The birth of the Hong Kong Island family

Golden autumn October.

Invited by Li Mingze, Lin Zhichao came to Lee Garden Hill to investigate.

The two have become friends since the transaction at the Embassy Building; Lee Ming-tak has just been appointed as an unofficial member of the Legislative Council and is about to be appointed as an unofficial member of the Executive Council, so he is quite popular.

Of course, although Lin Zhichao did not enter the two councils, those who are familiar with him know that it is not that Lin Zhichao is not qualified, but that Lin Zhichao refuses public office. After all, in terms of the influence of the Chinese in Hong Kong, there are probably not many people who can compare with it. The five to six thousand employees under his command are enough to make Lin Zhichao's influence large enough.

"Lin Sheng, I heard that you own many properties in Causeway Bay!" Li Mingze said with a smile as the two stood on the grounds of the Lee Garden Hotel.

"Yes, I do own some land in Causeway Bay and plan to rebuild it in the future." Lin Zhichao replied.

Just now, Li Mingze took him to inspect Lee's property site in Causeway Bay. It was indeed very large. If Lin Zhichao owned one or two "shoulds" in Causeway Bay, then Lee's property land probably had more than five or six "shoulds".

Li Mingze saw that Lin Zhichao was very straightforward, so he asked: "I have a question, is Lin Sheng waiting for the best opportunity for real estate before rebuilding?"

Lin Zhichao looked at Li Mingze. He was wearing a pair of glasses. He was well-mannered and had a good temperament. In his previous life, he knew that the 'Li Hysan family' made their fortune from opium, but in the second generation of Li Mingze and Li Xiaohe, they were indeed patriotic people; among them, Li Mingze worked with many high-level officials during the Anti-Japanese War. After establishing a friendship, he has always been more inclined to the mainland, perhaps more reserved; and Li Xiaohe was also a meritorious figure in the anti-Japanese war, and also served as a diplomat in the Republic of China.

In short, Lin Zhichao has no dislike for Ricci.

"Li Sheng, you are now an unofficial member of the Legislative Council. Have you heard any rumors that the buildings in Hong Kong may be developed to higher ground?"

Li Mingze was shocked and said quickly: "No, this rumor has indeed not spread. Could it be through some channel that Mr. Lin did it?"

Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "I don't have a public position, so how can I find out through channels? However, I guess it will develop like this. Otherwise, how can the 2.6 million people in Hong Kong have roofs to cover their heads?"

There was no need to hide this kind of thing now. When he said it, it was just a chat between friends.

After thinking about it, Li Mingze said: "It is really possible! This year's free-standing buildings have been built to seven floors, so that a large number of people can have houses to live in. But the Hong Kong government plans to provide housing for 500,000 people. If the plan is to build empty buildings, there will still be two million people who have to have roofs to cover their heads. If Hong Kong's buildings are developed to higher places, maybe this is a solution! Lin Sheng invented stratification and staging. In this way, Hong Kong real estate will develop vigorously. Opportunities. No wonder Lin Sheng has been absorbing land and old buildings. It turns out that he is waiting for opportunities!"

Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "It's not like waiting for opportunities. After all, the market has been down in the past few years, so it's not a good opportunity!"

Li Mingze nodded, then he pointed to a piece of land opposite and said, "Since Lin Sheng is so optimistic about the real estate prospects, I intend to sell the piece of land opposite the Lee Garden Hotel. I wonder if you can appreciate this small piece of land." Land?"

Lin Zhichao looked at the land opposite and estimated that it could probably be used to build a commercial and residential building. It was not too much. It happened that he also wanted to buy more land recently.

"How much area is there?"

“21,000 square feet”

"How much silver paper?"

"How about 1.25 million Hong Kong dollars?"

"make a deal"

In just a few words, a deal was sealed.

Land prices in Tsim Sha Tsui's commercial district have reached HK$110 to 120 per square foot. Naturally, Causeway Bay is much lower, because it is not a commercial district at all. A little over HK$60 per square foot is very reasonable.

Li Mingze had a plan to sell the land to Lin Zhichao, a real estate powerhouse:

First, he needs funds to rebuild the land in Lee Garden Hill. In this era, not everyone dares to sell off-the-plan properties. Many real estate companies adopt the investment method of rebuilding the properties and leasing out the funds. If everyone dared to venture forward, those big foreign companies would already be invincible.

Second, the land that Li Mingze sold to Lin Zhichao is located next to and opposite Li's other properties. If Lin Zhichao develops it, it will drive the rise of surrounding land and properties.

In short, Ritchie owns so much land that selling a few small carats is nothing.

But I'm afraid Li Mingze doesn't know that the leaders of Causeway Bay in the future will no longer be the Li family, but the Lin family. Of course, Lin Zhichao will keep a low profile.

After Cheung Kong Holdings acquired a 21,000-square-foot land in Causeway Bay, it also acquired a 22,000-square-foot land on Kimberly Road (i.e., the east-west street of the Miramar Hotel, which belongs to the non-core business district of Tsim Sha Tsui). The total The price is HK$1.8 million.

Of course, the two pieces of land cost only HK$3 million, which was just a waste for Lin Zhichao.

But there is no other way. Although a lot of properties and land are transacted in Hong Kong every year, it is difficult to find suitable land. The important thing is that Lin Zhichao does not want to look too ugly in real estate.

After all, if he goes all out to develop real estate now, he will simply be beating up a group of children. After all, the most powerful children have a net worth of only a few million or just over ten million.

And Lin Zhichao can easily spend tens of millions, plus he can "sell off-the-plan properties" with nothing, which is enough to beat a group of people.

But obviously, there’s no need to go overboard!

This year (1954), about a thousand buildings can be built in Hong Kong, but they are all about five-storey buildings, providing less than 5,000 residences (including commercial buildings and industrial buildings). This is because the real estate industry has already boomed.

And next year it may double!

Lin Zhichao's idea was to provide 2,500 to 3,000 houses each year during the two-year period from 1955 to 1957, occupying a market share of about 25 to 30%.

before lunch.

Li Gaofu came to Cheung Kong, and Lin Zhichao met him in the office.

He obviously came here on business, and shortly after he sat down, he said, "Lin Sheng, do you want to clear out the tenants for the land on Kimberley Road?"

Lin Zhichao knows that Li Gaofu is obviously a 'test'. He currently owns five or six small plots of land, all of which can be redeveloped into a building. One of them is located in Sheung Wan (near Central) and can be used for building office buildings. .

He bought so much land that he almost used up his funds, but he didn't choose to rebuild; obviously, he knew to wait for the opportunity.

"Why, do you really want to cooperate with me? I'm famous for being a free hand. If you provide the land and I pay for the construction fees and all other expenses, I can make money without spending a penny!" Lin Zhichao Said with a smile.

In fact, he doesn't care whether Li Gaofu cooperates or not. He also has several small lands under his banner.

Li Gaofu immediately said: "That's your skill! In fact, I want to learn some skills secretly. How to operate this piece of land, so I can operate other pieces of land in my hands. I always feel that if you can build a high-rise building, you can build a high-rise building. How big is it? Should it be sold to one person? If it is divided into many units, wouldn’t it be impossible to do the land deed? There are too many problems, and I don’t know how to do it at all.”

Really, it seems that stratification and staging have been introduced, but once high-rise buildings are built, various problems arise. It's nothing to Lin Zhichao, but to others, it's a blind spot.

For example, the current strata title deed has not received formal legislation from the Hong Kong government. The first-floor title deed is notarized through a law firm. In short, the Hong Kong government still only gives one land title to each building, but the law firm is responsible for amending a "strata title". This approach has been publicly recognized by the Hong Kong government as valid.

Strata title has not yet been legislated, let alone sub-unit. If nothing else happens, next year the "strata title" and even "unit title" will be announced in conjunction with the legislation on "high-rise residential buildings".

In short, there are still many unresolved and complex issues here.

Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "To be honest, I thought the opportunity was coming soon, but I didn't get any news! Since it's in tatters over there, we should clear out the tenants as soon as possible. I don't have much money anyway."

Li Gaofu nodded, already knowing in his heart that there was still hope for high-rise buildings, and he was too lazy to rebuild them.

"Well, do you have time at noon to have a meal together? A Shunde chef has opened a new Fengcheng restaurant, which specializes in Shunde cuisine. It tastes pretty good!"

Of course, Shunde has delicious food, and it is also well-known in Cantonese cuisine. Dishes include Daliang stir-fried fresh milk, fish cloud soup, fried chicken, shrimp toast, lettuce buns, etc.

Shunde cuisine has a characteristic, that is, it is very delicate. The frogs must be boneless and the lettuce must be evenly wrapped.

Lin Zhichao looked at the time on his watch and happily went to the appointment.

Time flies, and more than twenty days pass in the blink of an eye.

After 53 days of sailing, the four oil tankers of Global Shipping finally arrived at New York Port eight hours ahead of schedule, successfully completing their mission. Lin Zhichao himself also came to New York Harbor to witness this moment.

"Mr. Lin, we are very satisfied with this cooperation and are willing to cooperate with you Global Shipping and sign a two-year contract with these four oil tankers." Niu Deng said happily to Lin Zhichao.

Long-term leasing of Global Shipping ships can save 15 to 20% in freight costs, which is still compared with Greek shipowners; therefore, Exxon Oil executives have agreed to cooperate with Global Shipping.

Everyone also knows that Lin Zhichao is a large shipowner with a load capacity of at least four to five million tons. He enjoys a high reputation in the Far East and is worthy of cooperation.

Lin Zhichao agreed and responded happily: "It's so wonderful! To be honest with Mr. Niuden, our business in Asia is already huge and we urgently need your European and American business. Please rest assured that we are not just relying on price to enter European and American oil. In the transportation business, we will insist on first-class service and efficiency."

I am really happy. Being able to do business with Europe and the United States is a big breakthrough in my career: first, the business in Europe and the United States is huge and the contract is abided by; second, the prices in Europe and the United States are higher and the profit margin is high; third, opening up the European and American markets is Improve the company's visibility and credibility.

Niu Den nodded and said: "So, please ask Mr. Lin to stay in New York for a few more days. I plan to hold a cocktail party for you. I will invite the charter managers of Shell, Texaco, Incomparable Oil and other companies."

This is the way Americans do things. If they get to know you at the beginning, they will question you and be wary of you; but once they recognize and understand your strength, they will become good partners and their prejudice against you will disappear.

Lin Zhichao happily agreed to the cocktail party three days later!

Subsequently, Lin Zhichao began to supervise the unloading of oil in New York Port and personally boarded the ship to inspect the hull.

New York Harbor is a large deep-water port in the world, so there is no need to worry about accidents happening nearby. Otherwise, even the richest man in the world will not be able to pay for the accident.

Generally speaking, all previous oil spill accidents were caused by stranding and submarine reefs that penetrated the oil tankers. Therefore, after the 1990s, the bottom of oil tankers began to be designed as a double-layer mechanism.

Three days later.

In a hotel in New York, Exxon Oil Company indeed held a reception for Lin Zhichao and others, and invited senior executives of major American oil companies to attend.

In terms of generosity, it is much nobler than Japan's hosting Lin Zhichao in a geisha house. The important thing is that at the cocktail party, Lin Zhichao got to know many managers of the chartering departments of oil companies.

"Mr. Lin, this is Mr. Mister from Clark Oil, and this is Mr. Miller from Texaco Oil," Niu Den introduced Lin Zhichao enthusiastically.

"Hello. Hello." Lin Zhichao greeted everyone one by one with confidence and humility.

Confidence comes from one’s own strength and is conducive to gaining customers’ trust;

Humility is his moral character and an excellent Chinese tradition.

Doing things in a high profile and being a low-key person is Lin Zhichao's style of doing things.

Mist asked straightforwardly: "Mr. Lin, I heard from Niuden that you own fifty or sixty ships and can communicate with global information instantly. This is really amazing. However, I heard that your ships are all some Is it true that it’s a second-hand old cargo ship?”

Is this considered making things difficult? Of course not, Americans are very straightforward. If you are weak, they will expose it to your face.

Lin Zhichao did not answer this question directly, but said: "We have begun to build new ships and undergo a business transformation. Of course, Mr. Mister should not underestimate these second-hand ships. In recent years, they have laid a solid foundation for me." The financial strength gives me the ability to build new large tankers.”

People around him showed expressions of appreciation.

There is nothing wrong with starting from second-hand ships, including Onassis who bought second-hand ships to start. The important thing is that you cannot always use second-hand ships, otherwise there will be no breakthrough in the business.

Niu Deng said: "Everyone got to know each other today. Maybe when Mr. Lin's new oil tanker is built, we will cooperate as a matter of course. You may not know that Mr. Lin owns a maritime academy, and their seamen are systematically trained. Yes. The important thing is that he is willing to increase the lease by two years, which saves a lot of money on rent compared to one-way short-term rental."

He introduced Lin Zhichao enthusiastically.

When Mist heard this, he immediately said: "If you have a ship, you can come to our company to talk, Mr. Lin!"

Lin Zhichao was immediately overjoyed and said, "Of course, Mr. Mister is very cheerful in his work."

Everyone exchanged business cards one after another, and everyone also gained some knowledge about Global Shipping.

Lin Zhichao did not tell everyone that Global Shipping was planning to order a batch of 50,000-ton oil tankers. Because Lin Zhichao considered that after the oil tanker is built, the Suez Canal crisis may not have broken out yet, so naturally he cannot sign a long-term contract and can only run a one-way short-term lease first, or park it at the port for a period of time.

After returning to Hong Kong, Lin Zhichao immediately contacted HSBC. After some exchanges, the two parties reached an agreement: to jointly establish the "Universal Shipping" company, with Global Shipping holding 60% of the shares and HSBC holding 40%, and preparing to order four A 56,000-ton German oil tanker.

At the same time, Lin Zhichao also decided to make a desperate move and build four more 56,000-ton German oil tankers in the name of Global Shipping.

In the recent period, Global Shipping has sent several waves of management and technicians to communicate with the Hamburg Shipyard in Germany to prepare for ordering oil tankers.

It can be seen that Lin Zhichao is very determined.

Lin Zhichao's request for a total of eight 56,000-ton oil tankers was to be completed within 20 months, and the Hamburg Shipyard in Germany readily agreed. Although the task was heavy, it did not pose a big problem to the Hamburg shipyard.

For Global Shipping, the total price of the eight oil tankers is nearly 60 million U.S. dollars. Excluding HSBC's portion of 12 million U.S. dollars, Global Shipping also needs to spend 48 million U.S. dollars.

Lin Zhichao did not worry about funds. By July 1956, Global Shipping should have about 60 million U.S. dollars in liquidity; even if it spent 48 million U.S. dollars, there would still be about 10 million U.S. dollars left, which could be used for future shipbuilding business.

Hamburg Shipyard, Germany.

Franz warmly received Lin Zhichao and his party. He originally planned to ask Germany to send at least one deputy prime minister to greet Lin Zhichao. After all, the order for eight large oil tankers can be said to be an important force in revitalizing Germany's economy and solve a large number of jobs. , which is a great contribution to the industry of the entire Federal Republic of Germany.

However, Global Shipping specifically reminded that signing the contract does not require a big fight. In the future, when oil tankers are launched, senior officials at least deputy ministerial level must be arranged to attend the launching ceremony.

In the conference room, lawyers, technicians, and management from both parties sat together, waiting for Lin Zhichao and Franz to formally sign the contract.

"I heard that Global Shipping has reached a cooperation agreement with Exxon Petroleum Company. Congratulations to Mr. Lin!" Franz was well informed.

Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "It is not easy to cooperate with them for second-hand oil tankers. I am very much looking forward to the new large oil tankers."

In fact, Franz didn't understand Lin Zhichao's "foolish behavior". If he ordered so many ships at once, wouldn't he worry about losing money?

This is a gambling behavior!

But as a shipbuilder, he didn't care how Lin Zhichao operated the ship after buying it.

All he needed to know was that Global Shipping had great profitability and was backed by HSBC, and that was enough.

Later, Lin Zhichao signed his name in a cool way, and two world-famous transactions were successful.

The eight oil tankers require a down payment of US$20.72 million. It is already November, and Global Shipping certainly has sufficient funds, not to mention that HSBC also needs to pay more than US$4 million.

"Mr. Lin, happy to work with you"

“A pleasure to work with”

The two parties completed the signing and took photos.

The first tanker would be launched in early 1956 and the last in August. For every ship delivered, Global Shipping needs to pay off the financing for the ship.

As for the loans provided by shipyards, they generally require bank guarantees or reaching some agreements, such as completing a long-term lease with a domestic shipping company, and using that money to ensure the repayment ability.

Of course Lin Zhichao doesn't know how to operate. After all, the initiative to sign the contract is in the hands of others. Doesn't it mean that he can't make money during the peak period?

After completing the signing, Lin Zhichao was received by the German Chancellor. He has now gradually made friends with political figures from various countries.