Legend of Xiangjiang Tycoon

At that time, the Chinese, who had worked hard to save for a year, would still talk about ostentation no matter what.

Horse racing is a fashionable thing, and naturally there are many Chinese who follow the fashion in the first month.

The horse race was held on February 26, 1918, just in time for the Lunar New Year. The Chinese invited them to Happy Valley to watch the foreigners race horses.

At that time, there were still two types of stables: one was the member's shed (also called the member's box), which was a spacious concrete stand with a pergola on it; It is bamboo.

There is no doubt that the Chinese can only buy 1 yuan tickets to sit in the public shed, and those who buy lottery tickets to block the horse are still a minority.

However, although few people buy lottery tickets, most of them have a gambling mentality. People are all optimistic about Sir Kitori's famous horse Tai Tam Tok. If he is blocked, it will prove that he is the horse's horse.

Tai Tam Tuk really lived up to expectations, beating the pack and running first. The spectators and gamblers in the stables cheered and danced in unison. Extreme joy produces sadness, and jumping creates resonance, causing the stables to collapse.

Under the stables, there was an oil pot stove for snacks, and the fire was raging for a while, and as many as 600 people were burned or trampled to death. This is the massacre of the Hong Kong Racecourse that set fire to the stables that shocked China and foreign countries.

More than 600 people died in the fire, most of them were Chinese, and there were a few Indians and a few Portuguese, in addition, there were hundreds of wounded and burnt.

Newspapers in both the province and Hong Kong covered the tragedy, with one headline: "Happy Valley Becomes Sad Valley!"

Horse racing in Hong Kong has formed a unique horse culture. The word "burst" comes from the horse barn massacre.

When the bamboo is burned, it will make a deafening popping sound, so it is called bursting. Now bursting means full, and people rarely associate it with the horse barn massacre.

In order for future generations not to forget this history, the Chinese erected a tombstone at the Happy Valley Coffee Garden Cemetery to commemorate the victims of the Horse Barn Massacre. The horse barn tragedy once made it a dreadful way for the Chinese to watch horse racing.

In 1931, the Jockey Club implemented the housing system. The establishment of the building has carried out major reforms to the operation of the Jockey Club. The lottery is two yuan each, and the winning lottery is carried out in the form of a combination of rolling beads and horse racing. This new lottery is also called a big bet.

In the first year, the maximum amount of the first prize reached 100,000 Hong Kong dollars. At that time, the monthly salary of a worker was only a few yuan. This 100,000 Hong Kong dollars was enough to build a very stylish mansion.

The myth of making a fortune from a small business and getting rich overnight is widely circulated in Hong Kong. The number of horse races has increased, and horse betting has become popular. Horses will be rich and rich.

Originally, the Jockey Club was the aristocratic court in Hong Kong. After some humble Westerners came to Hong Kong to make a fortune, they tried their best to join the Jockey Club as a symbol of aristocratic status.

At that time, there was a popular saying in Hong Kong: To see if a person has status, you only need to see whether he is a member of the Jockey Club.

Now, the horse club has become a rich man, and even more powerful and hot. Therefore, there is such a popular saying: "It is the Governor's Office, Jardine's, HSBC and the Jockey Club who control the whole of Hong Kong."

Of course, the Chinese, who make up the majority of Hong Kong's population, are basically excluded from these four groups.

Therefore, the status of the Chinese can also be seen from here, which is evident.

On October 18, 1983, a special guest was welcomed in Box 5 in Happy Valley.

Box No. 7 is Bao Yugang's exclusive box, which can be said to be the most advanced box among the Chinese in Happy Valley.

And this time in Box No. 5, not only Bao Yugang, but also Huo Yingdong and Li Zhiwen who came to Happy Valley for the first time.

To be honest, although the status of the Chinese in Hong Kong is not high, it depends on who you are. If you are a tycoon, you will be respected there.

The reason why Li Zhiwen came to Happy Valley for the first time was not that no one had invited him before.

In fact, some people from the Jockey Club came to invite Li Zhiwen to join the Jockey Club before, but Li Zhiwen had no interest in horse racing, so he didn't take it seriously.

And the staff of the Jockey Club didn't take it seriously either. After all, in the Jockey Club, there are many richer people than you, Li Zhiwen, so there is no need to make a fuss about it.

However, after Li Zhiwen's business became bigger and bigger, the Horse Club thought that the super-rich could not be excluded.

And there was a reason for Li Zhiwen's refusal before. The Jockey Club did not take the proper route this time, and started to detour.

Knowing that Bao Yugang and Li Zhiwen have a good relationship, he specially invited Li Zhiwen through Bao Yugang.

No, Li Zhiwen was going to give the proceeds to Bao Yugang and Huo Yingdong, so he specially contacted the two of them to have a drink.

However, Bao Yugang proposed to take a look at Happy Valley, and Li Zhiwen did not refuse, which is why Li Zhiwen appeared here.

"Awen, this is the Jockey Club in Xiangjiang. More business is negotiated here." Bao Yugang sat down and said.

"Yeah, I have to say, in Xiangjiang, Awen, you are an exception. You like to talk about things in formal occasions. Look at other people. If you don't talk about things at the racecourse or the golf course, you have to enjoy yourself! "Huo Yingdong said.

"What kind of enjoyment is this? I'm not interested in this. It's better to care more about the woman who cares about me when I have time." Li Zhiwen said.

Huo Yingdong nodded at Li Zhiwen, and finally smiled helplessly.

And Bao Yugang didn't persuade him any more, but said: "Since I'm here today, let's take a look, Awen, look at that horse you're optimistic about, bet and play!"

Bao Yugang's move also saw that Li Zhiwen had little interest, but he wanted Li Zhiwen to make two casual bets to deal with it.

"Just that one, the next million!" Li Zhiwen pointed at him.

Li Zhiwen pointed to a black horse, but Li Zhiwen didn't understand it very well, so he didn't know what breed the horse was.

Bao Yugang followed Li Zhiwen's fingers and saw that the horse was called "Black Lightning".

"Black Lightning" is a thoroughbred racehorse from Great Britain, with a dark body and a charming oily glow in the sun, hence the name "Black Lightning".

It is not very old, and it is less than 2 years old this year. According to the golden age of horse racing, it is 2 to 6 years old. Black Lightning is a rookie at best. It has always been a small farm in captivity and has never run a big game. , even if it is rumored that this horse is very sharp and has good endurance, everyone is still not optimistic. After all, racing in a small place is two different concepts from racing in a real racecourse.

Bao Yugang is also a member of the Jockey Club. Although he doesn't come often, he can see that "Black Lightning" is not a good choice.

But Bao Yugang didn't say anything, after all, everyone doesn't care about one million Hong Kong dollars.

Huo Yingdong seemed to see Bao Yugang's indifference, and reminded with a smile: "Boss, don't look down on this horse, Awen's eyes are simply vicious, this black lightning belongs to Xu Shixun, and the jockey is Elon Musk, the last two champions."

Bao Yugang was shocked when he heard Huo Yingdong's words. Although Xu Shixun didn't care about Bao Yugang in the Xiangjiang business world, at the racecourse, Bao Yugang knew that Xu Shixun was a big player.

Bao Yugang smiled bitterly and said, "I'm the one who missed the mark."

So Bao Yugang shouted to the outside of the box.

Outside each box, there is a waiter standing outside the door, always waiting for the call of the boss.

And the waiter outside Box 5 heard Bao Yugang's call, walked in and said, "Mr. Bao!"

"Buy one million black lightning for Mr. Li Zhiwen for me to win!" Bao Yugang said.

Gu Zhu

"Yes, Mr. Bao!" The waiter said and left the box.

And Bao Yugang's bodyguard outside the box took out a hundred Hong Kong dollars from his pocket as a tip and handed it to the waiter.

The waiter did not ask Bao Yugang to pay one million Hong Kong dollars or something.

In fact, for a big family like Bao Yugang, the horse has the privilege, and each box can control a part of the quota, just wait for the end of the Marseille to settle.

And Bao Yugang's box is 5 million Hong Kong dollars, so the waiter didn't ask for money.

The reason why Bao Yugang specifically named Li Zhiwen is to tell the manager of the Jockey Club that my task has been completed, and it is up to you whether I can keep it or not.

After the waiter left, Li Zhiwen did not say that he would pay the million Hong Kong dollars. After all, one million Hong Kong dollars was not a lot of money for the three of them.

"Lao Bao, Lao Huo, this time the income has been credited to your respective company accounts, Lao Bao you are 400 million Hong Kong dollars, Lao Huo you are 600 million Hong Kong dollars, you can call to check." Li Zhiwen said.

As soon as Li Zhiwen finished speaking, Bao Yugang directly interrupted: "What to verify, we can still believe you."

"Yeah, if I don't believe you, I won't give you the money!" Huo Yingdong said.

Li Zhiwen smiled indifferently, but felt warm.

"Who knew that the exchange rate of the Hong Kong dollar fell so badly. I said before that I would earn you twice as much, but now it seems to be almost the same as when I borrowed you." Li Zhiwen said.

"Awen, you are wrong. Without you, we would have lost half of our losses!" Bao Yugang said.

"Yes, yes, boss, you're right!" Huo Yingdong said.

......

During the conversation between the three, Marseille was over, and "Black Lightning" unexpectedly and unexpectedly became the champion.

Unexpected because Black Lightning is a newbie.

Unsurprisingly because "Black Lightning" is Seo Se-hoon's horse.

"Awen, that's ok, Black Lightning loses two for one, you just made a million Hong Kong dollars, amazing!" Huo Yingdong congratulated.

"I just bought it casually!" Li Zhiwen said.

"That's great!" Huo Yingdong said.

At this moment, the door of the box opened, and the waiter walked in with a check.

"Mr. Li, you won the block at this time, and this is the membership card of our Jockey Club!" said the waiter.

Li Zhiwen looked at Bao Yugang, smiled helplessly, and said, "Okay, I'll take it!"

Li Zhiwen knew what this meant, so Li Zhiwen refused because he lost Bao Yugang's face, so he accepted it.

"Mr. Bao, the owner of Black Lightning, Mr. Xu Shixun, wants to come to the box, thank you for your support!" the waiter continued.

The box is Bao Yugang, and it is normal for the waiter to ask Bao Yugang.

Bao Yugang looked at Li Zhiwen and Huo Yingdong, saw that both of them nodded, and said, "Then ask Mr. Xu Shixun to come over."

The waiter got permission and went out to spread the word.

Soon a white-haired old man appeared in the box, and this person was Xu Shixun.

Xu Shixun, Huo Yingdong and Bao Yugang can be said to be people of the same era, so it is normal for the three to communicate.

Li Zhiwen looked at the old ship king and fell into memory.

The Xu Shixun family can be said to be the shipowners of Xiangjiang earlier than Bao Yugang, and the Chinese ship king before Bao Yugang.

The fortune of Xu Shixun's family can be traced back to the period of his father Xu Aizhou.

Xu Aizhou was born in Potou Market, ZJ City, Guangdong Province in 1881. He studied in a private school when he was a child, and started business with his father at the age of twelve.

At first, he was engaged in local products and groceries, and later obtained the kerosene distribution rights of the beautiful country Germany Tuzhan Petroleum Company, and made his first pot of gold.

Since the 1920s, Xu Aizhou has been involved in the real estate industry. After ten years of hard work, he has become a big landlord in the urban area of ​​ZJ, owning more than 100 shops and other properties. Xu's largest property is the Gem Hotel.

Zhanjiang is a famous natural seaport in southern China, and the shipping industry in Zhanjiang has developed since ancient times. At that time, the ocean-going ships entering and leaving Zhanjiang Port were all ocean ships. These behemoths were moored in the harbor, making many Chinese ships huddled by the ocean ships and feeling ashamed.

This scene deeply hurt Xu Aizhou's heart.

Texaco's tankers regularly sail to Zhanjiang. The oil tankers at that time were actually bulk carriers, and kerosene was packed in iron boxes for easy wholesale and retail. People called it Mobil tanks.

As an agent, Xu Aizhou often boarded ships for business, and his understanding of ocean ships also began at this time. He also got acquainted with many foreign captains and sailors.

In 1932, Xu Aizhou, the richest man in Zhanjiang, established Chuanchang Shipping Company, purchased a number of second-hand passenger and cargo ships, opened up several routes to Beibu Gulf, Zhanjiang and Hong Kong, and reached the farthest countries in Southeast Asia.

The original captains were all French, and all the crew members were foreigners and Chinese. By the 1940s, Chuanchang began to have Chinese captains.

In 1940, Chuanchang Aviation Company established an office in Hong Kong. Then Xu Aizhou took Hong Kong as the base to expand shipping and purchase properties through a two-pronged approach.

The number of ships owned by Chuanchang Shipping Company is unknown. According to the older generation of Hong Kong people, Chuanchang Shipping Company can compete with the fleets of Swire Fleet and Jardine Fleet in Hong Kong. .

Xu Aizhou is a shipowner with strong national consciousness. When the Japanese invaded Hong Kong, Xu Aizhou ordered the scuttling of the ship, which was moored in the dock for overhaul and unable to move, to prevent it from falling into the hands of the Japanese. After fleeing back to his hometown in Zhanjiang, Xu Aizhou donated generously to support the anti-Japanese.

After the British returned to Hong Kong, Xu Aizhou returned to Hong Kong to clean up the mess. He set up the Renxing Mining Company to process the talc mined in Guangxi Province and transport it to Hong Kong as a chemical raw material.

Four years later, in 1949, the total tonnage of Xu Aizhou's fleet exceeded the highest level before the war, ranking first among Chinese shipowners.

In 1952, Xu's Shipping was registered in Hong Kong and changed its name to Shunchang Shipping Co., Ltd.

In 1957, Xu Aizhou, the old ship king of Xiangjiang, abandoned his boat and landed, established China Construction Enterprise Company, and entered into real estate in an all-round way. Chuanchang Shipping is still in operation and only maintains the original fleet size.

At this time in Xiangjiang, because of the war in the mainland, shipowners from Shanghai rushed to the beach to land, and the most prosperous were Dong Haoyun and Bao Yugang.

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