1982 Started from Hong Kong

Chapter 544 If people are not united, replace them with a new batch.

Gold and silver, sensual pleasures, and sex.

Soviet devils who joined the Far East Club came to Hong Kong for a gathering under the guise of cultural exchange.

At first, he was still a little reserved.

But under Zhai Yuan's constant instigation, these country bumpkins soon experienced firsthand what the decadent pleasures of capitalism were like in one night of debauchery.

"Brother Jiale, you don't need to do anything from now on. Just take the Soviet devils sightseeing."

The brightly lit and bustling Natural Selection Casino.
Symphonic and pop music alternated in the air, scantily clad dancers sang and danced, and the chips and cash piled on the gambling table were dazzling.

Zhai Yuan glanced at the dumbfounded Soviet foreigners, put his arm around Chen Jiale's shoulder, and issued the latest instructions: "In short, each person who is in the Italian gambling camp will have 100 million chips per day, and they are not allowed to disembark until they have lost it all. Each person who is in the Italian partying camp will have two American gold cats every night as a minimum, and they are not allowed to get out of bed until they have eaten... One bottle of Romanée-Conti will be thrown away, and if they smoke a few more Cohiba cigarettes, they will be replaced with a new one. Champagne will be opened just to hear the sound of it being opened. All kinds of famous watches, brand-name cars, and luxury brands can be chosen at will. Sea cucumbers, abalone, shark fin, and fish will be airlifted from their place of origin. While you're at it, get a few kilograms of gold to be polished into gold leaf and gold powder to use as side dishes or for mixing drinks..."

Zhai Yuan constantly inspired Chen Jiale on how to spend money to make the Soviet foreigners feel at home.

He patted Carlos Chan on the back and said, "In short, this trip to Hong Kong is to make them feel like Romanovs are alive. That's the meaning of the Far East Club's existence."

The simplest way to unite these unsophisticated Soviet devils is to arouse their inner desires and appetites.

This time, Tatiana and her husband led the delegation, which included not only key members of the Yip Group,
Among them were prominent figures such as Viktor Kharansky, Governor of the Central Bank; Orlov, Commander of the 4th Tank Division; and Alexandrov, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Committee, representing Moscow's financial, military, and political sectors.

Besides being a member of the Far East Club, he is also someone the Yip Group needs to win over.

Even the most extravagant entertainment in the Soviet Union was ultimately limited.

But when Zhai Yuan went to Hong Kong for cultural exchanges and economic research, he was fully confident that he could easily overturn the perception of these country bumpkins who treated eating a patchwork steak like it was New Year's Day.

It's hard to go from extravagance to frugality. When the foreigners returned to the Soviet Union, they would naturally miss the extravagant period that followed, increasing their sense of belonging to the club.

Some friends might ask, "Brother Yuan, these high-ranking officials are representatives who have served as envoys to the United States. They can't be so ignorant, can they?"

That's not actually the case. Their visit to the major European and Western powers was on behalf of the Soviet Union, so they had to consider various factors...

Zhai Yuan slapped his cheeks: "This!"

Every time the Soviet delegation visited the United States, even the toilet paper in their hotels was stolen. Why would they suffer such a fate when they came to Hong Kong?

…………

Upon returning to Hong Kong, the first thing he did was visit Government House on his first day to meet with William E.

The conversations with Inspector Wai were all about business, such as the current Lantau Island New Airport project.

Following the controversy surrounding the New Territories women and the Tanka people, during Zhai Yuan's absence from Hong Kong, the Legislative Council held several meetings to coordinate with the Basic Law of the Mainland.

The revised New Territories Land Exemption Ordinance has been officially released.

From probate to land rent assessment, from redistribution of land from New Territories women to Tanka people, things are finally moving beyond the past when the Hong Kong government could only pay lip service to human rights and equality.

Fishermen who lived on their boats washed their feet and went ashore, shedding their lowly status. Overnight, the Lands Department approved and registered more than 60,000 applications for 'small house development plans'.

With the support of Zhai Yuan's faction in the Xinxiang Yiju (New Township Council),

Land that had been hoarded or restricted from development by local gentry was distributed to women and Tanka people, diluting the artificially inflated land prices, and real estate developers also scattered.

Following closely behind, the Lantau Island New Airport project, spearheaded by Wei Yixin and approved by the mainland, saw its cost drop by tens of billions of Hong Kong dollars.

"After the budget was reduced, the resistance from the mainland also decreased significantly."

Wei Yixin let out a sigh of relief, his smile weary, and said, "The new airport will definitely be the gateway to Hong Kong in the future. I hope this will be the greatest achievement I leave behind during my time governing Hong Kong."

Zhai Yuan was silent for a moment, then smiled and added, "Thank you for your hard work, Officer Wei."

In the century since Hong Kong opened as a port, governors of Hong Kong have come and gone in a whirlwind fashion.
Looking back, in terms of political achievements and contributions, MacLehose is undoubtedly number one, while Wei Yixin would probably be ranked second.

As a result, the British Empire, after Brexit, faced increasingly difficult times. In order to ease relations with the mainland, it took the initiative to show goodwill, and even the newly appointed ambassador to China was Wei Sir's son, Wei Lei. It should be noted that before this, after Wei Sir returned to the House of Commons to retire, he and his family had been sidelined for a long time because he criticized Britain for still interfering in Hong Kong affairs in every meeting.

"My term has a maximum of one year left."

Wei Yixin looked at Zhai Yuan and smiled, "I definitely won't have a chance to be re-elected, so for the next year, I will focus all my attention on the new airport project. You are already the chairman of the Heung Yee Kuk and have close ties with the Soviet Union and the mainland, so I can't help you much more. I hope that after I leave office, Hong Kong will still have young people like you to continue to manage the construction and give the citizens confidence. All the infrastructure is just a facade; unity of purpose is the key."

Zhai Yuan certainly knew what he was talking about.

Since the signing of the Joint Declaration, the UK has begun to relax its citizenship program for Hong Kong talent.

In 1987, the so-called BNO passport was introduced and issued to elites from all walks of life.

To date, an average of 3 people from Hong Kong have emigrated to other countries each year. In addition to the UK, countries such as the US, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia have also relaxed their immigration policies for Hong Kong's wealthy and elite individuals.

This year alone, nearly 10 Hong Kongers have immigrated to UC Berkeley.

Companies such as Hutchison Whampoa, Sun Hung Kai Properties, New World Development, and Swire Properties have about 60% of their office space vacant in prime CBD office buildings.

This is what Wei Yixin meant by 'confidence'.

With the change of dynasties, various forces not only coveted Hong Kong's wealth but also its talent pool.

During his ten years in office, Murray MacLehose promoted nine-year compulsory education. Compared to people from neighboring countries, this generation of Hong Kong immigrants is undoubtedly a group of talented individuals.

"Those who should leave, leave; those who should stay, stay."

Zhai Yuan tapped the table lightly, shrugged noncommittally, looked up at Wei Yixin and smiled, "If people aren't united, then let's replace them with a new batch."

Wei Yixin was taken aback upon hearing this.

“Wei Sir, there’s actually one more thing you can do for me.”

Zhai Yuan smiled slightly and said unhurriedly, "Hong Kong is a city of constant flux. As long as there is outflow, there is inflow. As long as the flow of capital is rapid enough, no matter how many so-called talents leave, new immigrants and new elites will be drawn in to fill the vacancies."

"The world is so big, and there are still a lot of talented people who are stuck in the mire because they can't realize their ambitions. I found a lot of that during my trip to the Soviet Union."

"Let those who consider themselves elites leave if they want to. Is it so hard for us to select new elites to fill the vacancies?"

Zhai Yuan looked at Wei Yixin with a smile on his lips: "I considered this issue when I was in the Soviet Union. Zhonggang Communications, Jiu Yi Entertainment, Kuaibo Technology, and Shenshan Semiconductor all need a constant stream of new talents to join. It's just that this time it has been expanded to the entire Hong Kong."

"It's very simple. The Legislative Council can convene a meeting tomorrow to open up the scheme for attracting foreign talent. With your approval, Inspector Wei, the Governor of Hong Kong, this matter can be finalized and documented on the same day."

"Even if Hong Kong had over 100,000 immigrants every year before 1997, were all of them exceptional individuals? Of course not. As long as the Hong Kong government brings in 5,000 professors, scholars, engineers, educators, and other truly talented people from overseas each year, that's enough to fill the quota!"

After finishing his speech in one breath, Zhai Yuan slowly lit a cigarette, leaned back in his chair, and began to smoke.

A silence fell over the Governor's office. Wei Yixin frowned slightly, as if deep in thought.

Unlike infrastructure projects like new airports, talent mobility involves too much uncertainty. It not only faces dual pressure from the UK and the mainland, but also impacts the Hong Kong domestic market.

The slightest mistake could result in a lifetime of infamy.

"I need to think about this matter carefully, and I also need to sound out the opinions of both the Chinese and British sides."

Wei Yixin was silent for a moment, then said softly, and looked at Zhai Yuan, asking, "If this plan can proceed smoothly, what should we name it?"

"Let's call it the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme, the Excellent Talents Immigration Scheme!"

Zhai Yuan tilted his head back and exhaled a puff of smoke, answering without hesitation.

Finally, he sat up abruptly, his face serious, and said, "However, there is one very important thing: we can accept elites from all over the world, but there is one exception: we will not accept any people with black skin!"

…………

Since Columbus discovered the New World, some have gone to Third World countries to look for gold mines, some to mine diamonds, and some to capture laborers.

I've never heard of anyone trying to recruit talent.

They're even bringing in Black guys? Tch! They can't understand the language!
Brother Yuan spoke up. Don't think that just because we sang "Glorious Years" together, we're showing a lot of respect to each other.

Four words: only sell, never touch.

After finishing all the official business at Government House, a brief meeting was held with the key figures of the 91 Entertainment Group.

More than six months after leaving Hong Kong, the company's business is still developing healthily, which indirectly proves the importance of talent.

Pan Yongqiang and Ye Yijian of the September 1st Daily,
Shi Nansheng, Huang Baiming, Wang Jin, and Xu Ke from 91 Entertainment

Joseph Koo, James Wong, Dai Sicong, and Chan Suk-fang from The Voice of China (2019).

Ma Rongcheng, Li Huizhen, Takeuchi Naoko, and Inoue Takehiko of 912 Echinacea,
There are also Guan Moyan, Zhang Yimou, and others...

Without these people managing and creating content, even if Zhai Yuan worked himself to death, he still wouldn't be able to manage the business.

Driven by Girls' Generation, the sales of several manga series, including "Slam Dunk," have been soaring in Japan and Taiwan.

After Wong Yuk-long's downfall, the local Hong Kong comics were still dominated by "Storm Riders", and the plot had already developed into the second part.

It's worth mentioning that during the serialization of the original "Storm Riders" series, in order to maintain weekly updates, the plot became increasingly chaotic and heavily rewritten as the story progressed. By the third installment, it was practically unwatchable.

So Zhai Yuan simply had Danqing reverse the plot of the second and third parts, putting all the Japanese masters from the original third part, who were said to be "all martial arts originated from Japan," into the second part as villains. Taking advantage of the huge success of "Jurassic Park," he also brought out the story of the Seven Warriors slaying the dragon ahead of time. In the future, he could simply set the original Emperor Shitian as the final boss in the third part, which would make the whole plot much clearer.

There's a rumor circulating that the reason the Seven Heroes of the Storm Riders comics slay a Tyrannosaurus Rex is because Hong Kong people are superstitious, and Ma Wing-shing didn't dare to draw a real dragon...

What a crazy Q line! He was just riding the wave of Jurassic Park's popularity back then! It's not that he didn't dare to draw it, it's just that there are too many Hong Kong comics about Five-Clawed Dragon, always about killing dragons to seek enlightenment, even Old Ma himself was tired of it.

"Next, we can consider making a live-action TV series version of 'Storm Riders'. Lao Ma, you should talk to TVB when you have time. If you have any questions, ask Sister Nan."

Zhai Yuan told the executives of Anime & Comics and the animators at New Vision, "In terms of animation, next year we can give priority to Pokémon and Sailor Moon, two works with simple art styles, and make sure the style is consistent with the trailer for Girls' Generation's last performance at the Tokyo Dome."

Ma Rongcheng remained relatively calm, but Chen Shaomei and Takeuchi Naoko, upon hearing this, blushed with surprise and immediately stood up to bow repeatedly to Zhai Yuan.

"The Voice of China is doing well lately."

Zhai Yuan then turned his head and praised Gu Jiahui and his team.

There was no time for the other party to be modest. Zhai Yuan turned his head and snapped his fingers at Li Zhi.

Secretary Li picked up the handbag beside her and dumped more than a dozen cassette tapes onto the table with a clatter.

"But we still need to keep trying!"

With a decisive move, Zhai Yuan pushed a pile of cassette tapes in front of Gu Jiahui and the others, saying earnestly, "Don't think I was idle just because I was in the Soviet Union. Here are about twenty new songs that I produced. Take them back and share them with everyone!"

Gu Huang Dai Chen: "..."

Then he casually inquired about the situation of the newspaper, novel, and short drama departments.

Zhai Yuan finally looked at Shi Nansheng, who seemed hesitant to speak, and said with a smile, "Alright! I know what you want to say, Sister Nan. Anyway, everything before December 31st is considered the New Year's holiday season, and there's still half a month left in the production cycle. 'Iron Man' will definitely be released in time!"

The company's affairs were handled cleanly.

Zhai Yuan stood up and called to Secretary Li, "Zhizhi, call Natasha and Aqing, let's go to the theater!"

Shi Nansheng said, "That's fine. Mr. Zhai hasn't seen the new play that's been airing on 1024 yet. He can give some feedback..."

"Who told you I was going to 1024?" Zhai Yuan gave her a strange look, then unabashedly wrapped his arm around Li Zhi's slender waist. "If I'm taking a woman to the theater, it's to Xinbao to see that epic romance, 'Ghost'! Let's go, everyone~"

In the conference room, everyone looked at each other, a series of sighs escalating, mixed with helpless laughter at their boss…

…………

On December 18, Zhai Yuan, along with Li Zhi, Ye Yuqing, and Natasha, watched "Ghost". Li Zhi and Ye Yuqing had red eyes and sobbed, while Natasha also showed some emotion.

On December 19th, Zhai Yuan, along with actresses Li Saifeng, Li Lizhen, and Bai Anni, watched a performance of "Ghost".

On December 20th, Zhai Yuan, Noriko Sakai, Michiko Nishiwaki, and Chikako Aoyama, *Human*

On December 21st, Zhai Yuan, Zhong Chuhong, and Zhang Baizhi performed "Ghost".

On the 22nd, Zhai Yuan and Brigitte Lin performed "Love".

On the 23rd, Zhai Yuan and Zhou Huimin, "The Unknown"

On the 24th, Zhai Yuan and Zhou Haimei, "The End"

On the 25th, Rosamund Kwan invited Zhai Yuan to watch "Ghost".

On the 26th, Chingmy Yau and Li Jiaxin invited...

On the 27th, Zhang Min and Ye Quanzhen invited...

……

On December 29th, just two days before the Lunar New Year film season ended, "Iron Man" announced its release date again: tomorrow, no delays!
(End of this chapter)