A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

Chapter 203: Advice to Miss Sheng Qi
After Chen Guangliang returned to the Shanghai Stock Exchange, he immediately introduced the results of his investigation to a group of shareholders who were interested in investing in the sugar industry. After hearing this, everyone readily agreed to invest.

Of course, if I want to formally invest, I have to wait for news from the Guangdong government.

He calculated that the total investment for the first sugar factory would be between $80 and $100, as the equipment might not be completely affordable yet. If he calculated it at $100, that would be about $400, with the Jiangsu and Zhejiang consortium holding a 50% stake.

Chen Guangliang himself can receive a subscription of 100 million, and the rest will be claimed by various shareholders, which is believed to be sufficient to complete the task.

Investment is already considered large for many people. After all, asset value and cash flow are two different things.

This day.

Chen Guangliang met with Pros, the Far East representative of the Norwegian firm Warren & Co., in the office of Global Shipping.

Norway is the birthplace of pirates and a country with developed maritime transport. Naturally, Warren & Co. was primarily a shipping company. They approached Global Shipping after hearing they were interested in purchasing ships.

"Mr. Chen, this is the information of our ship. I believe you will like it because it is an ultra-large ship, reaching 6725 tons." Pros handed over the information with a look of profiteer.

Chen Guangliang first handed the information to Zhao Tieyi, letting a professional take a look. As a former shipping worker of China Merchants Group, he was naturally very familiar with it.

Zhao Tieyi then said to Chen Guangliang, "Boss, the Ursula Rickmers, this steel ocean-going vessel, was built and launched in Germany in 1911. It's already 20 years old, but it's well-equipped, powerful, and its massive 6725 tons really stands out in the Shanghai stock market. But isn't it a bit too big for us?"

Because it is in Chinese, there is no need to worry about being eavesdropped.

Chen Guangliang said, "It's okay that the ship is big, but what's the reputation of this ship? Have you heard of it?"

Zhao Tieyi shook his head and said, "I haven't heard of it, but we can inspect the ship later. A ship twenty years old is also acceptable. There are many ships that have been in service for thirty or forty years."

In that case, Chen Guangliang immediately switched to English and asked, "How much are you planning to sell it for?"

Prologis immediately quoted a price: "10 US dollars will be enough."

Chen Guangliang chuckled upon hearing this and said, "Mr. Pros, as far as I know, Western ports are full of empty ships because you're going through the Great Depression. Take the UK, for example. This year, there are already 100 million tons of empty ships, compared to just over 2 tons in the first half of last year. Simply put, you can buy a 10-10-ton, -year-old ship in Western ports for $. Selling your ship for $ is incredibly expensive!"

Pros blushed. He never dreamed that Chen Guangliang was so familiar with this market situation.

You know, at the beginning, he had specifically asked people and found out that Chen Guangliang was just a rich layman who had never been involved in shipping.

"We can negotiate the price. After all, it costs a lot for a Western ship to sail to the East."

“If it’s fully loaded, there’s no cost and there’s profit.”

Seeing that Chen Guangliang was difficult to deal with, Pross gave up the initiative and asked, "How much are you willing to offer, Mr. Chen?"

Chen Guangliang said: "5 US dollars"

Pros said anxiously, "Impossible, the price is too low, and I believe you are not the only one who wants to buy it."

Chen Guangliang smiled and said, "Then please go back and think about it carefully. We are not in a hurry to purchase."

He did remember one thing: it seemed like it was around this time in his previous life that Canada's national railway company, in order to ease its debt, auctioned off six ships, with a starting price of $2 each. A few years ago, these ships were worth $200 million, equivalent to over $ each. Now, with a starting price of $, the highest bid would theoretically be no more than $.

This batch of ships created a world shipping king - Onassis.

Chen Guangliang also wanted one, but it was too far from Canada, and the communication channels were not smooth, so he didn't know if there was any chance. Even if he couldn't use all the ships after buying them, he could definitely make a lot of money by reselling them.

After Pros left, Chen Guangliang said to Zhao Tieyi, "Keep an eye on this boat. If there are other Chinese buyers, let them know. Anyway, the price is $5 to $6. We can't let them treat us Chinese as fools."

Zhao Tieyi immediately said, "Boss, your article a while ago has been read by many shipping bosses. No matter how stupid you are, you won't let these foreigners get away with it."

Chen Guangliang nodded and said, "We'll prepare the first ship, heading north. It's best to have a combination of passenger and cargo. You should hurry up and organize a plan for the ports of call. After you buy the ship, you'll also need to set up a local office."

"clear"

For routes heading north, calls at Dalian Port, Yingkou Port, Tianjin and Qingdao are generally considered.

Because Vitasoy needs to import a large amount of soybeans every year, and Jierui Coal Briquettes has a demand for coal, both can be customers.

Of course, before September 18th next year, we have to consider evacuating the ports in Northeast China in advance, otherwise it would be unprofitable if they were confiscated by the Japanese.

Chen Guangliang's idea is to own five or six ships in the next three years with a capital of more than one million yuan, which is a small business. Of course, this is also in terms of Chen Guangliang's assets.

In late October, news of Cheng Linsheng's bankruptcy began to circulate in the market, shocking Chen Guangliang.

According to the news, Cheng Linsheng owed more than 2000 million taels of silver, of which 1400 million was borrowed from the British firm Dehe and Yeguang Company by mortgaging properties, and the other 600 million was borrowed from major Chinese banks and money houses based on their credit.

Although Cheng Linsheng owned property assets worth more than 10 million taels of silver, he was insolvent.

For a time, all the major banks in Shanghai became anxious.

Dehe Foreign Trade Company and Yip Kuang Company also knew to use properties as collateral, and the value of the properties was even higher than the loan.

On the other hand, the major Chinese money houses or banks gave Cheng Linsheng a "credit loan", and conservatively estimated that they would suffer a lot of losses.

The news of Cheng Linsheng's bankruptcy also sounded a wake-up call to Chen Guangliang - even if you are worth tens of millions, you can still go bankrupt, and bankruptcy may even happen overnight.

However, the news of Cheng Linsheng's bankruptcy also made Chen Guangliang reflect on some of his previous information - perhaps the historical information he knew would be greatly biased, and he should take it as a warning.

For example, in Shanghai at that time, the real estate tycoons, such as Cheng Linsheng and Zhou Xiangyun's family, had a wealth of only more than 10 million, far less than he thought.

It is possible that the real estate of families like Zhou Xiangyun will continue to appreciate in value, after all, they are all in the concession; especially once the war breaks out, the land and properties in the concession will become even more valuable, making it an ideal refuge for the wealthy in China.

Changjiang Real Estate.

Chen Guangliang and a group of management held a meeting.

"The third batch of homes on Yuyuan Road has been delivered. In this area, we have developed nearly 500 homes in total in less than three years. This is a remarkable achievement and has established Changjiang Real Estate's influence as a leader in residential development."

Everyone applauded, their faces filled with genuine happiness.

They also gained a lot, and all of them joined the middle class and owned their own house.

Changjiang Real Estate has indeed laid the foundation for today's Yuyuan Road, from the initial "leasing land and building on behalf of others" to the later "phased and layered" development. Chen Guangliang's base also started from Yuyuan Road.

What does 500 buildings mean? It is equivalent to half of the "rentable floors" of Siming Bank and half of the "rentable floors" of some old foreign companies.

Assuming that all of it was rented out, the annual rent could reach 700,000 to 800,000 oceans, which is close to 70% of the rental income of Sassoon & Co. in the late 1920s.

(According to Sassoon's relevant archives, by 1928, the rental income was 103 million taels; in 1938, the rental income rose to 452 million yuan; a few years later, by 1941, it reached 688 million yuan.) Of course, the purpose of Changjiang Real Estate was to sell, and it also laid the foundation for a profit of more than 300 million, which was very profitable.

"In this area, we still have after-sales work to do, which is to manage 'Yangtze River Properties' well and match the value of the corresponding properties."

Guo Deming nodded and said, "In this area, we've deployed a total of 70 security guards, 30 cleaners, and the corresponding management staff and property management equipment to serve approximately 1500 households. The annual property management fee can reach yuan, and there's also advertising revenue. Not only can we add a hundred jobs, but we can also generate a good profit."

This property fee is already considered low, only twenty dollars a year. Not only do you enjoy security and cleaning services, but you also enjoy the invisible service of property appreciation.

Nowadays, a house on Yuyuan Road costs at least 7,000 or 8,000 yuan per floor, and its value will definitely appreciate by 70% to 80%.

Chen Guangliang continued, "The work on Yuyuan Road has been quite a bit easier for us for now. Next up, we have more than three months to go before the Xincheng Garden project is delivered. So everyone needs to do their job well and ensure it's delivered perfectly to the client!"

New Town Garden is a large housing estate. Construction began in November of the previous year (1929) and was not due to be completed until January 11, with a construction period of 1931 months.

It’s very simple, the building is one floor higher.

In fact, the house on Yuyuan Road was basically completed in ten months; it was Changjiang Real Estate that delayed the construction a little and put the finishing touches on it.

Lu Yuantai immediately said, "We've been busy finishing up New City Garden lately. The construction company is expected to complete the work by the end of November, and we'll be on site for inspection and final work shortly thereafter. However, the plants in the park and flower beds will be difficult to grow in winter."

Chen Guangliang immediately said, "The necessary green plants must be there. Even if they can't survive, they must be planted first. Otherwise, it will be so ugly to have nothing to grow. But this is your mistake. Some things should have been done first. Don't wait until the last minute to do it."

Lu Yuantai quickly said, "It was our mistake. We must learn from it."

If your boss scolds you, you must take it to heart.

Chen Guangliang has always been very concerned about the treatment and welfare of his employees, but he is also very strict in his work. When it is time to scold someone, he will call them even in the middle of the night.

Managing a company requires strict discipline. Otherwise, like the China Merchants Group, it's already rotten to the core, and it's very difficult to save it. The Nanjing government saw this and sent Zhao Tieqiao to save it, but he was assassinated.

Next, each project was discussed, all of which were ongoing projects, including the Weihai Road and Xiafei Road projects.

As for buying new land, Chen Guangliang is not in a hurry at all, and he will not consider it unless there is a particularly good candidate.

After finishing the meeting.

Just then, a staff member came up to Chen Guangliang and said, "Boss, Miss Sheng Qi is here!"

Chen Guangliang immediately said: "Please ask her to come to my office!"

It was very surprising that he and Miss Sheng Qi had only met once, but she actually came to the company to find him.

However, this behavior was not considered out of the ordinary for Miss Sheng Qi. After all, she was suing her brother for the inheritance, making her the first daughter of China to do so. Fortunately, with the support of the Kong and Song families, she actually won 60 taels of silver, which was considered a social progress.

"Miss Seven, please sit down!"

When meeting Sheng Qi, Chen Guangliang still respected him very much, after all, he was Yan Renmei's elder.

Sheng Qi looked around Chen Guangliang's office, then sat down on the sofa and said with a smile, "Mr. Chen's office is very simple and doesn't suit your status at all!"

Chen Guangliang personally made a cup of tea and responded: "What kind of wealth and status do I have? I'm just a young entrepreneur."

Then he sat down opposite Sheng Qi.

Sheng Qi has bangs and is not actually very pretty, but her love story with Song Zaiwen is indeed a hot topic of conversation in Shanghai.

Then she said, "I am Renmei's godmother after all. If I ask you something, you wouldn't mind, right?"

Chen Guangliang said frankly: "You are the elder, please speak directly if you have anything to say, I don't mind!"

Sheng Qi immediately asked, "Will the Dahua Hotel, now the Shangri-La Hotel, operate a dance hall after renovation?"

Chen Guangliang understood a little!

The ballroom of the Dahua Hotel was originally classified as Class A in the Shanghai Stock Exchange, and there were only two or three Class A hotels, which shows its influence in this industry.

So he guessed that Sheng Qi was planning to invest in Paramount, so he came to inquire about the news in advance.

"We will not operate a dedicated dance hall. The first floor has been confirmed to be a banquet hall, but dances can be held there."

Sheng Qi got the answer he wanted, and said with relief, "Thank you for telling me. This isn't considered a trade secret, right?"

Chen Guangliang leaned back on the sofa, crossed his legs, and said casually, "Could it be that Miss Seven is planning to invest in a dance hall, so she came here specifically to inquire about this news?"

Sheng Qi smiled and said, "Mr. Chen is indeed a smart man. Gu Liancheng, a descendant of the Gu family, one of the Four Elephants of Nanxun, has purchased a piece of land near Jing'an Temple (Nanjing West Road). He intends to raise capital to build a dance hall. If the Shangri-La Hotel still operates a dance hall, given the proximity of the two hotels and the Shangri-La Dance Hall's advantages, I would naturally consider not investing."

Nanxun was a town. During the Qing Dynasty, only those with assets of one million taels of silver could be called "elephant".

At present, the families of these four elephants are still there, their assets have already exceeded tens of millions, and the families are also very prosperous.

Just like Gu Liancheng, who spent 70 yuan this year to buy 10 acres of land on Jing'an Temple Road, which is a symbol of strength.

Chen Guangliang once said: "Opening a dance hall is just a superficial glitz."

Sheng Qi was stunned. She felt that Chen Guangliang was pointing fingers at her, so she asked, "Mr. Chen is not optimistic?"

Chen Guangliang hesitated for a moment, then said, "Think about how much a dance ticket is worth. Although the dance hall does offer meals, people come to dance, so why would they spend money on food? Ultimately, if a dance hall wants to make money, it has to go the gray industry. Elegance can't make a living. Of course, I'm only saying this because you're Renmei's godmother, so just take it as a reference!"

Perhaps because he loves the person so much, he said a few more words today.

Sheng Qi immediately said, "I suddenly feel that what you said makes some sense. I'll think about it again. By the way, aren't you launching a sugar factory? Can I invest less?"

If you put your money in the bank, you can only earn interest.

Chen Guangliang smiled and said, "Miss Qi's investment in the dance hall isn't just for money, it's also for fame and fortune. I suggest you invest in a cinema with me. I'm planning to get into production, distribution, and theaters. If you're interested, we can talk later!"

When Sheng Qi heard this, he immediately said, "Okay, investment also depends on the people. I think this business seems to be good."

No wonder I lost money in my previous life. I was so easy to fool.

Of course, this is not a scam.

(End of this chapter)