The birth of the Hong Kong Island family

In the evening, the Lin and Tang families had dinner at a high-end restaurant.

Tang Zhongyuan introduced the second South African customer he had gained, vividly and with joy beyond words. Because these customers are all large customers, one order is almost the same as one or two months last year. Scott alone has expanded the scale of Yangtze Garment Factory by 50%.

To be honest, Hong Kong's garment factories generally only developed in the late 1950s. In the previous life, Lai Yan Garment Factory was able to purchase a three-storey industrial factory building on Castle Peak Road in the early 1960s. This also illustrates a problem: the money earned from opening a garment factory in the 1950s may not necessarily exceed the land and factory buildings.

The Yangtze River Garment Factory currently has an annual profit of about 200,000 yuan. It is not very profitable, but it is the largest garment factory in Hong Kong, and it is also an earlier garment factory. In the past, there were mostly tailor shops. The newly established garment factories this year are relatively small. many.

"Father-in-law, how much cash is in the account of Changjiang Garment Factory?"

Tang Zhongyuan said with a smile: "You, the major shareholder, don't even know how much money you have. Since we opened the factory, we have invested a total of 600,000 Hong Kong dollars, all out of our own pockets, and have not touched the money in the account. So once In the early days of the year, I made a total of 175,000 Hong Kong dollars, mainly due to the rapid increase after receiving orders from South Africa.”

Lin Zhichao did not check the account, but paid a full 450,000 Hong Kong dollars. With a total investment of 600,000 Hong Kong dollars, the Xiangjiang Garment Factory is unique. Garment factories in this era are almost all family-owned factories with investments of tens or even thousands of Hong Kong dollars.

For example, for a garment factory with more than 100 employees, an investment of 100,000 yuan is enough.

"Father-in-law, this is what I think. Let's inject another 50,000 Hong Kong dollars into it. Take out 200,000 Hong Kong dollars and buy some advanced Singer sewing machines. It's best to take action immediately."

Tang Zhongyuan was taken aback for a moment, and said, "Half of the machines in the warehouse are not moving!"

Although he knows that the Yangtze River Garment Factory, which has a new type of electric car clothing, has an advantage when accepting orders from South Africa; but after all, the current scale is enough to cope with it, not to mention that if you have money, you are afraid of not being able to buy a machine, so why rush Woolen cloth!

Lin Zhichao could only say: "I know, but there are big opportunities behind the Yangtze River Garment Factory. We need to be willing to invest first. This time we invested 200,000 Hong Kong dollars first. Anyway, we will make it back soon."

Tang Zhongyuan no longer objected, after all he could afford to invest, and his son-in-law had always had a vicious vision.

"Okay, I'll order from them right away!"

Because we have already cooperated once, there is no need to go to the United States for inspection.

Lin Zhichao nodded in satisfaction, and said, "Don't worry, Hong Kong's garment industry must be dominated by our son-in-law Weng."

"Haha, I have confidence too!"

Weng and son-in-law soon started drinking together, and their relationship was like that of good friends. Naturally, the relationship between the two families was very good. After all, Lin Zhichao was going to be the son-in-law of the Tang family again.

When Lin Baixin found out that the Yangtze Garment Factory used the most advanced Singer sewing machines and received an order from South Africa, he immediately understood where he had lost.

However, he couldn't think of a way for a while, because he only had a cash flow of less than 100,000 Hong Kong dollars.

Lam Pak Yan moved to Hong Kong in 1945 and initially worked as a garment salesman. Later, she opened the Shing Fook Weaving Factory in Yuen Chau Street, Sham Shui Po. It was not until early this year that she took over the Lai Yan Garment Factory. The Lixin Garment Factory was established before the war, and it was just a small garment factory at that time.

Therefore, the financial strength made Lin Baixin anxious!

"Husband, I know you want to buy new machines to make up for the gap. But there is no need to rush. There are hundreds of garment factories in Hong Kong, and only a few can use all new machines. As long as you have this perseverance , I can realize my wish soon, half a year or a year, it won't affect too much."

Lin Baixin suddenly realized that he was too impatient. He didn't know what was going on. He always thought that he should get the order from South Africa. Because of this, he was worried about it.

However, in fact, he has just entered the garment industry for less than half a year, although he entered the textile industry very early.

And anyway, with a market as big as South Africa, more customers will choose to place orders in Hong Kong in the future, and then there will be another opportunity.

"Baozhu, it's my good fortune to be able to marry you. Alright, let's work hard to make money and strive to be able to replace Singer's new sewing machines next year."

After the two of them made love to each other in the small room, they walked out of the gate and regained their glory.

At this time, Lin Baixin had two businesses, one was Chengfu Weaving Factory and the other was Lixin Garment Factory. After marrying Yu Baozhu, Lin Baixin felt that she had a powerful helper.

Of course, what Lin Baixin doesn't know is that if Lin Zhichao hadn't appeared, only Lai Yan Garment Factory in Hong Kong would have taken orders from South Africa, which would have become a big opportunity for Lin Baixin to win the title of "King of Africa".

Without the large number of orders from South Africa, it would be difficult for Lixin Garment Factory to become one of the "four major garment families" because this piece of meat is very fat.

At the same time, the United States will soon ban all machines exported to Hong Kong. By the end of the year, it will be expanded to include all European and American machines. Before the mid-1950s, it was not considered very potential.

Of course, this is only one part of it. After all, the textile industry's entry into Europe and the United States also requires the accumulation of technology, and Europe and the United States restrict the Japanese textile industry, and then Hong Kong will take over.

Before this, the markets that everyone dreamed of were Indonesia and South Africa. As for Southeast Asia, it is originally Hong Kong’s market. (Indonesia is distinguished separately due to population and other reasons)

In late May, Lin Zhichao came to London again and found ship broker Willis.

When they met, Willis did not make any accusations. It seemed that Williamson's company did not disclose the buyer's information last time. The reason was simple. Williamson was also worried about offending the intermediary because he was dealing directly with the customer.

Lin Zhichao came to see Willis this time, but it was a sincere cooperation because he felt that Willis was one of the few honest brokers among ship brokers. The shortcomings of the free wheel were generously stated last time, which is the best proof.

At the same time, Willis's sincerity in hospitality is also something Lin Zhichao values ​​​​more.

In the next ten years, Lin Zhichao may have to deal with second-hand ships. Although he will also build new ships in the late 1950s, second-hand ships will be the main force of global shipping throughout the 1950s.

Therefore, if Willis is worthy of cooperation, there will be many opportunities for both parties. Even later, Lin Zhichao did not need to come to Europe and entrusted it to senior executives and Willis.

"Lin, did you buy a boat last time?" Willis asked enthusiastically.

"Bought!" Lin Zhichao answered truthfully.

"Congratulations! This time you are here, maybe you need to buy a ship again, then you are really amazing!" Willis has only customers in his eyes, no skin color, and is very sincere.

Seeing this, Lin Zhichao also said generously: "Yes, this time I need to buy two more 8,000-10,000-ton cargo ships, which can be fired with coal or oil!"

Coal-burning ships are still very common in this era, after all, they are ships in their 20s and 30s.

At this time, the global shipping has more than 1 million US dollars in hand, and the two ships are no problem.

The two Liberty ships last time were purely leaks. Soon Liberty will shine in the 1950s, proving that its performance is very good.

"No problem! Coincidentally, I have a lot of ship sources in my hand, this time I guarantee you to fancy it."

Later, Lin Zhichao looked at the information and found that some ships were indeed very good, mainly because of the good price. For example, a coal-fired cargo ship with a load capacity of 8,600 tons was built by a famous shipyard in Glasgow. It was built in 1928 and was only 22 years old (not old for Lin Zhichao).

Glasgow is the third largest city in the UK, the largest industrial and commercial city and port in Scotland, and the center of the British shipbuilding industry. There are dozens of shipyards built along both sides of the Clyde River.

The price is also very good, only 171,000 pounds (478,800 US dollars) including agency fees. Generally speaking, the agency fee is about 5%; if you buy a European ship in Hong Kong, the agency fee will be 5-10%.

When Lin Zhichao saw a "Victory Ship" for sale, his eyes couldn't help jumping. How could such a ship be in the hands of the British?

"Did the Americans sell this victory ship to foreign shipping companies?" Lin Zhichao asked directly.

Willis is happy to answer these questions: "Of course, in early 1948, the United States sold a total of 98 Victory ships to foreign companies, including the British Cunard Company, Holland American Steamship Company, Argentine International Steamship Company, South African Shipping, etc. Another 20 ships were leased to the U.S. Army, and the rest were leased to the U.S. Navy. You know, the United States built a total of 570 Victory ships, and after the war, there were almost more than 400 Victory ships."

Lin Zhichao nodded. He knew that compared to the free wheel, the victory wheel was simply an enhanced version. The first was the shortcoming of the free wheel - speed, while the victory wheel was already much faster and could reach 15 to 18 knots. The second was the cargo capacity. , a Liberty Ship can carry 5,000 to 9,000 tons (depending on the cargo), while a Victory Ship can carry 12,000 to 15,000 tons; finally, the cost, a Liberty Ship costs 1.8 million U.S. dollars, and a Victory Ship costs It is 2.5 million US dollars.

"Why would Cunard sell such a good ship?" Lin Zhichao asked curiously.

Willis was stunned and then understood that Lin Zhichao had already guessed the owner, but he was not worried because the shipping company would not sell it directly to an Asian.

"Operational issues! Cunard Company is now focusing on large cruise ships. As business in this area has decreased, they will naturally choose to sell one. To be honest, the price is 250,000 pounds, and they are not losing money. In two years, they have made almost 77 Eighty-eight. They will definitely be happy if it can still be sold at this price. And for you, it is an opportunity. Although this ship is welded, it is only 6 years old, so it is quite cost-effective."

It was a bargain, after all, it only cost 700,000 US dollars, but Lin Zhichao had prepared a total of 1 million US dollars.

This time, he overspent by a total of 200,000 US dollars, and he had no money to pay for it. Although there is still more than 30,000 US dollars for global shipping, that is operating expenses, and it is still insufficient.

"Can I pay a down payment of US$500,000 for this Victory Ship and pay off the remaining six months?"

Willis smiled and said: "Of course this is not a problem, even our company can guarantee it for you!"

Large ships need ports and supplies to dock, so it is impossible to escape. For example, two of Dong Haoyun's ships were detained by the United States due to failure to repay the money (ZZ reason). It was because of the trouble of the U.S. Embassy that they were detained at the port.

Therefore, Lin Zhichao doesn't owe much, and others don't worry about you running away.

Finally, Lin Zhichao expressed interest in the 8,600-ton cargo ship in Glasgow and the 15,000-ton cargo ship Victory.

Willis was overjoyed!

However, Lin Zhichao still proposed: "Mr. Willis, you may not know my shipping business. After buying these two ships, I own four 10,000-ton cargo ships. I bought these ships in full, and I I plan to lease all four ships to Japanese customers on a long-term basis to obtain stable income. In this way, I will soon come to London to buy ships. So, can you reduce the agency fee, which can be a bridge for our long-term cooperation? .”

Willis immediately thought about it. Lin Zhichao was indeed a powerful businessman. The four ships cost almost 800,000 pounds (actually 720,000 pounds). With such purchasing power in a year, he was obviously the top Chinese rich man.

"Why did you choose to rent long-term?" Willis asked.

Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "The cost of long-term rental is generally 75% of that of short-term rental. Even so, in my opinion, the ship must make money. If it is empty, it is obviously a waste, while long-term rental is stable, has low risk, and is It is easy to get a letter of trust from the bank.”

In fact, his long-term rental is not the long-term rental of Bao Yugang in his previous life. Lin Zhichao chose a more profitable long-term rental, which is to use cyclicality to obtain greater profits.

For example, Global Shipping will only choose to lease long-term shipping with Japanese shipping companies at the beginning of next year. By then, the freight may rise to 20 US dollars per ton. Even if the rent is 75%, it is still 15 US dollars per ton (long-term lease), which is still higher than the current price. $10 a ton raised the price by 50%. He leased it for two years. Two years later, in 1953, shipping prices were still high, so he leased it for another three years. Or rent it directly for five years! But you can’t rent it for three years!

Through this adjustable lease period, greater profits can be obtained.

After all, customers don’t understand the future market, and they don’t doubt anything!

Lin Zhichao's long-term lease can not only make good profits in ordinary market conditions, but what he ultimately wants is to obtain a letter of credit from the bank.

Whether it is HSBC or a Japanese bank (available for shipbuilding in Japan), if they support you, they want to see a steady style from you; after all, shipping is a risky asset-heavy business, how to gain the credit of bankers The shape is self-evident.

Finally, Lin Zhichao must also engage in long-term leasing, short-term leasing, and fixed shipping together, with long-term leasing taking a larger share of the business.

Willis immediately saw the shining point in Lin Zhichao, so he lowered the agency fee by 1 point and only took 5% of the agency fee.

Lin Zhichao knew that it was enough, enough was enough!

As the host, Willis warmly entertained Lin Zhichao, and the two even made an appointment to watch the musical "Appetizer" together.

The two of them sat in the front row and immediately attracted the attention of many people. After all, it was still rare for Chinese people to come to see this artistic musical. If it weren't for Willis' leadership, there might be some unnecessary trouble.

"Lin, relax, you are my friend!" Willis reassured with a smile.

He only saw the surprised looks around him, but he did not see that Lin Zhichao was not affected at all.

"Of course, I'm relaxed and looking forward to it!"

After a while, the musical began, and the two of them had already calmed down.

Soon, it was Hepburn's turn to appear, wearing a ballet skirt and nylon stockings on her thighs, performing a solo dance on stage.

When she saw Lin Zhichao in the front row, she almost made a performance mistake. Fortunately, Lin Zhichao seemed not to recognize her, and she quickly calmed down and did not make any mistakes.

It turned out that the 500 pounds had troubled her a lot in the past few months. Her life was very tight and she did not want to use funds from strangers; but she soon had to use the money again because her mother was ill.

Therefore, when I saw Lin Zhichao today, I felt a little ashamed and uneasy.

Lin Zhichao was admiring Hepburn on the stage. Although he was small, he looked like an elf.

The show is over.

The audience was about to leave, and Lin Zhichao asked Willis: "Are you familiar with this place?"

Willis immediately said: "Of course, if you don't believe me, I can take you backstage to meet the actors!"

Lin Zhichao nodded, and then followed Willis into the backstage. Sure enough, the staff at the door said: "Mr. Willis" and did not stop him.

In this way, the two met many actors participating in the performance backstage, including Hepburn, who had already changed into costumes. The two of them understood each other tacitly and did not pretend to know each other.

But when Lin Zhichao was about to leave, Hepburn handed him a note, and Willis happened to see this scene.

"Do you know each other, or is it love at first sight?"

"know!"

Then Lin Zhichao looked at the note and said, "You don't mind having one more person at night!"

Because the two are still going to the bar!

"Of course, but I have to change my plans, you know!"

Willis had a Y smile. Originally, he wanted to take Lin Zhichao to see the foreign chickens in London, and use the women of the British Empire to corrupt this potential navigator, so as to get more cooperation in the future.

Lin Zhichao smiled and said: "I can't accept such an open thing."

"Well, you are so boring! No, it's very interesting. You actually picked up an actor. It's incredible."

The two stood outside and joked, and their relationship quickly became much closer. Of course, business is business, and entertainment is entertainment.