A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

Time flies, and ten years have passed.

2017, spring.

Chen Guangliang, who is 107 years old, is still alive and well. Not only is he in good health, but his mind is also very sharp.

Discovery Bay is a villa complex that Chan Kwong-leung chose as his retirement home. The six villas are relatively quiet, and only people who come to visit him stay there temporarily.

Today, Chen Guangliang's 15 children are still alive, with his eldest son, Chen Wenjie, being 84 years old this year.

The third generation of the Chen family consists of 46 people, including 34 men and 12 women. The eldest grandson, Chen Zerui, is already 59 years old this year.

The fourth generation of the Chen family has reached 86 people (62 men and 24 women). New members are still being born in this generation, and of course there are still unmarried men. The eldest grandson, Chen Chuanxian, is already 33 years old.

The fifth generation of the Chen family already has 11 members, the oldest of whom is over 8 years old.

At the same time, Chen Guangliang also has 13 illegitimate children (nine sons and four daughters) and illegitimate grandchildren.

The prosperity of the Chen family is the best description of the family's success.

As for wealth, it's just a number now; Chen Guangliang no longer worries about it.

"dad"

"grandfather"

Accompanied by 59-year-old Chen Zerui, 84-year-old Chen Wenjie walked to the lawn of the villa and respectfully greeted Chen Guangliang, who was lying down.

Chen Guangliang, who was lying in the chair, opened his eyes and said slowly, "Hmm. It seems that the news about you in the mainland recently has generated a lot of social reaction."

The phrase "Don't let Chen Wenjie get away" still appeared at the beginning of this year, something Chen Guangliang originally thought he could avoid in this lifetime.

Chen Zerui quickly said, "I have already issued a statement in time, but those voices don't really care about our opinions; they only care about their own, so it's unavoidable."

"Never mind. It was my idea too, so I can't blame anyone else!"

Chen Wenjie said, "My father is wholeheartedly devoted to the country and the nation. Of course, this matter will not affect what we do. We will only adhere to our principles!"

Chen Zerui, who was standing to the side, nodded quickly.

Since 2012, Cheung Kong Holdings and Global Holdings have stopped acquiring any real estate projects in mainland China, while simultaneously accelerating their sales efforts. This decision to refrain from acquiring land and investing in new real estate projects is, in effect, a very subtle withdrawal.

However, starting in 2015, Cheung Kong Holdings and Global Holdings also began selling some non-core commercial real estate projects, as well as some representative projects in cities.

The ultimate goal is to retain only the core real estate projects in the six major cities of Shanghai, Nanjing, Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen.

In this way, by 2020, they will have cashed out around 1500 billion yuan, and of course, the remaining real estate projects will still exceed this figure.

"What about Hong Kong?" Chen Guangliang asked casually.

He didn't care about those empty titles, and although his family had a lot of money, he didn't want to waste it.

Given the future state of the mainland real estate market, if they don't cash out on the real estate projects they're selling now, they're essentially throwing money away.

Chen Zerui said, "We started cashing out in Hong Kong this year, but these projects are not big projects and should not have much impact."

The Chen family is not short of money, that's one point;

Hong Kong has a 'major cultural industry' and a 'technology industry' in this life, so its prospects are definitely better than in the previous life; that's the second point.

Even if they cash out a large amount of cash, the Chen family can't find any investment opportunities, so they might as well continue collecting rent. That's the third point.

Therefore, the Chan family will not liquidate any of their entire buildings in Central, Causeway Bay, or Tsim Sha Tsui in Hong Kong. Since they have no bank loans and do not need to pay interest, even with low occupancy rates, they will not lose money.

The building in Hong Kong that Li Ka-shing sold 75% of his shares for HK$400 billion in his previous life is now owned by the Chan family and is not among those being sold.

Large projects will not be sold, but small and medium-sized projects will naturally be sold, such as commercial properties outside Central, Causeway Bay, and Tsim Sha Tsui, as well as accelerating the development of the land reserves in hand and then putting them on the market, so that by 2020 there will be basically no land reserves.

Overall, the Chen family will not withdraw from the mainland and will stand with Hong Kong through thick and thin.

Of course, the core reason is that cashing out so much money is useless if you just keep it.

"That's all! Don't take these comments to heart, and don't harbor any resentment towards the country or the nation. The foundation's donations will continue to primarily flow into the Greater China region."

Chen Guangliang was a mainland Chinese in his previous life, and he has lived in the mainland for 37 years in this life, so their feelings for each other are naturally deep.

To date, the Chan Kong Leung Foundation has donated HK$700 billion to mainland China, with Ningbo University alone receiving HK$200 billion. This is not simply HK$700 billion, as much of the money was donated before the turn of the millennium, and its value has become incalculable after accounting for inflation.

"Yes, Dad. I'm going to Ningbo University anyway, and the foundation is planning to donate another HK$20 billion this time."

Regardless of how the mainland treats them, the importance of Ningbo University is something that descendants like Chen Wenjie and Chen Zerui all know is the result of Chen Guangliang's hard work.

“That’s good. Ze Rui, you must also remember that this is a legacy. I passed it on to your father, and your father will pass it on to you.”

"Grandpa, I understand."

The father and son did not leave immediately, but had lunch together at the villa.

At this time, Yan Renmei was still alive and well, and was already 102 years old, but her health was very poor, so she still lived at No. 79 Deep Water Bay, where her descendants took care of her directly, and Chen Guangliang would visit her regularly.

Jiang Meiying passed away three years ago at the age of 101, which was a very long life, and it is estimated that this was related to Chen Guangliang.

As for Audrey Hepburn and Si Yezi, they are still alive and occasionally come to Hong Kong to live for a period of time. After all, Chan Kwong-leung is about twenty years older than them and has not left Hong Kong for more than ten years.

This day.

Chen Guangliang went on vacation to his superyacht, but he didn't sail directly to the Discovery Bay pier because his superyacht was too big.

He boarded a helicopter and flew directly towards Haiyu in the distance.

As for whether he was afraid of helicopter accidents, Chen Guangliang no longer had such worries. Although he wanted to live as long as possible, he did not worry about accidents happening.

After boarding the ship, Donatella, Guan Jiahui, and other lovers had already arrived. Then, everyone surrounded Chen Guangliang and led him to sit down in the salon area.

Donatella is 62 years old, but thanks to Chen Guangliang's years of care, she looks like a beautiful woman in her forties, not an old lady.

Kwan Ka-wai is already 55 years old, but she looks even younger. Walking down the street, she would surely attract the attention of many young people.

The youngest is Li Jiaxin, who is only 47 years old this year. Needless to say, she still looks like a stunning young woman; when she goes out with her son, everyone mistakes her for the older sister, or even the younger sister. (Her son is 27 years old.)
Of course, no matter how well these women maintained themselves or how young they looked, Chen Guangliang basically had no needs in that area at this time. Even if he did, he wouldn't think about it. After all, he had been playing around for so many years, and surviving was the most important thing at this moment.

The people gathered together simply to connect and discuss matters concerning their children and descendants.

Although Chen Guangliang spent virtually no time with his thirteen illegitimate children, it didn't stop him from building a vast empire for them. At this time, these six women were all worth between 500 and 800 billion yuan, making them true top-tier wealthy women.

"Mr. Chen, how have you been lately?" Everyone was very concerned about this question as soon as they met.

Although he knew everyone meant well, Chen Guangliang still cracked a joke, which was rare for him: "Don't worry, I can live for another ten years without any problem. Isn't that a bit of a delay in your finding new jobs?"

Guan Jiahui spoke first: "Then wouldn't our children betray us? We're not going to do something so thankless!"

"Haha." "That's right, they are all your admirers and admirers. Even we mothers can't do as much as you."

Although it's unclear whether it's true or not, Chen Guangliang himself doesn't really care about these things; it was just a joke.

During the conversation, Chen Guangliang also warned Li Zhi, Zhang Min, Guan Jiahui, and Li Jiaxin to cash out their properties in mainland China as soon as possible.

"All properties in mainland China have been liquidated; apart from those for personal use and storage, nothing else has been kept."

Li Zhi and Zhang Min own properties worth nearly 10 billion RMB in mainland China, so they naturally took the offer seriously and immediately agreed.

What about Hong Kong?

Guan Jiahui and Li Jiaxin are most concerned about this issue, after all, half of their assets are in Hong Kong.

"Sell off non-core properties, that is, keep properties with half their value! Don't touch the securities for now, decide again at the end of the year."

Hong Kong remains the main base.

Moreover, how can one feel at ease if they cash out too much money and bet it all overseas?
Although the events of the previous life are still happening in Hong Kong in this life, it has a strong economic prospect due to its 'major cultural industry' and 'technology industry'.

Guan Jiahui nodded and continued, "How should we invest the cash that has been recovered?"

"While I'm still of sound mind, I'll set up a trust fund for each of you this time to pass on the majority of your wealth. Do you have any objections?"

Upon hearing this, the six women readily agreed.

It's quite simple. They and their children enjoy the benefits of a "family-run" household, and even the advantages and disadvantages of their husbands. Placing most of their current wealth into a trust fund not only allows them to smoothly pass it on to their children, but also provides greater security.

Chen Guangliang nodded; he could tell that he still held considerable authority among these women.

The group then chatted about the children's recent performance. Donatella and Kwan Ka-wai's eldest sons are both 33 years old and have been in the 'family business' for over ten years, so they are already senior executives at the board level.

Although these sons received little guidance from Chen Guangliang, they still inherited his excellent genes and excelled in their careers.

At night, Chen Guangliang walked into a bedroom and felt as if he had entered a den of iniquity.

Six women are showing off, and some are even comforting themselves.

Chen Guangliang initially appeared as if he were in deep meditation, then he was bewitched by a demon, and finally he had no choice but to get involved himself.

At 106 years old, he was still able to subdue monsters; that would have been enough to break a world record even ten years ago.

The exciting fight scenes actually only lasted about twenty minutes, with each monster getting just over three minutes.

It doesn't matter, the monsters have submitted, because they had just fought amongst themselves and had already expended a lot of energy.

"You want me to die sooner, don't you?"

"How could that be? We know you can do it. It won't happen again!"

"No, it's okay to try it once in a while. Tomorrow I'll teach you about trust fund investments; consider this my last words!"

"Pah, Mr. Chen."

Feeling sleepy, Chen Guangliang collapsed into Li Jiaxin's arms.
Everyone was so frightened that they rushed over to check his breathing. Only when they heard snoring did they laugh knowingly.

The 2017 China Rich List has been released, and Chen Wenjie once again topped the list as the richest Chinese person.

The reason it was Chen Wenjie is because Chen Guangliang transferred the rights and interests of the father-son trust in the late 1980s, and the new rights and interests belonged to Chen Wenjie and his children. Although Chen Zerui has taken over, the 'father-son trust' is ultimately controlled by Chen Wenjie.

As a result, Chen Wenjie has been the 'richest Chinese person' since the 1990s, a title he held for 27 consecutive years.

Because Cheung Kong Holdings is developing better in this life than in the previous life, no one can shake its position. Even though the second richest man in mainland China has seen his wealth surge to US$315 billion this year, it still cannot shake Chen Wenjie's US$410 billion.

To be honest, this is still the reason why Cheung Kong Holdings has been 'slimming down' over the years – selling some commercial real estate to private individuals and distributing a lot of assets as dividends.

Surprisingly, the fifth richest person in China and the second richest person in Hong Kong is Chen Zeqi, a third-generation member of the Chen family.

Soon, the media launched a "Chen Zeqi column," which not only reported that he was photographed dating his Miss Hong Kong girlfriend in Thailand (although he is unmarried, he has three sons with his ex-girlfriend), but also reported the reason why Chen Zeqi was on the list.

Chen Zeqi controls 'Pacific Century CyberWorks', which currently has a market value of just over HK$4500 billion. He holds 42.5% of the shares, which is worth HK$1900 billion, so his net worth is US$245 billion.

In reality, PCCW's acquisition of Hong Kong Telecom was a complete failure, leaving it with enormous debt. However, unexpectedly, Tencent, in which PCCW held a 37.5% stake, saw its market value soar.

Since 2013, Yingdong Technology has been reducing its holdings in Tencent (most of which were secretly bought by Chen Guangliang's family office and various Chen family members).

Tencent's market value is now at the 2 trillion level, while Yingdong Technology still holds 20.5% of the shares, which is equivalent to a market value of up to 4000 billion.

On the other hand, Chen Zeqi entered the streaming video (i.e., video website APP) early on, and this APP has become the most successful streaming video in Southeast Asia.

At that time, PCCW's business included Hong Kong Telecom, streaming media, and it also held shares in Tencent.

Therefore, Chen Zeqi's dabbling in telecommunications, internet television, and cyberport over the years has not been entirely successful. On the contrary, his investment in Tencent has consistently generated wealth for him.

As for streaming media, it is still in the investment stage, and the Southeast Asian market is not large, so it is not included.

"Chen Zeqi won by doing nothing!"

"If he hadn't sold that 17% stake, he might be the richest Chinese person, not his uncle!"

Who could have predicted this?

"However, Chen Zeqi is not as low-key as other members of the Chen family. He dated a female celebrity and had three sons with her, and then dated a Miss Hong Kong."

"Otherwise, why would you be here to watch a show?"

"Ha ha"

At this time, the Chen family had become increasingly low-key.

Because of the large number of listed companies in the Cheung Kong Group and its high total market value, Chen Wenjie has always been the richest man in the family. However, even Chen Wenjie's four children, including Chen Zerui, who is now the chairman of the board of directors of Cheung Kong Group, have maintained a low profile.

The Chan family's Wharf Holdings has long been delisted, and Worldwide Shipping has never been listed. Although Hong Kong Airlines is listed, the Chan family's shareholding is not very high, and its market value is not particularly high. Worldwide Group has no other listed companies, so it has never been among the top rich list.

Chen Wenkai's lineage has never had a listed company, and they are typical examples of making a fortune quietly, but they are always mentioned, after all, their assets such as technology, comic IP, and game IP are really substantial.

Apart from Ping An Bank, which is a listed company, Chen Wensheng's family also owns Ping An Investment and Barings Bank, which are not listed companies. In Ping An Bank's shareholding structure, Chen Wensheng only holds 30% (the rest is hidden family shares), so his net worth is only a few billion US dollars.

Finally, there's Chen Mengyi and her husband. Their media group isn't listed (Times Films has been privatized), so although they have a lot of influence (the godmother of Hong Kong pop culture), they're not on the rich list.

Of course, this is only a "probable concealment." Who in Hong Kong doesn't know that the Chan family is "richer than a country"? Even overseas, people know how wealthy this family is.

However, as time goes by, many ordinary people will probably think that the Chen family is no longer the richest Chinese family, and that the emerging tycoons are the real tycoons!

That's exactly the effect I wanted. (End of Chapter)