A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

Chapter 176: The Clash between Foreign and Chinese Businessmen
The end of January is the Lunar New Year.

Since the Shanghai government has cancelled the Spring Festival, major companies in the Shanghai Stock Exchange do not need to take a holiday.

However, outside of Shanghai, numerous conflicts and absurd incidents broke out, attracting extensive coverage from various media outlets. Therefore, this year saw the most stringent crackdowns, and also the year sparking the most intense public resistance.

Time passed in this absurdity.

Soon, it was February 1930.

On that day, Oriental Press published its bimonthly magazine Capital, printing a full 1.5 copies.
When Good Friend magazine was first published in 1926, it was an instant success with a print run of 7000 copies. Today, Good Friend's sales have reached nearly copies, with sales worldwide.

Now, Capital has the support of Oriental Daily News and has carried out extensive publicity in advance, so it is full of confidence.

The cover of the first issue of "Capital" did not follow the beautiful woman cover of "Good Friend", but chose to use "stacked gold coins" instead; there were also many "predictive" texts on the cover, such as: the world economy is facing a great depression, teach you how to keep your wealth, who was the richest man in China in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China, etc.

"Capital" adopts the "photogravure printing" process, and its quality is higher than that of magazines on the market. It has a total of 36 pages.

The first issue of Capital was packed with useful information, especially Chen Guangliang's article, which detailed the "global economic depression taking place", "gold price outlook", and "the possibility of Japan invading Northeast China".

Here Chen Guangliang pointed out the possibility of Japan invading Northeast China. Obviously, he is not too worried about Japanese spies now, after all, he has special skills to protect himself.

The publication of Capital magazine once again caused a huge sensation in Shanghai's business circles. Almost everyone in business or politics would buy it. Some intellectuals also chose to buy it.

Many people bought it because of the names of 'Chen Guangliang' and 'Oriental Daily News'!
"The world economy is experiencing a great depression, and no industrial country is immune. Is this really the case?"

"Of course, the article Chen Guangliang published must be correct. He has access to overseas information sources from the Oriental Daily's news agency, and he's also skilled in business and economic analysis, so it must be correct! Listen to him and buy gold to preserve your value—that's the right thing to do!"

By this time, the gold-silver exchange rate in Shanghai had climbed to 43, and Shanghai's gold merchants were actively importing large quantities of gold from overseas through smuggling. In this regard, they were even quicker than those in Europe and the United States, thanks to the Oriental Daily.

"Japan is also an industrial nation. Once it is affected by the global economy, its economy will inevitably suffer a severe blow, falling into extreme difficulties and leading to a political crisis. Then, under the pressure of internal and external difficulties, the Japanese fascist forces will definitely choose to break through the constraints of the Washington system on Japan and take advantage of the fact that Britain and the United States are busy dealing with the crisis to plot against China's Northeast!"

"That's a very reasonable analysis. The Northeast Army should be prepared for a rainy day and be on guard against the Japanese's evil ambitions."

In his analysis, Chen Guangliang simply said that once Japan was affected by the world economic depression, militarism would definitely rise and it would try to divert conflicts to Northeast China.

His point of view only analyzed the possibility of such an event, and did not advocate what the Nanjing government or the Northeast Army should do.

So he was not afraid of offending the Nanjing government. After all, his wording was still very conservative and he was just sticking to the facts.

In the Shanghai Gold Exchange, trading was busy at this time, and the sound filled the entire trading hall.

In the past month, the gold standard has climbed from around 415 to around 430. This is not Chen Guangliang's credit, because the overseas gold market is rising.

During this period, Cheng Linsheng also tried to "short sell", but the result was contrary to his wishes, as the power of the bulls was always very strong.

"The same thing again?" Cheng Linsheng couldn't help but speak as he looked at the main article in Capital magazine.

Wu Guizhen leaned over to take a look, then said, "It's not even the end of the month yet. Even if he uses public opinion to drive up the price, it won't be the final settlement price. Boss, why not suspend short selling and wait for the magazine to be around for a week, when public opinion has cooled before selling again."

Cheng Linsheng was a staunch short seller, but he wasn't a complete fool either. He quickly accepted Wu Guizhen's suggestion and said, "Okay, if the gold price really goes up to 440, then we'll go short on a large scale. No, we can go short on a large scale starting from 435!"

The market is like this, some people are bullish, some are bearish;

Chen Guangliang is not an absolute weather vane. Many people hold a "bearish" view and will not change easily. What's more, the gold standard has risen from 10 points in October last year to more than 405 points. How many people think that it has reached its peak and turn to short selling?

Wu Guizhen then reminded him, "Boss, I heard Kong Xiangxi is also long on gold. Do you think he and Chen Guangliang are colluding?"

After hearing this, Cheng Linsheng was not afraid at all. Instead, he smiled and said, "In this field, it's the same for everyone. Even if the two of them join forces, they won't be as wealthy and powerful as me. There's nothing to worry about!"

At this time, Cheng Linsheng had mortgaged more properties and had at least 1000 million in deposit, and the amount he could mobilize was as high as 1 million.

This is a terrifying number. If Cheng Linsheng goes all out in short selling, the market will definitely be affected.

Of course, Cheng Linsheng also overconfidently believed in his own abilities, and claimed on many occasions that he could "control the Shanghai bidding gold market."

If it were normal times, when international gold prices were stable, Cheng Linsheng might be able to do it, provided there were no rivals colluding with him. But now, that's obviously not possible, given the general trend.

No. 13 Yingchunfang, Hubei Road.

"Bang, Chen Guangliang, you're taking revenge for your personal gain!" Gu Zhuxuan slammed the Oriental Daily newspaper heavily on the coffee table. The muscles on his face trembled, revealing the extremely intense beating of his heart.

A reporter from the Oriental Daily reported that many Shanghai rickshaw rental companies have begun replacing their rickshaws with three-wheeled rickshaws to alleviate the "inhumane labor" faced by rickshaw pullers. However, Gu's company has been slow to adopt the new model, and its rental fees are higher than those of its competitors. The article also implied that Gu Zhuxuan, while always touting the camaraderie of northern Jiangsu residents, actually treated them as cheap labor, with no regard for their lives or health.

The article also pointed out that nearly 10,000 large-scale license plates in the Shanghai Public Concession are currently concentrated in the hands of major car dealerships, with ordinary people accounting for only 20%; among them, Gu's car dealership has the largest share, almost 20%, which is extremely monopolistic and exploitative.

Gu Zhuxuan has always "branded" himself as a representative of the "Jiangbei people" in Shanghai, but now some people are questioning him - he just regards his fellow countrymen as objects of exploitation.

How could he not be angry!

The old housekeeper picked up the newspaper, read the news, and said, "Is this just a coincidence and has nothing to do with Chen Guangliang?"

The first reason is that the two have always had a good relationship, and the second is that Chen Guangliang's current status is "more noble", so there is no need for him to care about his boss anymore.

Gu Zhuxuan said angrily, "Impossible! Chen Guangliang must be deliberately trying to embarrass me. He must be holding a grudge against me because of the seat incident last time."

The old housekeeper sighed and said, "Chen Guangliang is at the peak of his career now. Even Du Yuesheng would give him some face. Why did the boss offend him last time? Although he can't do anything to the boss, he is making some small moves now, which makes people hard to guard against."

The last incident happened suddenly and he didn't even have a chance to try to persuade him before the boss started to embarrass him on the spot.

Gu Zhuxuan gritted his teeth and said, "I just don't believe there are still people who don't fear death. Find someone to scare that reporter, and use this as a warning to the Oriental Daily!"

The old housekeeper reminded him, "Boss, Oriental Daily News is not only owned by Chen Guangliang, but also by Du Yuesheng and Yu Qiaqing as shareholders. If things go wrong, it's a disaster."

Gu Zhuxuan said, "He's just a reporter, what's there to be afraid of? Besides, I just want to scare him so he doesn't think I'm a soft persimmon that can be easily manipulated."

"Okay, I'll go right away!"

After the old housekeeper left, Gu Zhuxuan called Gu's car dealership and asked Tang Jiapeng to come to the villa.

"Brothers here, do you have any ideas about three-wheeled rickshaws?" Gu Zhuxuan asked after arriving.

Tang Jiapeng had already decided to switch to Huangmen at this time, and said perfunctorily: "What kind of idea can I have? A two-wheeled vehicle can be pulled, and a three-wheeled vehicle can be ridden. Besides, this vehicle costs 150 yuan, and it is a business in which Chen Guangliang has a stake. There is no need for them to make money!" Gu's Car Dealership has more than 1800 vehicles, making it the largest car rental company in Shanghai. If all of them were replaced, it would cost more than or yuan.

Gu Zhuxuan heard this and said worriedly, "You can't say that. Everyone is changing their cars. If we don't, our car rental business will decrease. I heard that some of our cars are hard to rent out now. You are not working hard enough."

Tang Jiapeng lowered his head and did not answer the question, mainly because his mind was not on Cao's camp.

"So, if we order 200 three-wheelers, we'll have to pay them back slowly. The Nanjing government is promoting the use of three-wheelers, so we have to proceed slowly."

"Oh, okay."

Currently, the Gu's rickshaw company only had fifty tricycles, and Gu Zhuxuan knew he was being manipulated. If nothing changed, the drivers would inevitably cause trouble.

On February 2, in a hall of the Ritz-Carlton, Shanghai, the heads and executives of 5 taxi companies gathered to establish the Chinese and Foreign Taxi Association.

Chen Guangliang also brought Liang Mengqi with him. Their "Yangtze River Taxi" is the third largest Chinese taxi company and the fifth largest taxi company in Shanghai.

"Boss Chen, I've heard a lot about you."

The taxi company owners who came to participate took the initiative to greet Chen Guangliang and were very enthusiastic.

This scene made Zhou Xiangsheng of Xiangsheng Company a little jealous. It was obvious that their Xiangsheng was the largest Chinese-owned taxi company, but now the most popular Chinese boss was not him.

Of course, he also understood that "a man's reputation is like a tree's shadow." In Shanghai, Chen Guangliang's name was truly known to everyone.

He is not only the owner of a taxi company, but also has businesses in real estate, newspapers, and industry.

"You're welcome, everyone! Today's establishment of the 'Chinese Taxi Association' is also an opportunity for us Chinese taxi drivers. Although we can't compete with American and British taxis now, it doesn't mean we can't in the future. More importantly, we should unite and fight for fair treatment."

"Boss Chen is right. Our gas prices are now higher than those of foreign dealers. The concession authorities discriminate against Chinese dealerships. When drivers violate the rules, they deal with Chinese dealerships harshly but are very lenient with foreign dealerships."

"Yes, Boss Chen, don't worry. I'll be the first to support you becoming a director of the 'Chinese and Foreign Taxi Association'."

"Yes, we should elect someone who can fight for the interests of Chinese businessmen as our representative."

As Chen Guangliang became more popular, Zhou Xiangsheng from Xiangsheng and Gao Dengmin from Silver also came forward to greet him. After all, if they didn't show any sign of support, they would easily be accused of being disunited by the group.

Chen Guangliang also chatted with Zhou Xiangsheng and Gao Dengmin for a few words, and the simple point was that Chinese businessmen must also take the initiative.

Next, seeing this, the general managers of Anglo-American Tailai and Yunfei, Shlain and Galt, also worried that the Chinese businessmen would unite, immediately presided over a meeting.

The first thing to do at the meeting was, of course, to announce the establishment of the 'Chinese and Foreign Taxi Association'.

The second thing is to elect five 'directors'.

This election was not one person, one vote, but was announced by Shlain and Galt, who initially occupied three board seats. In addition to the two of them, there was also an official director from the concession.

It is obvious that Tailai and Yunfei companies want to firmly control the Shanghai taxi industry.

When it came to the election of five directors, none of the Chinese-owned taxi companies raised any objections. The two Chinese-owned directors were Chen Guangliang and Zhou Xiangsheng.

But when it came to the last topic, everyone had a big spark!
Payne, whose board of directors was composed of officials from the concession, said, "Shanghai taxis should have a 'standardized fare'. It shouldn't be one price for British merchants and another for Chinese merchants."

Once these words were translated, they immediately caused dissatisfaction among many car dealership owners.

The current charging standards for foreign taxis are: Chinese taxis are about 4.5 yuan per hour, while foreign taxis are 5 to 6 yuan per hour.

Why are prices higher for foreign companies when oil prices are obviously cheaper?
It is obvious that foreign investors do not consider long-term operations, and since they monopolize the market, they naturally hope to make money quickly.

On the other hand, Chinese companies are weaker and have higher costs (fuel and maintenance). If they offer the same price as foreign companies, customers will basically not choose them!
Therefore, earning less is better than earning nothing.

At this time, Chen Guangliang, as the leader, immediately said: "I disagree with this view. Our business methods and management systems are different, and we serve different clients. We each have our own characteristics. Why should we standardize them?"

Zhou Xiangsheng immediately said, "Yes, our scales are different. If we follow your price, there will be no competition in this market."

Next, all the Chinese car dealership owners opposed it.

For a moment, Payne, Shlain and Galt were in a somewhat embarrassing situation, and in the end the matter had to be left unresolved.

But Chen Guangliang once again took the initiative and said, "Now that we've established this union, I think we can't just consider the interests of the big dealerships. We should also consider the interests of the smaller dealerships, and even the interests of the entire industry. Our first step is to unite and force oil dealers to standardize fuel prices and treat everyone equally."

This suggestion was supported by Chinese businessmen, while foreign businessmen were unhappy.

Shi Lane of the British company Tailai immediately said indifferently: "This is not the work of our 'Chinese Taxi Association' and cannot be discussed here!"

Good fellow, it turns out that the establishment of this 'Chinese and Foreign Taxi Association' is only for the interests of you foreign-funded taxi drivers, but when it comes to the interests of all Chinese businessmen, you come up with excuses.

As you can imagine, the meeting ended abruptly.

However, many small car dealerships came to Chen Guangliang.

"Boss Chen, we are not on the same page as them. How about we re-establish our Chinese Taxi Association?"

"Yes, the problem that Mr. Chen just raised needs to be solved. We must establish a Chinese Taxi Association."

Seeing that everyone was of the same opinion, Chen Guangliang immediately said, "In that case, let's make some preparations to establish a Chinese Taxi Association."

"well"

"I don't want to hang out with these foreigners anymore!"

Next, Chen Guangliang and Zhou Xiangsheng discussed it again and decided to reorganize everyone and establish a new federation in mid-February.

Zhou Xiangsheng did not expect that he should have been the number one Chinese taxi owner, but now everyone trusts Chen Guangliang more.

On the way back, he was even a little worried that if Chen Guangliang put money into developing Yangtze River Taxi, its scale might soon surpass that of their Chinese-owned taxis.

Although their top priority now is to compete with foreign businessmen, the strength of Chinese businessman Chen Guangliang is also not weak!
(End of this chapter)