think it can go up a bit more," Yang Wendong said.
From Fang Xianming's perspective, it's not wrong to sell everything at this time, but to sell some to protect the basic principal or some profit.

If Yang Wendong didn't know the future, he would definitely be even more conservative than him.
Seeing that his boss was determined, Fang Xianming didn't press the matter further and said, "Okay, I understand."

Anyway, the profits are already very high. Even if the price of gold falls, it shouldn't plummet. At most, it's just a matter of how much you make, not how much you lose money.

Yang Wendong added, "However, we also need to be prepared to sell off. You should contact the major banks. We have a lot of gold holdings and need to sell them off in batches."

Even if history were to change, it's impossible for him to sell his gold at the last minute.

Many wealthy people say they won't make the last penny, partly because the later the stage, the less certain they are, and partly because when they have too many positions, it's impossible to sell them all in a short period of time.
Taking gold as an example, assuming the highest value of gold is 1000, then you should start selling when it is around 800-850, because the speed from 800 to 1000 is also extremely fast. You can't wait until it reaches 1000 to sell, otherwise it may drop like an avalanche.

“No problem, I know what to do,” Fang Xianming said.

"Tell me the price of gold every day from now on. We need to be more cautious as we get closer to the end," Yang Wendong nodded.

Fang Xianming said, "Yes, Mr. Yang."

This golden opportunity offers greater benefits than the combined benefits of the three oil crises. Perhaps only the long-term Hong Kong property market, the mainland property market after 85, and the future of the electronics and internet industries can rival it.

However, the latter items are the result of many years, while the surge in gold prices did not take a year, making it arguably the most profitable return.

Moreover, once the profits from gold are secured, there will be more funds available to participate in various opportunities that emerged after the 80s.
Judging from the current trend of gold prices, I am basically certain that I will succeed this time.

Two days later, Wei Zetao arrived at Yang Wendong's office;
"Old Wei, have a seat," Yang Wendong greeted with a smile. "How's it going over there since you got back from Shekou?"

Six months ago, Shekou reached a cooperation agreement with Hang Seng Bank to obtain a loan of HK$1.5 million to develop the entire industrial park;
As creditors, Hang Seng Bank and Chang Hing Group also sent people to inspect the area. The area was completely barren, with many earthen mounds several meters high, which would require a lot of effort and time to deal with.

Fortunately, there is now sufficient funding, all in foreign exchange. The mainland construction companies are also working hard, with people taking turns around the clock, and have gradually completed the site preparation work for the Shekou Industrial Zone.
Wei Zetao was sent by Yang Wendong to check the final results.

Wei Zetao replied, "The water and electricity over there are already connected, and the roads are also okay, allowing heavy-duty vehicles to pass, which is convenient for container truck transportation."

The problem lies in the section of road from Shekou to the Lo Wu border crossing in Hong Kong. It's manageable for small cars, but definitely not for heavy trucks; they could easily get stuck if it rains.

“That is a problem. The money in Shekou can only be used internally. They can't afford to build such a long road outside.” Yang Wendong nodded and said, “The industrial products from Shekou still have to be transported to Hong Kong via containers. Does Director Yuan have any solutions?”

Wei Zetao replied: "Director Yuan's idea is that the goods can only be transported to Hong Kong in batches in the short term, and then a warehouse will be built opposite the Lo Wu Port, where the containers will be loaded and then transported to Kwai Chung Wharf."

This approach will certainly be more costly in the short term, but it's much simpler than building a main road. We can consider building this road later when the Shekou Industrial Zone has more funds or when the government allocates funds.

"Hmm, that's one approach. Let's start like this," Yang Wendong said. "We can cooperate a bit more with them in Hong Kong to make things easier for them."

Building a road wouldn't cost Yang Wendong much money these days, but he would never be too proactive in helping the mainland. He would only act if it was mutually beneficial.

Of course, this excludes disaster relief;
Wei Zetao said, "Mr. Yang, the Shekou Industrial Zone is almost ready. Director Yuan is planning to come to Hong Kong to attract investment and hopes we can invest there first. What do you think?"

"Then which industries do you think are suitable?" Yang Wendong asked in return.

Wei Zetao said, "I think we should move the sticky mouse trap business there first. This business has the least technical requirements, but it still requires a relatively large number of workers, which is quite suitable for the Shekou Industrial Zone." Yang Wendong recalled for a moment and said, "I remember you said before that you would move the sticky mouse trap business to the mainland and let them produce it in their internal factories? Do we still have this production business ourselves?"

As the industry that Yang Wendong started his business with sticky rat traps, Changxing Group will not give up. Although the profit margin is not very high, there is still some, and it can also create a lot of jobs.

Wei Zetao said helplessly and awkwardly: "Yes, we have had this plan since last year, but the production in the mainland has always had quality problems. Many factories in the mainland do not pay attention to quality and always think that as long as it works, it is fine. They have also had many disputes with our quality department."
Especially regarding batch management, their operations are extremely chaotic; they practically have no concept of batch management at all. This has led to frequent complaints from overseas distributors, so I had to temporarily suspend the plan to transfer production to mainland China and instead arrange for production to resume at the factory in Malaysia.

“The quality awareness of industries in the mainland is indeed still a big problem,” Yang Wendong thought for a moment and said, “So, this will be a headache for us when we invest in the mainland in the future.”

Domestic industries face difficulties in exporting, partly due to insufficient technology and partly due to a lack of quality awareness.

The reason is actually quite simple. In recent decades, society as a whole has been short of various materials, and the supply of goods could not meet the demand. This has led to a situation where any factory that can produce materials is very powerful. You can take it or leave it; if you don't want it, someone else will. Under this long-term demand, the awareness of quality has long been lost.

Many people may not know this, so let's look at another point. In the 1970s and 80s, supply and marketing cooperatives or small shops were impatient with customers because they controlled resources. In society, those who had goods were powerful. The same principle applies to factories.

It is said that SAIC Volkswagen encountered many similar problems when it first started cooperating with mainland companies.

Factories that prioritized quality in the 80s had unlimited potential for the future. For example, Haier's Zhang Ruimin smashing refrigerators in 84 shocked the whole country.

Wei Zetao said, "Yes, I have also visited factories in the mainland. We will need to put a lot of effort into this in the future."

Yang Wendong smiled helplessly: "Shekou is fine. We can operate as a sole proprietorship, and we can decide on the hiring. We just need to hire obedient people. What I'm worried about is that in the future, other industries will need to form joint ventures with the mainland and we'll have to use their workers. That will be a problem."

“Indeed, I also need to inform Lao Zhou about this. He’s in talks with Yanjing about building a Coca-Cola factory there.” Wei Zetao quickly added, “When it comes to food, we need to pay more attention to this.”

Yang Wendong nodded and said, "Yes, go and talk to him. I'll ask him again later."

The attitudes of workers in mainland China in the 80s certainly need to be taken seriously. It is said that some factories even ordered workers to urinate and defecate anywhere, which seems absurd in the future, but it was actually true.

In particular, some joint venture factories also need to export, and these products absolutely cannot have any problems. Even if they are consumed internally, the quality must be guaranteed. Only by pursuing quality products in this situation of supply falling short of demand can they gain a market in a future society where supply exceeds demand.

“Okay,” Wei Zetao replied, then asked, “Mr. Yang, Director Yuan would like to invite you over.”

"Invited me?" Yang Wendong thought for a moment and said, "Did you mention anything else?"

Wei Zetao smiled and said, "I have already spoken to Director Yuan about the sticky rat traps, but I suspect he is still interested in our group's other businesses and might find it more convenient to talk to you directly."

"He probably underestimates our sticky rat trap industry chain," Yang Wendong shook his head;
While sticky mouse traps weren't a major component of Changxing Group, the scale was still considerable. After all, the demand for these things would continue into the 21st century. So he said, "Alright, I'll go over there. When?"

Previously, he had arranged for his subordinates to handle matters related to Shekou, since it was a barren area in the early days and his presence would have been of little use. Now that the land has been leveled and paved, it's practically an opening, so he can go and see for himself.

Putting aside investment, the fact that I was the first foreign entrepreneur to enter the Shekou Industrial Zone, and that Shekou was the first stop of reform and opening up, is enough to put me in the historical record of the mainland.

Wei Zetao said, "Regarding the time, Director Yuan didn't make any requests, he just hopes that if you can go, you can go as soon as possible."

"Then let's wait a few days. I'll have my assistant arrange a time," Yang Wendong said, nodding.
As the head of a large conglomerate, his time is largely planned and cannot be changed arbitrarily.

However, because his business in Hong Kong is so large, there are very few businesses in Hong Kong that can match him, which means he is not as busy as ordinary businessmen. Generally speaking, he has to deal more with the Hong Kong government and overseas affairs. He only gets a little busy in Hong Kong during special times.
On September 22, Yang Wendong and his entourage crossed the Luohu Port to the mainland once again. The convoy went directly to the Shekou Industrial Zone, and the road conditions were acceptable along the way.

"There are pebbles on the road. It seems that people in the mainland have some experience with this." As they approached their destination, Yang Wendong looked out the window at the road and said with a smile.

Wei Zetao said, "This was done by the Shenzhen Municipal Government. They must have known the importance of the roads, but they didn't have the money to repair them, so they could only use this simple method for now. At least the roads near Hong Kong have been paved with gravel."

Yang Wendong nodded and said, "It is indeed a good method, and it is worth learning from across the country."

Shenhai City was established in March, converted from Bao'an County. The central government probably wanted to take advantage of its proximity to Hong Kong to see if it could be developed first, and the people sent there are all very capable.
Soon, we arrived at the Shekou Industrial Zone.
Yuan Geng, the head of the industrial park, and several leaders from Shenhai City were already waiting here.
Yang Wendong only knew Yuan Geng. Later, through Yuan Geng's introduction, he also met other people. They were all sent by Shenzhen City and were all people in charge of economics and investment promotion.

Although Shekou is located in the deep sea, it is administratively independent. The deep sea also needs to attract investment, but it is not a special economic zone yet, so its policies are not as good as Shekou's. Attracting Hong Kong capital is not easy; even Shekou has a hard time doing so.

While exchanging pleasantries, many reporters were also taking pictures. As the first open site in mainland China, Shekou Industrial Zone has attracted nationwide attention. It can be said that reporters are paying attention to it every day. The news of Yang Wendong's arrival had already been released, and many reporters came here specifically for this purpose.

Next, Director Yuan led Yang Wendong and his entourage on a tour of the Shekou Industrial Zone, explaining the policies of the industrial zone and so on.

Yang Wendong listened patiently to the end;
Director Yuan smiled and said, "Mr. Yang, you are aware of the current situation in Shekou. We hope that you can invest more in Shekou. Once you invest, it will be easier to attract other Hong Kong capital."

PS: Please give me a monthly ticket
(End of this chapter)