Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 594 Arrival in Guangzhou

Opportunity always favors the prepared mind, and this preparation includes not only money, but also insight and courage.

Back in the early 90s, people in Shanghai laughed at those in Pudong, calling them country bumpkins who would rather have a bed in Puxi than a house in Pudong. Even Hong Kong and Taiwanese businessmen refused to invest in Pudong. But a few years later, people in Pudong were the envy of those in Puxi, with Tang Junnian standing out as the biggest winner.

At that time, the urban area of ​​Shanghai was not large. Pudong had just been developed. South of Xinzhuang was the countryside, and west of Beixinjing was also a wasteland and rural area. Baoshan District in the south had just been changed from a county to a district. None of the major CBDs that would become what we know today had taken shape yet.

Xiaohong said, "If we buy land now, wouldn't we be incredibly wealthy in a few years?"

Xiao Liu laughed and said, "I wouldn't dare accept that. Who knows what the future holds? Who can say for sure?"

Xiaowei patted Xiaohong's head and said with a smile, "You're so easily swayed by rumors. If you had that kind of determination, you would have used it to study hard, which would have been better than anything else."

Xiao Hong said, "You just look down on me. Wait until I post it and show you."

Xiao Liu suddenly remembered something and asked Xiao Wei in a low voice, "Xiao Wei, you said at the Xiali factory that your monthly turnover is around 20 million? And you have 200 million in capital?"

Xiao Hong laughed and pointed at Xiao Liu, saying, "You actually believed him? He's talking nonsense. That's money from the loan certificate that Aunt Chen got. It's not even real yet. He's just trying to fool that factory manager."

Xiao Wei rubbed his face and said, "The loan amount given by ICBC can be withdrawn immediately if I want to borrow it."

Xiao Liu asked, "So how much money do you have right now? Can I ask?"

Xiao Wei laughed and said, "Why can't I ask? We have several million, for the three of us."

Xiao Liu said, "Then why did you buy so many expensive cars? Adding those three sports cars, it's over four million!"

Xiao Wei said, "We're still making a profit, the business is still going strong. Buying a car is for appearances; now that we're a group company, we have to be more professional."

Xiao Liu gave Xiao Wei the middle finger but didn't say anything.

……

The next day at noon, the four of them dragged their luggage out of Guangzhou Baiyun Airport and took a bus into the city.

At that time, Baiyun Airport had not yet moved. It was located on Yuncheng West Road, in the area of ​​Wanda Plaza. After Tianhe Airport closed, this was the only airport in Guangzhou. Later, due to expansion needs, it was moved to Huadu, which is the current new Baiyun Airport.

In 91, Guangzhou's urban area wasn't very large. The distance from the airport to the train station was about five kilometers, marking the western edge of the city. Beyond that was the suburbs. The city center was in Tianhe District, about ten kilometers east of the train station. At that time, apart from the four districts of Baiyun, Yuexiu, Tianhe, and Huangpu, only Haizhu District could barely be considered part of the city proper; other areas were still undeveloped.

After checking in and putting down our luggage at the Baiyun Hotel, the four of us went out to find something to eat. There were a lot of people on the flight, and none of us were full.

By 91, due to national policies, Guangzhou was already quite developed in China. Its GDP ranked third after Shanghai and Beijing, while Shenzhen ranked eighth. The combined GDP of the top ten cities in China was just half that of Hong Kong Island.

The top five provinces in terms of GDP are Guangdong, Shandong, Jiangsu, Liaoning, and Zhejiang. Guangdong has retained its number one position for the third consecutive year.

Guangzhou's culinary habits are similar to those of Hong Kong Island, emphasizing light and original flavors and a fondness for soups. However, it is still better than the sweet and greasy food of Shanghai, and the group of people can adapt to it.

It's often said that Cantonese people, with four legs, don't eat tables and chairs, and with two legs, they don't eat people (except for Fujianese, haha). This is a food paradise renowned for its voracious appetites and culinary expertise. This isn't an exaggeration; the 56 Guangzhou Famous Dishes and Snacks Exhibition showcased 5447 dishes, 815 kinds of dim sum related to these dishes, and thousands of other delicacies and snacks. The most in the country.

Putting everything else aside, there are four main categories and twenty-three types of dough for pastries alone, and three main categories and forty-six types of fillings. (When I was learning Cantonese cuisine, I almost went crazy, but in the end I made up my mind to study Shandong cuisine instead.)

The life of Cantonese people consists of morning tea, afternoon tea, evening tea, and night tea, eating from early morning until late at night. A pot of tea and a few dim sum dishes make up a leisurely day. Whether there is business to discuss or just sitting idly, one can still eat.

Shrimp dumplings, steamed siu mai, poached chicken, boiled shrimp, roast suckling pig, roast meats, stir-fried shrimp, braised shark fin, sea cucumber with shrimp roe, and a bowl of pork rib soup—the four of us were completely satisfied. We really hadn't eaten well in Shanghai lately. The dishes here are also on the sweeter side, but not as heavily seasoned as in Shanghai.

Xiao Hong patted her belly and said, "Oh, the South is so much better! There's so much delicious food there."

Gazi said, "Shanghai is also in the south."

Xiao Hong glared at Ga Zi and said, "No, Shanghai is to the east."

Xiao Wei asked, "Are you full? Want to go for a walk?"

Xiaohong looked outside, hesitated, and said, "Now? Isn't it getting too hot?"

Xiao Wei laughed and said, "You've just been too full and you're too lazy to move. Forget it, let's go back to the hotel and rest. We'll talk about it tomorrow." The group left Dexin Restaurant, took a taxi back to the hotel, and went upstairs to rest.

After taking a shower and going to bed, Xiao Wei woke up to find it was already the dead of night, with everything quiet except for the chirping of insects. Xiao Hong was fast asleep. Xiao Wei went to the window, opened it, lit a cigarette, and looked downstairs. The entire city stretched out before him, the streetlights swaying among the trees, and occasionally a car would pass by in the shade.

The Baiyun Hotel was the tallest building in Guangzhou at that time. When it was completed in 76, it was the tallest building in China. It has a glorious history and is a rare example of modernization during the Cultural Revolution.

What many people don't know is that it was the first building in the country to adopt horizontal stripes. At that time, there was a saying in the construction industry: horizontal stripes represent capitalism, and vertical stripes represent socialism, because buildings in Soviet Russia all had vertical stripes.

In the 1970s, this building cost 20 million yuan, making it the largest investment in China. In the 1990s, there were only three five-star hotels catering to foreign guests in China, and the Baiyun Hotel was one of them. The other two were the White Swan Hotel and the Beijing Hotel. The White Swan Hotel is located on Shamian Island in Guangzhou and was built with investment from Fok Ying-tung.

In inland China or Northeast China, people would have already gone to bed by this time. Yet, there are still restaurants open in Guangzhou. This kind of commercial atmosphere is something that is not found in inland China.

Xiao Wei leaned against the windowsill, gazing at the night view, so different from that of the north, watching the cars passing by below and listening to the occasional voices coming up, gradually entering a state of tranquility.

"Wei," Xiao Hong mumbled sleepily, breaking the silence.

Xiao Wei turned his head and looked over: "Here, what's wrong?"

"thirsty."

Xiao Wei brought over the boiled water that had been left to cool on the table that morning, fed Xiao Hong a few sips, placed the cup on the bedside table, and lay back down on the bed. Xiao Hong clung to him like an octopus, twisted around to find a comfortable position, and fell asleep again, and the room returned to quiet.

(End of this chapter)