A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

Chapter 241 After the War
Chen Guangliang, Fang Jiaobo and Yan Zhiduo, three shareholders, came to the Shangri-La Hotel to inspect the work.

Japanese planes also hovered over the Shangri-La Hotel, which was terrifying.

You know, from the beginning of the war, the Shangri-La Hotel was quickly filled with wealthy and powerful people from the Chinese area who came to escape.

Of course, this is also the reason why Japanese planes hovered over the Chinachem and Shangri-La hotels, giving people a psychological deterrent.

In fact, although Japanese planes bombed the concessions, they basically bombed the part where roads were built across the border, and the amount of bombs dropped was not high.

Take Yuyuan Road for example, only about 40 houses were lost, and all of them were located in the western section. Compared with the thousands of buildings on Yuyuan Road, the loss is not high.

Therefore, this time many people realized that the concession was the safest place, and the real estate in the concession would continue to rise until 1937.

Standing in the hotel square of more than four acres, Chen Guangliang asked, "How is the hotel doing?"

Li Xinli was the first to say, "Our hotel rooms are in short supply and will not be available anytime soon. Some rooms have even been reserved for long-term stays. Our guests have given our hotel positive reviews."

There was continuous gunfire outside, but the Shangri-La Hotel was full of lights and wine, supplies were supplied normally, and the dance party went on as usual.

No one would blame this because it could be considered as "fundraising". The Shangri-La Hotel donated a lot of money and supplies during the war.

For example, Du Yuesheng also held a "beauty pageant" competition, raising more than 200,000 oceans in funds, all of which were donated to the 19th Route Army.

Gao Zhichao also reported, "Business at the restaurant is booming. Food and beverages are being supplied as normal, and diners are very satisfied. We personally donate the operating funds from each dance, as well as the dry food prepared by the kitchen, to charitable organizations. As a result, the newspapers have given us very positive reviews."

Shanghai's two "signature luxury hotels" - the Chinachem and the Shangri-La - are both operating normally and are packed with people.

But the Cathay Hotel will not donate much money to you, while the Shangri-La Hotel basically donated one month's turnover.

Therefore, the subsequent word-of-mouth also helps the business operations.

Including the 15 trucks and vehicle bodies donated by Chen Guangliang this time, they were all donated in the name of Changjiang Taxi, which is equivalent to a donation of over 400,000 oceans.

It can be imagined that Changjiang Taxi will have a very good reputation in Shanghai in the future.

Chen Guangliang's personal donations were basically used to help refugees on Yuyuan Road. It wasn't a lot, after all, he couldn't afford that much money.

Chen Guangliang smiled and said to the two shareholders, "The Shangri-La Hotel has been open for a year, and I haven't made any money, but fortunately I have gained some reputation!"

Fang Jiaobo, chairman of the Shangri-La Hotel, said: "Reputation is the most important thing. Money can be earned slowly!"

Yan Zhiduo also said: "Yes, the Shanghai Stock Exchange has made concerted efforts this time, and our Shangri-La Hotel has also actively participated, which has increased our influence for future operations."

For the two of them, their investment in the "Former Site of Dahua Hotel" project not only earned them back their money, but they also got a lot of profits.

The remaining shares of Shangri-La Hotel are equivalent to profits, and they are very considerable.

Chen Guangliang nodded and said, "Okay, this year, we will strive for dividends!"

In the next six years, the Shangri-La Hotel must make good money, at least 40 to 50 yuan per year on average.

Afterwards, the three shareholders and two managers had dinner at the restaurant and talked about some work matters.

Yuyuan Road.

Chen Guangliang, accompanied by Lu Yuantai, general manager of Changjiang Real Estate, inspected the bombed area.

Not far from the ruins of a villa, Lu Yuantai reported, "Changjiang Real Estate suffered virtually no losses in this war. The over 40 villas damaged on the western section of Yuyuan Road are not among our assets, but half were developed by us."

Chen Guangliang nodded, his expression calm as he said, "Let's take a look at the damaged houses here. If the owner is willing to rebuild or repair them, we at Changjiang Real Estate can help. We won't make a penny from them. We'll introduce them to construction companies and negotiate the lowest price."

Lu Yuantai asked tentatively, "Including those not developed by our company?"

Chen Guangliang said, "Well, it's a matter of convenience. Of course, the choice of whether to rebuild or not is theirs. We just need to provide assistance so that they won't be accused of profiting from it."

"clear"

The construction cost of a one-story brick and wood structure can be controlled at 1200 oceans.

If we are unwilling to rebuild, it will be equivalent to a loss of seven or eight thousand oceans.

On the way back, Chen Guangliang said to Lu Yuantai, "This war has reminded me that we don't have to develop real estate in Shanghai. I want Changjiang Real Estate to develop real estate in Chongqing and build some villas for long-term rental."

Lu Yuantai was stunned and immediately said, "Boss, since you're talking about the 'secondary capital', you should have chosen Luoyang. Why did you choose Chongqing?"

This time, the commander-in-chief mobilized the entire country's army and was prepared for a nationwide war. Of course, he did not transfer the army to Shanghai, but divided the country into multiple war zones to prevent Japan from expanding the war to the entire country.

Chen Guangliang said, "Luoyang is flat and open. If war breaks out one day in the future, I would rather believe that Chongqing will attract more refugees. In short, we can use the rental income here to invest some money there. Remember to help me build a single-family villa. In addition, we will also consider investing in the Shanghai concession later, but the purpose is definitely to sell it."

Lu Yuantai knew that his boss was good at 'foresight', so he stopped objecting and said, "Okay, I'll go to Chongqing to investigate first, and then come up with an investment plan."

Chen Guangliang said with satisfaction: "Well, no rush, take it step by step."

After 1937, the price of houses in Chongqing would have skyrocketed tenfold.

Investing some money can not only make you some money, but also give yourself a way out.

As for whether he made money from the national crisis, Chen Guangliang had no burden in his heart - this time, the Shanghai Stock Exchange should be grateful for the real estate models of "leasing land for construction" and "layered and phased payment".

Because there are many more houses in the concession, it can accommodate more people for refuge, and the rent has not increased much, and there are more houses.

During this time, Lu Yuantai sighed: "The real estate in Huajie is finished!"

Not to mention the losses caused by the bombing, key investors no longer have the confidence to invest in real estate in the Chinese area. The land prices in Zhabei and southern Shanghai have plummeted, while the land prices with rental rates have remained unchanged.

Lu Yuantai admires his boss very much. He has never invested in real estate in Huajie, so there was no loss this time.

He added, "Gu Zhuxuan has invested in a lot of houses in Huajie for rent, so I'm afraid he'll suffer a huge loss this time!"

Chen Guangliang was stunned, and then he remembered this incident - when he suggested Gu Zhuxuan to invest in the land in Zhabei, he could have made a profit of four or five times, but because he did not pay the balance, he ended up in the current situation.

More importantly, seeing that Chen Guangliang made money by investing in real estate, Gu Zhuxuan also built warehouses, residences, etc. on the land of Zhabei Railway Station for rent.

The result is predictable. Not only is the land worthless, but even the construction costs are a huge loss. "He's not the only one who lost. The entire Shanghai market lost 14 billion. What can be done?" "Yes."

The preliminary loss statistics have come out, and they are almost the same as in the previous life - mainly due to the popularity of "leasing land for construction" and "stratified and phased" plans, which have caused huge construction losses in the real estate industry; but at the same time, dozens of large Chinese-owned factories received "notification" in advance, which reduced the losses by about 5000 million (mainly materials in warehouses).

Building damage can be rebuilt and create jobs.

But if the factory suffers losses, business owners can only choose to lay off employees, and a large number of workers will be unemployed.

This time, Chen Guangliang notified 37 factories, mainly textile factories, rubber factories, etc., and the subsequent layoffs will be slightly smaller.

During the war, the four ships of Global Shipping kept a low profile by flying the Norwegian flag and the sign of Warren & Co., and even used an American-owned dock.

In view of this, even if Jardine Matheson and Swire wanted to play tricks, the Japanese would not be able to discover this situation. It was Chen Guangliang who arranged it in advance!

In the meeting room of Global Shipping, Wu Hao, the manager of Jinshan Shipping who was far away in Guangdong Province, and other management also came to Shanghai for the meeting.

Zhao Tieyi began by explaining, "Throughout February, our flights operated as normal, completing four flights without incident. Given that the armistice agreement has not yet been formally signed, and the Japanese navy is still active at sea, we must remain cautious. Sugar transportation already accounts for a significant portion of our cargo volume."

This time, Japan did not really blockade the sea. After all, it only sent a few warships and aircraft carriers, and it was impossible to inspect every cargo ship. In addition, Global Shipping had made preparations in advance, so although some Japanese ships wanted to land for inspection, they were avoided by Global Shipping ships.

Global Shipping has many contingency plans, including that the ship is registered by Warren & Co. and that it avoids inspections as much as possible.

Of course, the most important thing is to buy insurance from a British insurance company, so that if any problems arise, there will not be too much loss.

Chen Guangliang said with satisfaction: "This safe voyage is inseparable from every colleague here and outside. They not only provide a stable supply of materials to Shanghai, but also earn our shipping company a good reputation."

Everyone applauded.

Zhao Tieyi also said, "Thanks to your excellent command, Boss, you quietly put the fleet under the name of Warren Foreign Trade. This time, many ships from China Merchants and Sanbei were stopped."

It is crucial to plan ahead, not only to prevent the Japanese from noticing, but also to prevent Jardine Matheson and Swire from having the opportunity to cause trouble.

Of course, in addition to the previous plan, the last thing is that if a ship is discovered, the following ships must return in time. They used radio waves to transmit information on the ship.

Chen Guangliang then asked Wu Hao, "How is the situation at Jinshan Shipping?"

The two ships registered in Guangzhou Bay also belong to another shipping company - Jinshan Shipping.

Wu Hao said, "Everything is going smoothly. We are working hard to transport sugarcane in Southeast Asia and expect to be able to do so by May. We have currently transported 15 ships of sugarcane, totaling over 70000 tons, and have made a profit of just over yuan."

Yes, Guangdong Province gave Chen Guangliang some benefits, but this benefit will only last for one year and will not be available in the next sugar-making season.

In addition to the large-scale cultivation of sugarcane in Guangdong Province, Guangdong Province itself also wants to develop its shipping industry.

Chen Guangliang said with satisfaction, "It seems that the funds for the additional ships are available. We are going to add two more ships this year, taking advantage of the low point of the financial depression."

The first and second routes are also very profitable now, so there is no need to worry about business.

Zhao Tieyi immediately suggested, "I suggest purchasing ships of 2,000 to 3,000 tons to increase our advantage in numbers and open up more routes. Large tonnage also has its drawbacks."

Others also gave similar suggestions.

In fact, the largest ships currently registered in the Far East are basically two to three thousand tons.

Ships of four to five thousand tons, registered in major countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom, simply sailed to the Far East.

Companies like China Merchants Group and Sanbei have a capacity of 2,000 to 3,000 tons, and Jardine Swire's main force also has a capacity of 2,000 to 3,000 tons.

"Okay, then we'll prepare two 2,000-3,000-ton vessels first, and consider adding more later. So, regarding the routes and flights, you guys need to come up with a plan first."

"Ok"

In the next few years, making money is the right thing to do.

Before 1937, global shipping would have used an all-Chinese crew to sail ships from Shanghai to San Francisco, USA, creating such history.

This time, Changjiang Taxi spent a lot of money, not only donating 15 trucks (which were later directly given to the th Route Army), but also spending more than yuan to purchase supplies, etc., which totaled more than yuan.

Even though the war has stopped now, Zhabei, Hongkou, Shanghai South and other areas are still enemy-occupied areas, and Zhabei is full of ruins, so transportation can only rely on three-wheeled rickshaws.

In view of this, the 220 vehicles of Changjiang Taxi can only operate in the concession and part of the Chinese area; the remaining five trucks also form a transport team to continue operating.

Of course, Changjiang Taxi still has more than 70 yuan in deposits, so its total assets are still around 300 million yuan.

However, it has been a year and a half since the 300 million yuan investment, and Changjiang Taxi has not seen any asset growth so far. It is time to make money next.

It is impossible that by 1937, the operating capital could not be recovered. That would be a business failure.

In fact, in the first year and a half, I earned more than 500,000 yuan, but I donated it all.

"We must immediately begin preparations to restart operations in Huajie. The first step is to lease or build a branch. Secondly, we can gradually and tentatively send taxis to Huajie to operate and seize the market as soon as possible."

Today, although many parts of the Chinese territories are still enemy-occupied areas, the Japanese army no longer comes out to carry out sweeps, and public security is gradually being restored.

If we hesitate at this time, we will lose the taxi market in the Chinese area, which is naturally not cost-effective.

Liang Mengqi nodded and said, "Since March 3rd, we have sent personnel to various occupied areas to check traffic routes. We have also tentatively sent some cars to serve customers. We haven't encountered any dangerous situations so far."

After all, the war has ceased, and the Japanese can no longer kill innocent people at will, after all, reporters from all over the world are watching.

In fact, even during the war, reporters from various countries went to the battlefield to film; the Oriental Daily also sent war correspondents to take pictures of some evidence of the Japanese brutally killing Chinese people.

Chen Guangliang will also ask the Oriental Daily to preserve these things and donate them to the country in the future.

History should not be forgotten.

Of course, as a businessman, Chen Guangliang must maintain a pragmatic spirit. He can choose not to do business with the Japanese in the next fifteen years, but after Japan's defeat, he must make money from the devils.

(End of this chapter)