A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

It’s Spring Again (1981).

On this day, Chen Songqing, the head of the Caring Group, and Bao Fuda, the general manager of Hongkong Land, came to the Cheung Kong Group conference room in the Poly Plaza.

Chen Wenjie extended his right hand and said, "Please."

"please"

The two sides quickly sat down in the conference room.

At this moment, Chen Songqing was somewhat excited. He felt that he was even more miraculous than Sir Chan Kwong-leung, the founder of Cheung Kong Holdings. He had only arrived in Hong Kong in the 1970s, and now, in less than ten years, he had established a large conglomerate.

Moreover, he is now joining forces with Hong Kong's second-largest real estate company to snatch business from the hands of the largest real estate company, Cheung Kong Holdings.

Specifically, they acquired a large commercial site of 9 square feet on Nathan Road, the former wing of the Miramar Hotel owned by CK Asset Holdings Limited.

Chen Songqing composed himself and said in a relaxed manner, "Mr. Chen, our consortium is willing to offer HK$30 billion for that plot of land on Nathan Road. Are you satisfied with this price?"

Chen Wenjie said calmly, "To be honest, this price is still lower than the market price per square foot. Commercial land in Hong Kong China and Tsim Sha Tsui is basically above HK$3.5 per square foot."

This is true. Land in Tsim Sha Tsui has been speculated up to HK$4 per square meter, and land in Central is around HK$5 per square foot, making it the most expensive in the world.

Chen Songqing quickly said, "This plot of land on Nathan Road is quite large, and it's not located in the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront area."

Real estate executive Lu Xiaoqing said, "But this plot of land is located opposite Kowloon Park, and its geographical environment is excellent. Moreover, apart from Harbour City and New World Centre, there is no other plot of land of this size in Tsim Sha Tsui, so this is an advantage."

Having a large plot of land is an advantage, as it allows for the construction of more diverse projects.

Chen Songqing said, "We are willing to add another HK$2 million."

The money belongs to the bank anyway, so what is he afraid of?

The important thing is that he wants to do business with CK Asset Holdings to increase his visibility.

Chen Wenjie, a straightforward man, smiled, but then changed the subject and said, "I can agree to this price, but the land can only be handed over a year later."

Chen Songqing immediately replied, "No problem."

This is normal. The Miramar Hotel has now moved across the street to the new hotel building that was rebuilt in the Lok Fu Building that it originally purchased (occupying 3.6 square feet, with a floor area of ​​38 square feet); however, the old wing of the Miramar Hotel also needs time to be vacated.

Chen Wenjie continued, "How will you deliver the funds?"

Chen Songqing replied, "Naturally, we hope to pay in installments. The deposit is one-tenth, and we hope to pay the remaining amount in three years, during which time we can pay interest. After all, if we deliver the goods in one year, we will need a more flexible payment method."

This is normal and reasonable.

However, after thinking for a moment, Chen Wenjie said directly, "It's not impossible, but although Jianing Group is strong, for safety reasons, we need Zhidi as a guarantor."

Upon hearing this, Bao Fuda, who had been mostly silent, twitched his eyes and immediately said, "Mr. Chen, Jia Ning Group is a newly established large group with a very good reputation. There's no need for us at Hong Kong Land to guarantee this project, is there?"

Chen Wenjie smiled and shook his head, saying, "We only do the safest transactions, unless you can pay in full upon delivery."

Chen Songqing became anxious at this moment and quickly gave Bao Fuda a look, meaning that Land should quickly provide a guarantee. Don't you trust the reputation of our Jialing Group?
Finally, Chen Songqing said, "Mr. Chen, we will give you a reply as soon as possible!"

But their plan is to drag Hongkong Land into this mess first!
Chen Wenjie smiled and said, "Okay."

After Chen Songqing and Bao Fuda left, Chen Wenjie revealed a meaningful smile—Jardine had fallen into their trap.

It is understood that after entering the 1980s, Hongkong Land invested more and more, such as the villa complex project in Baibishan (16 billion yuan land) and the Queen's Garden project in Central (more than 2 billion yuan).
Clearly, they started buying at rock-bottom prices in 1974, and other Chinese-owned real estate companies did the same in 1975, while Hongkong Land only entered the market in 1980. They were definitely the ones who ended up taking over the losses.

afterwards.

Chen Wenjie reported the situation to his father: "Jingdi has agreed to provide a guarantee, and we have already signed the contract!"

Chen Guangliang said with satisfaction, "Good. Next, there may be news of the auction or bidding for that 14.4 square feet 'Central Land King' at the bus terminus. At that time, you should act as if you are determined to win, but the actual price you offer must be reasonable. Don't be a sucker. In addition, release news in the second half of the year that we are going to acquire HK Electric to raise the share price of HK Electric, but if Hongkong Land comes to compete, we will give up."

This is a grand strategy!
In fact, Chen Guangliang also wanted the future 'Trading Plaza', but at their level of wealth, reputation was sometimes more important.

If they were to bid too high, they would be laughed at for being "blind" or "foolish." Therefore, the 14.4 square foot commercial site in Central, known as the "Bus Terminus," is not on their "must-sell" list.

As for Hong Kong Electric, it's just temporarily being held by Hongkong Land.

Chen Wenjie nodded and said, "We have at least a safety net—acquiring Jardine Matheson, so we can let Jardine Matheson go crazy for a while for now."

At this time, Cheung Kong Holdings invested a large portion of its funds in properties in Tokyo, Japan, and the subsequent returns from this investment would be staggering.

Construction has begun on the new headquarters of the Universal Group, on the site of the former Shangri-La Hotel, with completion expected in 1985. It will be 40 stories high, with a total floor area of ​​over 60 square feet.

Of course, before that, the Global Group was still operating in the building that had been there for almost fifty years.

"Dad, this is the planning and design proposal from Wharf Holdings for the Causeway Bay tram depot site in Hong Kong. I'd like you to take a look." Chen Wenming handed a document to his father.

He is the chairman of the Global Group and the chairman of Wharf Holdings, so it seems unnecessary for him to report to Chan Kwong-leung, although Chan Kwong-leung is, after all, his father.

Chen Guangliang picked up the documents and began to read them.

The Times Square project comprises two office towers, Shell Tower (46 stories) and Westminster Tower (36 stories), as well as a 16-story shopping mall with 300 shops, 18 restaurants, 4 cinemas, and 700 parking spaces, totaling 240 million square feet of floor space.

Construction will begin this month, and it is expected to be operational by the Spring Festival of 1986.

"Hmm, the planning and timing are both good, let's leave it at that!"

"Ok"

Wharf Holdings currently has only two major projects: Harbour City and Times Square. Apart from its own land reserves used for real estate development, it has not purchased any new land for development.

Chan Kwong-leung intends to curb his family's development in Hong Kong real estate and reduce their monopolistic dominance in the industry.

Of course, Wharf Holdings is, after all, the flagship real estate company under the World Group, so it will continue to develop the real estate industry, but in regions such as mainland China and Singapore, rather than Hong Kong.

"Do you have any other ideas?" Chen Wenming shook his head and said, "I will follow your instructions and develop step by step to lay a solid foundation before seeking new developments in the future."

Today, the Worldwide Group comprises five major companies: Worldwide Shipping, Hong Kong Airlines, Worldwide Properties, Worldwide Trading, and Wharf Holdings.

among them:

Worldwide Shipping still has a deadweight tonnage of 900 million tons;

In addition to operating routes to Seoul, Osaka, Tokyo, Nagoya, Taipei, and Manila, Hong Kong Airlines has also opened routes to mainland China.

Global Realty holds a wealth of high-quality properties in Tokyo and New York, whose value has already appreciated considerably.
Global Trading is not only Hong Kong's largest trading company, but more importantly, it owns hundreds of properties worldwide. If it were listed separately, it could become one of Hong Kong's top 30 quality companies.

Besides Harbour City and Times Square, Wharf Holdings is a large, diversified conglomerate that also owns Star Ferry, Hong Kong Tramways, and some real estate and port businesses.

Chen Guangliang nodded and said, "Once Wharf's Times Square project is almost fully developed, we can first go to Singapore to develop commercial real estate."

Chen Wenming's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "What if we go to Europe and America to develop the hotel industry?"

Chen Guangliang said, "There won't be much of a future, and that wouldn't be a smart decision. Although Wharf Holdings owns two hotel brands, they are actually managed by Peninsula Hotels, so we don't have extensive experience in hotel management. If we were to acquire overseas hotel management businesses, we might encounter various difficulties. So, in my opinion, the future of Wharf Holdings lies in Singapore and mainland China. Once mainland China deepens its reform and opening up, it will be a huge market. As for Wharf Holdings, it can develop shipping while also developing logistics and real estate, which can also be called industrial real estate. In short, there are many opportunities, but we must develop without forgetting to be prudent, and be prudent without forgetting to develop."

"Yes, father"

Even though he was 46 years old, Chen Wenming still felt that he was not 'leadership' enough in front of his father.

In his father's eyes, the development of the next few decades was clear, while he could only see a few years into the future.

In March, a research invention from the Yangtze River Industrial Group laboratory shocked the global science and technology community.

This experiment concerns the invention of lithium batteries. The lithium battery developed by Yangtze River Industrial Group uses a graphite motor for the negative electrode and lithium iron phosphate for the positive electrode, setting two records and attracting the attention of world giants such as Sony and Philips.

The graphitized anode alone is enough to make it an innovator in the field of lithium batteries; and phosphates with olivine structures, such as lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4), are superior to traditional cathode materials and have solved a major problem for the next fifteen years.

Yangtze River Industrial Group also announced that it will release its 'first commercial lithium-ion battery' in the second half of the year.

Over the past two decades, Cheung Kong Industrial Group has gradually transformed into a 'high-tech enterprise' and has gained a great reputation worldwide.

Therefore, with this renewed success, no companies raised any further questions. Instead, they all entered into actual research and development, and of course, paying patent fees later on was inevitable.

Sony.

Akio Morita urgently convened a technical conference, where he addressed the engineers: "Lithium-ion batteries are crucial for consumer electronics. Although Hong Kong's Cheung Kong Industrial Group has taken the lead, we must accelerate our progress in the commercial sector. We cannot allow batteries to become a stumbling block for our consumer electronics business."

Originally, Midea, a Hong Kong-based portable music player brand, was one of the world's top three brands, and it had consistently maintained its leading position thanks to its price advantage. Although Sony later caught up, it could not surpass Midea's portable music player, so Sony developed high-fidelity CD portable music players, intending to establish a mid-to-high-end brand concept.

What they didn't expect was that EA, a company that makes game consoles, also released a portable CD player.

Masaru Ibuka immediately said, "We will establish a commercial lithium battery project immediately and strive to put it into commercial use within a year."

Akio Morita nodded and said, "I believe that the Yangtze River Industrial Group's lithium batteries will first be applied to portable music players, breaking the 60-minute playback limit. It's just a pity that we weren't the first to take the lead in this field!"

The group inevitably felt a sense of defeat, after all, they had been repeatedly defeated by a colony, and Japan was also a colony.

Japanese companies such as Sony and Panasonic rushed into the commercial research and development of lithium batteries like mad dogs.

Of course, they will be greeted by the 'global legal team' of the Yangtze River Industrial Group, and the patent fees and compensation will be enough to make the Yangtze River Industrial Group recoup its investment in research and development.

More importantly, the frequent successes of Cheung Kong Industrial Group have brought about a flourishing scene in Hong Kong's technology industry.

To date, Hong Kong has developed a well-established and leading 'comic book industry chain,' with universities and colleges offering art courses (including comics). Hong Kong has also developed a well-established and leading 'game software industry chain,' with graduates from the University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University producing related electronic information majors every year, who are subsequently recruited by companies such as Midea Group.

Besides these two industries, Hong Kong also has a considerable number of graduates in radio and electronic hardware-related fields who prioritize joining the Cheung Kong Industrial Group.

Gradually, Hong Kong has developed into a region for research and innovation, no longer limited to the rudimentary electronics industry of its past.

Of course, Hong Kong's electronics industry had already become the leading industry in Hong Kong's industrial sector in the 1980s, replacing the garment industry as the industry with the highest export trade volume.

"Dad, our semiconductor department has been set up, and we will try to design low- to mid-range chips next," Chen Wenkai said confidently.

The establishment of the lithium battery division brought Yangtze River Industrial Group back into the spotlight.

Of course, Chen Wenkai also understood that if they were to develop the positive and negative electrodes of lithium batteries on their own, it might take them ten years to achieve what they have today. With his father's guidance, they only needed to use graphitization and lithium iron phosphate for testing, instead of being clueless. This was the most valuable advice they received.

Such easy suggestions may take scientists years, or even decades, to come to fruition.

Chen Guangliang nodded and said, "We'll start with the design, and then have Taiwan handle the manufacturing. Later on, we can also enter the chip manufacturing field, but we have to take it one step at a time. With continuous investment, there will definitely be returns, as long as the direction is right!"

"Yes"

Chen Guangliang admired the country he had lived in the previous life the most. The country had been popularizing education and had a wealth of talent. After 2020, people would find that high-tech things would start to emerge in an explosive way.

Forty years of investment, once it explodes, will yield immeasurable results. What's even more formidable is that with a solid foundation, things will go even more smoothly afterward.

Therefore, the same applies to Yangtze River Industrial Group; continuous investment will yield excellent returns in the future. Of course, the prerequisite is that you can continue to invest, which is very important, so you need to consistently have profitable products.

"By the way, you need to talk to Wenying about EA's next-generation game console. I believe it can replace Atari, and even become the true global leader. What Midea Games Entertainment needs is to become EA's most important software supplier. I also have a game plan here called 'Contra,' which can be one of the core game software for EA's game console, but the premise is that you have to cooperate and complete it to the maximum extent." Chen Wenkai took the information with slight excitement. He knew how profitable game software was. The profit and licensing fees of just one game, "Space Invaders," were already seventy or eighty million US dollars, and it was still growing.

"Okay, the three of us brothers have been exchanging ideas on this, striving to monopolize the video game industry!"

"it is good"

The important Famicom game, Super Mario Bros., was developed by EA's software division because EA's Donkey Kong had already been released in 1979, and the plumber had already appeared in it. In addition, The Legend of Zelda was also developed by EA.

Hong Kong's gaming and entertainment industry mainly consisted of games such as "Tank Battle", "Contra", and "Street Fighter", along with earlier titles like "Hong Kong Blocks", "Pac-Man", and "Space Invaders", which were enough to support software sales in the 1980s.

Of course, Midea Games Entertainment has recruited so many local software and game design talents, and has also developed some other games, including ball sports, shooting sports, etc., and has become the world's most famous game software company.

As for Midea's game hardware, it lacks global competitiveness, so it can only be sold at low prices in regions like Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. (End of Chapter)