A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

Upon returning to Hong Kong, Chen Guangliang gifted Yan Renmei a pair of "letter stockings," which immediately elicited a coquettish complaint from her:
"I'm already quite old, and I'm still wearing this. My daughter-in-law is fine, but I wonder what my granddaughter-in-law is thinking!"

Chen Guangliang personally dressed his wife, Yan Renmei, and he could still feel that her skin was very firm, and her long legs were very alluring. A woman has her own beauty at every stage of life, though it certainly doesn't end in her forties.

However, it is obvious that Yan Renmei is more than thirty years younger than her actual age. She is still a beautiful mature woman walking down the street, and her temperament is that of a charming noblewoman.

"You're much younger than Yuanzhen; people would believe you're the granddaughter-in-law's older sister!"

Yan Renmei felt a surge of joy. Being with this man had its advantages. She said coquettishly, "We can't let them think nonsense! You've been away for more than half a month this time. We thought you were having too much fun to remember home!"

Goodness, it's finally been brought up.

However, Chen Guangliang did not answer directly. Instead, he began kissing Yan Renmei's beautiful legs, and she quickly became captivated by them.

"Husband, why am I still so eager when I'm almost seventy? Won't that annoy you?"

Chen Guangliang quickly answered her with his actions!

As the couple walked downstairs, they were met with envious glances from their daughter-in-law and granddaughter-in-law. They were truly an ageless couple who seemed to stay young forever!

The mother-in-law looked radiant, like a beautiful woman in her thirties or forties. Not only was her daughter-in-law Zhuang Yuanzhen envious, but even her granddaughter-in-law Li Xinyi felt that she couldn't compare to her mother-in-law's beauty.

Moreover, the mother-in-law was wearing a pair of black stockings, which made her figure the envy of all women. It's hard to know how her parents-in-law maintain their figures.

Zhuang Yuanzhen immediately took her mother-in-law's arm and said with a smile, "Dad has been away on business for so long, Mom misses him very much!"

Yan Renmei tapped Zhuang Yuanzhen's forehead and said, "You have no manners! Your father is overseas, working very hard for the family's research!"

Zhuang Yuanzhen immediately replied, "Yes, Dad, you've worked hard!"

She is the eldest daughter-in-law of this family, and Chen Guangliang and Yan Renmei watched her grow up. Over the years, she has made great contributions to the family, being filial to her parents-in-law, bearing children for her husband, and managing the household affairs of the eldest branch.

Granddaughter-in-law Li Xinyi quickly went to great lengths to please her grandparents. As the eldest granddaughter-in-law, her usual duties included helping Zhuang Yuanzhen manage the household affairs of the eldest branch of the family, as well as getting pregnant and giving birth.

Now that Li Xinyi has given birth to a son for Chen Zerui, she has indeed begun to be liked by Chen Guangliang and Yan Renmei.

After chatting for a while, Chen Wenjie and Chen Zerui also got off work one after another, and the four generations of the family had dinner together.

They didn't talk about work, just about family and household matters.

In November, Thatcher visited Beijing again, and the Sino-British negotiations were finally formally signed.

In September, the two parties initially signed a preliminary agreement, which caused Hong Kong stocks to rise. By the time the agreement was formally signed in late November, the Ping An Index had risen to 1300 points, a 45% increase from its lowest point of 896 points.

Following the conclusion of the Sino-British negotiations, Cheung Kong Holdings was the first to reach two agreements with the Hong Kong government:
First: Hutchison Whampoa's 'Whampoa Dockyard' paid a land premium of HK$3.9 million and an additional HK$2.5 million for transportation and road costs, totaling HK$6.4 million, to transform a 200 million square foot industrial site into a 'commercial and residential' site at a very low cost.

Second: The Hong Kong government will transfer the Garden Road car park to Cheung Kong Holdings for HK$5.5 million (more than 4 square feet).

When the news came out, public opinion was shocked.

At this time, the media were reporting that Cheung Kong Group was once again demonstrating through its actions that it was still optimistic about Hong Kong's future, which was why the Cheung Kong Group was preparing to invest heavily in 'Whampoa Garden' and 'Cheung Kong Center Tower'.

In fact, Hong Kong citizens also know that even at the end of 1983, Cheung Kong Holdings was not afraid of market panic and bought assets worth tens of billions of dollars from Jardine Matheson, including Exchange Square and Hong Kong Electric Company, as well as the old wing of Miramar Hotel.

Subsequently.

CK Asset Holdings Limited held a press conference, which was attended by Chen Wenjie.

That evening, it was clear to everyone that this was the first time Chan Man-kit had shown such excitement since the acquisition of HK Electric and Exchange Square at the end of 1983.

At the press conference, he announced several major investments by the Cheung Kong Group: "We will invest a total of HK$50 billion to build the Cheung Kong Group headquarters building, Cheung Kong Centre, at the address of Garden Road and 2 Queen's Road; in addition, we will invest HK$45 billion to build 'Whampoa Garden,' which will provide a large community with 94 residential buildings, totaling approximately 11100 residences, and 170 million square feet of commercial floor space; finally, the old wing project of Miramar Hotel will also be restarted, and a commercial complex will be built, including an eight-story shopping mall with an area of ​​60 square feet and an 18-story office building with an area of ​​30 square feet, with a total investment of HK$20 billion."

Another investment of tens of billions of yuan has instantly raised the atmosphere to its peak.

The reporters then asked a series of questions:

"Mr. Chan, Cheung Kong Holdings first began large-scale investments at the end of 1983. Does this renewed activity indicate Cheung Kong's confidence in Hong Kong's future?"

Chan Man-kit said, "We have always been confident in Hong Kong's prospects, and this has never changed. Our unwavering investment in Hong Kong is the fundamental development strategy of the Cheung Kong Group."

The news spread quickly in Hong Kong.

Everyone is praising Cheung Kong Holdings and the Chan family for having a very positive effect on Hong Kong's real estate market, opening up an upward channel for the market after three years of stagnation.

The reason the Hong Kong government agreed to Cheung Kong's request was to achieve this effect, which would facilitate subsequent land auctions. After all, the Hong Kong government mainly relies on real estate revenue to maintain government spending (there are almost no other taxes, hence the name "free port").

Of course, in the future, some people will definitely say that Chan Man-kit got a good deal from the Hong Kong government, since the land premium and land transfer fees are really low.

The Chinese Building on Queen's Road Central is the temporary headquarters of Ping An Financial Group and also the temporary headquarters of the Chen Guangliang family office. Once the Ping An Bank Building is completed next year, they will move there.

Chen Guangliang is now retired, so he basically works in the family office. His sons can only report to him from there.

That day, his five eldest siblings came to Chen Guangliang's office. They were in charge of: Cheung Kong Holdings, Global Holdings, Cheung Kong Industrial Group, Ping An Financial Group, and Media Group, respectively.

The media group headed by his daughter, Chen Mengyi, manages Asia Television, Times Pictures, and Times Entertainment, with Times Entertainment being the agency for 'Hong Kong Culture'.

"Let's take turns reporting, and focus on the key points!"

The five siblings stood respectfully, and then Chen Wenjie gave a report.

Chen Guangliang simply gave a soft "hmm," then looked at Chen Wenming. Chen Wenjie felt a vague sense of loss. He knew, of course, that it wasn't because he hadn't done well enough; the reason for his disappointment was that his father hadn't given him any guidance. Although he knew he had done everything correctly step by step, he still felt a little disappointed.

Chen Wenming then reported: "Following the privatization of Wharf Holdings, we have established optimized management of commercial real estate. Simultaneously, we acquired a large commercial site on Orchard Road in Singapore, planning to build an integrated 'Times Square' combining a shopping mall, hotel, and office space. Meanwhile, the Marco Polo Hotels Group has also been established, acquiring three hotels from The Grand Hotel (Prince Hotel in Central, Hong Kong Hotel in Harbour City, and Marco Polo Hotel). Regarding shipping, the international situation remains sluggish, with tanker shipping prices hitting new lows; although container shipping is relatively busy, freight rates remain low due to competing vessel attitudes."

Chen Guangliang nodded and said, "Yes, there's nothing wrong with developing step by step. Our family has grown from Shanghai in the 1920s, not because of my great business talent, but because we have taken every step steadily."

"Yes, father"

The five children quickly answered, because this was extremely important.

Chen Wenming added, "The Tung Chao-yung family's debts this year have reached over HK$9 billion, with a debt ratio of 78%, and they have creditors in more than 50 countries around the world. The Tung Chao-yung family can only hope for next year; if they become insolvent, they may have no choice but to go bankrupt!"

Chen Guangliang stated directly, "Next year will see the lowest point in maritime history, so the Dong family will face significant difficulties. Whether they go bankrupt or not depends on Dong Jianhua's capabilities. Ping An Bank may consider providing appropriate assistance when the time is right."

Chen Wensheng nodded and said, "Okay."

The Chan family currently has no one to fill the government positions; otherwise, the Governor of Hong Kong would definitely be one of their people.

Since they are not members of the Chen family, they should naturally support someone who could be a member of the Chen family.

Next, Chen Wenkai reported on the work, stating that part of the Cheung Kong Industrial Group's huge production capacity was being transferred to the mainland, part to the industrial park in Tin Shui Wai, and part remained in the industrial buildings in Hung Hom and Kwun Tong.

Of course, high-tech products and R&D have become an increasingly important part of its business, truly transforming it into a 'technology group'. It's a well-known name even on a global scale, given the sheer number of products it has developed.

In fact, among the five conglomerates of Chen Guangliang's eldest son's family, the most influential is the 'Cheung Kong Industrial Group'. Although Chen Guangliang is the 'World Shipping King', the influence of the Global Group is still not as great as that of the 'Cheung Kong Industrial Group' because shipping has no direct relationship with ordinary people.

However, many of the products of the Yangtze River Industrial Group have changed the world and have brands that are remembered by many.

"The huge success of games like World of Tanks has solidified our position as one of the top three game companies globally. Contra arcade games are already in their final testing phase, and Street Fighter is expected to begin testing next year."

"Detective Conan has received a good response. Dragon Ball has already been exported to 15 countries."

Compared to other industries, the five brothers discovered that their father paid particular attention to the 'cultural industry' and 'technology industry,' clearly indicating that their father was playing a long game.

While listening to Chen Wenkai's report, Chen Guangliang would offer his own opinions.

When Contra entered the testing phase, he even asked Chen Wenkai to bring him a test arcade machine so he could experience it himself.

It's worth noting that Contra was hailed as a game on par with Super Mario Bros., and was practically one of the most profitable IPs of the 1980s.

With Super Mario Bros. handed over to EA, Contra naturally became one of EA's flagship products, and Street Fighter was also quite good.

In fact, the game that has sold the most copies is Hong Kong Blocks, followed by Super Mario.

"What about electronics companies that cooperate with mainland China?"

Chen Wenkai immediately said, "Our electronics companies, which we are cooperating with in Guangdong Province, have already started producing transistors and have achieved great success. They have even received high praise from the capital."

With the most basic semiconductor components and the current honeymoon period between China and the US, Cheung Kong Industrial Group has finally completed its establishment in mainland China. Although the joint venture is a 50/50 partnership, it is actually led by Midea Electronics.

"The next step is to produce knock-off Famicom consoles, gradually building up the company's foundation. In Hong Kong, we will continue to increase investment in semiconductors, lithium batteries, and other fields."

Yes, Dad.

Of course, while supporting the mainland's electronics industry, Hong Kong's technology industry is also booming.

Leaving aside gaming software, which ranks among the world's best, there are many other breakthroughs, such as the commercialization of lithium batteries, yacht manufacturing, small and medium-sized motors, and electronic technology. Yangtze River Industrial Group can already be considered a 'technology industry'.

Plastic flowers, instant noodles, suitcases, claw machines, Walkmans, arcade games, and commercial lithium batteries—these products have significantly enhanced the status of Chinese people in the field of innovation.

Next, Chen Wensheng and Chen Mengyi reported on their work, and Chen Guangliang would give some pointers, but he didn't interfere too much with the details.

It's almost the end of the year.

EA's market capitalization has exceeded US$50 billion, making it a shining star in the Japanese stock market.

This year has been a banner year for EA in the United States. The total U.S. game market is worth approximately $4.2 million, while EA's sales reached $3.3 million, giving them a near-monopoly.

Meanwhile, Super Mario sold 300 million copies in the United States, followed by best-selling software such as Hong Kong Blocks and Tank Battle.

The European console game market is almost entirely monopolized by EA (Electronic Arts). With the 'FC' platform, EA's self-developed game software naturally makes a lot of money; moreover, third-party software companies also need to pay licensing fees if they want to be listed on the FC platform.

Of course, this is well worth it. Midea Games Entertainment is a prime example. With classic games such as Hong Kong Blocks, Battle City, Pac-Man, and Space Wars, it earns tens of millions of US dollars in profit every year.

Moreover, since Hong Kong's game software industry is already quite developed, there are more than a dozen other game companies besides Midea Games; their founders either graduated from Hong Kong Polytechnic University or worked at Midea Games Entertainment before starting their own studios.

A company called 'Lucky Games' made tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars in profit by developing a best-selling game and releasing it on the Famicom (FC) platform. The company's founder immediately announced that all employees would be given a paid vacation to Hawaii and could bring their families.

The success of 'Lucky Draw' was widely reported by Hong Kong media, demonstrating the booming development of Hong Kong's game software development industry.

Of course, besides game software, Hong Kong's arcade, game console, and even handheld game hardware industries are still considered 'strong'.

Arcade games alone account for over 200,000 units exported annually, generating hundreds of millions of US dollars in revenue.

Even Japanese arcade games don't match Hong Kong's export value.

The booming development of Hong Kong's gaming industry was naturally attributed by the media and the public to Chan Kwong-leung's 'full support and nurturing' back then. (End of Chapter)