The birth of the Hong Kong Island family

It’s Spring Again (1963).

Cheung Kong Holdings has welcomed two happy events. The first happy event is the opening of the Midea Building, which can earn more than HK$5 million in net rental income for Cheung Kong Holdings every year. The second happy event is the start of construction of the International Building, which is expected to open in 1966. Completed in 2017, this building has the same floors as the Midea Building and has a similar floor area (320,000 square feet).

Hong Kong's real estate is becoming more and more prosperous. At the beginning of the year, the government announced that the revenue from the Hong Kong government's official land auction last year was HK$256 million, setting a historical record. This year, the Hong Kong government continues to be keen on auctioning official land to obtain high government revenue.

In the office, Lin Zhichao was leaning on the sofa, thinking in his mind - the government is keen on auctioning official land, but Cheung Kong has only acquired one Mid-Levels luxury land this year and stopped purchasing it; although it will send people to every auction, but It's more of a cover-up.

According to Lin Zhichao's plan to develop real estate by 1965, Cheung Kong Holdings is expected to have more than 1.2 million square feet. In the three years from 1965 to 1967, at most one mid-level luxury land was developed for rental purposes; other land was not developed.

Cheung Kong Holdings currently owns three high-end residential buildings, all of which are for rent and located in Causeway Bay; namely Walden Building (Daimaru Department Store) in Causeway Bay, Xintiandi Building, and Mid-Levels Building in Causeway Bay.

If these high-end buildings are for sale, a unit will cost 100,000 to 200,000 Hong Kong dollars. The Mid-Levels Building in Causeway Bay is the most expensive, with each unit costing almost 200,000 Hong Kong dollars.

Cheung Kong Holdings owns a large number of rent-collecting properties, ranging from the first floor of a street-facing residential building to high-end office buildings and shopping malls. The complex of rent-collecting properties also allows Cheung Kong Holdings to have a department - the Commercial Real Estate Department.

As if it were an obsession, Lin Zhichao had a special interest in real estate, and he was even more interested in rent-collecting properties.

"Boss, it's time to attend the opening of Sun Hung Kai!" the assistant knocked on the door to remind.

"Okay, I get it!" Lin Zhichao immediately stood up and walked towards the door.

There were originally eight people in Yongye, but now three of them couldn't stand the fact that the other five were always running their own business, leaving the company's affairs to the three of them, and getting something for nothing; so, these three hard-working people decided to go it alone. As your wings grow, you no longer need more people to be bold.

Just like in the previous life, Sun Hung Kai was still established!

Lin Zhichao did not change Li Shauji's idea and set up a real estate company independently.

After a while, Lin Zhichao led people on foot to the 12th floor of the Midea Building at 71 Des Voeux Road. Sun Hung Kai chose to rent one of the thousand-foot office units as an office space.

"Congratulations, the three of you have come out independently. It seems that you plan to have a big fight!" Lin Zhichao smiled and said to the Sun Hung Kai Three Musketeers who greeted him at the door.

"Lin Sheng, welcome, we are extremely honored!" Guo Desheng quickly stepped forward and said respectfully.

At that time, he begged Yangtze Zipper to give him an agency position. Over the years, he sold zippers to Southeast Asia and other places, earning hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong dollars annually, which was an important source of funds.

In fact, everyone knows that Lin Zhichao was able to come because he had worked with Lee Shau Kee back then.

Otherwise, how could a small ten-person company start with such a great master?

Li Zhaoji also stepped forward and said: "Lin Sheng, welcome! A big fight is not a big deal. The three of us are just fighting in a small way, how can we not have your style!"

Sun Hung Kai has a registered capital of HK$5 million, and each person invests HK$1 million, but Guo Desheng holds 40% of the shares, and the other two people each hold 30%. Why do they invest the same money but have different shareholdings?

It turns out that Sun Hung Kai Company is more like a 'coordinating company'. For the properties developed by it, the three of them can discuss how much share each person holds and how much capital they contribute. For example, this real estate requires an investment of 3 million. If someone is willing to invest more, the more shares they will have.

At least this is the current cooperation model. Maybe it will be more like a joint venture later than an ‘overall company’.

The reason why Sun Hung Kai can develop rapidly is that the three founders are all hard-working, fast-moving, and regard building a house as starting a factory. For example, in the previous life from 1965 to 1967, Sun Hung Kai still built more than 20 buildings, and then went down. Sell ​​it at a low price, because the land is purchased at one time, developed immediately after purchase, and then sold; therefore, even if the real estate market is at a low point and you cannot make big money, you can still make some small money.

After a while, more than a dozen guests came. Generally speaking, there were not many people. After all, Sun Hung Kai can only be regarded as a small and medium-sized real estate company.

During this period, Lee Shau Kee asked Lin Zhichao: "Lin Sheng, I heard that you are investing in the Hung Hom Undersea Tunnel. When will this project start?"

Many people are asking about it because this tunnel will have a great impact on Hong Kong's economy, especially once it is opened, the land in Causeway Bay and Wan Chai will increase significantly.

Seeing that everyone was very concerned, Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "Construction should start next year, and it is estimated to be completed in four years!"

Hu Zhaochi asked curiously: "The total investment is high, right?"

He is an old man from Shunde and has a good relationship with Lin Zhichao. His eldest son Hu Baoxing is also Lin Zhichao's "raised" consultant lawyer.

Lin Zhichao said: "The total investment is about 300 million, and the Hong Kong government has given me 40 years of charging rights. Of course, there are five or six shareholders including Hysan and HSBC, and 70% of the investment uses bank loans. Otherwise, I would not be able to invest there." rise."

There is no need for Lin Zhichao to explain, everyone knows that Lin Zhichao may not really be able to use the 300 million funds. First of all, although he is a shipping king, he does most shipping loans and can only borrow money; secondly, although Yangtze River Industrial sells a lot of residential buildings every year, all the money is used for commercial projects; finally, Yangtze River Industrial Group cannot make money. No one can count the money they make.

Therefore, Lin Zhichao's wealth is really well hidden!

"HSBC family loan?"

"How is that possible! Including Wanguotong and Standard Chartered Bank, there are a total of five bank loans!"

People really care about this project, and many people care about this project. And Lin Zhichao led the formation of a consortium to invest in the Hung Hom Submarine Tunnel, which also greatly boosted the morale of the Chinese people.

As everyone knows, completing this project four years ahead of schedule almost caused no bank to dare to lend. It wasn't until Lin Zhichao signed the letter of guarantee that these banks felt that there was no problem with the loan, including HSBC Bank, which required Lin Zhichao to be a guarantee.

The reasoning couldn't be simpler. With an investment of 300 million yuan, there are only so many cars in Hong Kong, and how many years it takes to pay back the cost. The risks involved are very high!

After chatting for a while, the auspicious time had come. After the ribbon cutting, everyone drank a glass of red wine and left.

On the way back, Lin Zhichao was very content with pretending to be "poor". He not only interacted with tycoons and big bosses of foreign companies, but also interacted with small Chinese bosses. He was definitely a well-connected person in Hong Kong.

He didn't have any enemies, probably only the Zhang Yuliang family. Of course, it wasn't a big enemy. It was just that Lin Zhichao liked to mess with Zhang Yuliang, but he was still moderate enough.

What Lin Zhichao believes is that making more friends and fewer enemies is more conducive to his family's status in Hong Kong.

Because of his ability to be one step ahead of others, although he is grabbing other people's opportunities, he will not make enemies.

The Miramar Hotel and Shopping Center are the properties of Yang Zhiyun, the owner of a gold store. Currently, this gold store owner is still running a gold store. I heard that he has also invested in a hotel, but the scale is very small. I am afraid that the Yang Zhiyun family's achievements will be limited.

The three Midea, International and Yingzhi buildings in Central were an opportunity for the Cheung Yu-liang family to rob them. After losing these three buildings, Cheung Yu-liang invested in two buildings, but the location and size were not the same.

Universal Building was originally the headquarters building of Hang Seng Bank. Lin Zhichao bought it from He Dong very early on, so naturally he couldn't offend anyone.

The Poly Building was originally the core asset of Xu Aizhou's family. Without this property, Xu Aizhou tried his best to invest in rental properties, but because of the different locations, the future appreciation level will naturally be limited.

Crocodile Building, Xintiandi Building, Walden Building.

Everyone gave Lin Zhichao some cake, and Lin Zhichao ate the most in the end!

Back at Cheung Kong's office, Lin Zhichao took out an invitation from the drawer.

Suddenly I felt a little funny!

It seems that Lin Zhichao is the most ruthless to Li Jiacheng, and so is Bao Yugang, but in fact both of them are grateful to Lin Zhichao; no, Li Jiacheng personally came to send his wedding invitation yesterday and expressed his gratitude to Lin Zhichao. The grace of supporting and partnering back then.

The same goes for Bao Yugang. The two have always been in contact. Bao Yugang expressed his gratitude to Lin Zhichao for selling him a boat and giving him a two-year contract.

Soon, Lin Zhichao figured it out, these two are not reborn, how could they know the fact that they were plucked.

But in this life, Lin Zhichao actually promoted them!

For example, when Bao Yugang couldn't find a suitable boat anywhere, Lin Zhichao not only sold him one, but also gave him a two-year lease. For him as a layman at the time, this was simply a God-given opportunity.

Therefore, Bao Yugang once specially gave Lin Zhichao an antique nave scroll painting.

What Li Jiacheng is grateful for is that plastic flowers were invented by Changjiang Plastics, and he really made a fortune from plastic flowers; in addition, at the official land auction that year, he knew that Lin Zhichao let him go and let him go. The Poly family built an industrial building for him at a discounted price.

Now it seems that Lin Zhichao simply got an advantage and acted like a good boy.

At noon, Lin Zhichao specially came to the Fulin Hotel in Wan Chai, and his second uncle was already greeting him at the door.

"Second uncle, aren't you trying to offend me, a junior, by being so polite when we have a light meal at noon!" Lin Zhichao hurriedly greeted me with a smile.

Lin Yunchu was still his second uncle. If anyone found out that he was showing off in front of his uncle, they would be talked about behind his back.

"Look what you said, I was worried that you couldn't find the private room, so I came to the door to wait for you."

Later, the two walked into the hotel, and Lin Zhichao also saw his cousin Lin Zhihao, and the lobby manager Shen Tengfei, whom he had met before.

"Super brother"

"Linsheng"

Lin Zhichao smiled and nodded in response.

This Fulin Hotel is Lin Yunchu's property and has just been opened for a year. As for Lin Zhihao, he is still a person who follows his father. After all, not everyone is Lin Zhichao. He can stand alone at the age of one or twenty.

It was Lin Zhihao who proposed entering the catering industry in the first place, but how could Lin Yunchu safely hand over a huge sum of 500,000 to his twenty-five or six-year-old son!

Therefore, he personally participated in the preparation and management of the Fulin Hotel, making his son the deputy prime minister.

Come to a private room.

"Second uncle, how's the business? I think it's pretty good!" Lin Zhichao asked casually.

Back then, Lin Zhichao also gave some suggestions. After all, he has experienced many high-end restaurants and has certain insights.

Lin Yunchu said: "Business is pretty good, but it is a little different from what was expected. When you said that catering was not easy to do, I agreed. That is the fact. When Zhihao saw that other people's business was good, he wanted to learn from others, but he didn't know that others He is a veteran in this industry, how can a newcomer learn from him?"

"Dad, you can't give up on business easily. Although our current business cannot make a lot of money, it is still profitable. This is a good start for a business that has just entered the industry." Lin Zhihao came in and immediately retorted.

Lin Zhichao pointed to the empty seat and said, "Would you like to be busy at noon? If not, sit down and eat!"

Lin Zhihao immediately sat down and said: "Brother Chao, I am working hard now. Dad used to have you take care of me and thought it was easy to make money. Now that I open a restaurant, it is not so ideal, so he blames me a little!"

Lin Yunchu was unable to refute his son for a while, and instead lost face.

It was Lin Zhichao who said: "How can I speak to my second uncle? My second uncle also helped me for so many years. If I didn't pay, how could I get anything in return?"

Lin Zhihao suddenly didn't dare to say anything!

My cousin is an absolute 'feudal parent'. When they were young, when they asked the three brothers and sisters about their studies, they were more afraid of them than their father.

"Try it first before talking! Zhihao is right. It has just been open for a year, so you can make some money!" Lin Zhichao said calmly.

Then, many dishes began to be served, not as if Lin Zhichao was here to eat, but to judge.

In fact, he has been here a few times and didn't feel anything was wrong.

After all, investing 500,000 Hong Kong dollars is equivalent to investing in ten houses. Good chefs can definitely be hired; and Shen Tengfei, another shareholder who holds 10% of the shares, has been a lobby manager for five or six years, so he is an experienced person.

While eating, Lin Zhichao said: "Who is more responsible for this hotel now?"

Lin Yunchu said: "I have to take care of the factory, so Zhihao is more responsible. He is now dedicated to running this business. This guy is pretty good. He finally knows how to work hard and is studying hard in every aspect."

Lin Zhihao is only twenty-seven years old this year. He went to an ordinary university in London, not a good university, and paid for it. After graduating from university, he worked as a factory manager with his father for two years, and he was considered a conscientious person.

At that time, Lin Zhichao insisted on sending his third cousin to study because he did not want them to become second generation ancestors. In fact, receiving a good education is still very useful.

Lin Zhichao was relieved to hear that Lin Zhihao was quite diligent in his work.

"This dish of yours does not have its own characteristics, or signature dishes. It is just learned from the restaurant in front of Shen Tengfei. Then others must give priority to authentic restaurants, so your business can only be said to be so-so!"

Lin Yunchu and Lin Zhihao were completely unable to refute his words.

Shen Tengfei is the lobby manager of the previous store, and he also knows some cooking skills. Because of this, this high-end restaurant is a 'copycat'; most of the dishes overlap with others, and Shen Tengfei even steals other people's chefs. Got a few.

To be honest, if Lin Yunchu hadn't held the title of Lin Zhichao's second uncle, he might have been targeted by others.

Lin Yunchu said: "Zhichao, what you said makes sense. Shen Tengfei boasted very much at the beginning, but in fact his level is not that good. He is doing well now. He is worried about losing money, so he actually clamored to withdraw all his shares."

Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "It's not sweet to be a forceful person. It's easy to get together and relax, so I refunded other people's money. It's not easy for others to save two dollars."

People like Shen Tengfei are quite shrewd. He originally poached the chef of his old employer, but now he sees that the business is not going well and is about to go downhill, so he is clamoring to withdraw all his shares. There was nothing to lose by co-authoring, and I also received a high salary for a year.

Lin Yunchu said: "I think so too. It's best not to offend anyone. After all, he has a lot of credit for the opening of this restaurant."

Lin Zhihao could only say: "If he wants to leave, he can leave. Anyway, now I am familiar with all aspects and can see through it!"

Lin Yunchu said: "You can see what we can do, but we are afraid that the business will get worse and worse and eventually go out of business."

Lin Zhihao said unconvinced: "I will think of a good way! I must find a way to top one or two signature dishes, Ladou, Brother Chao, you believe me, the hotel is still profitable anyway, give me a chance!"

Lin Yunchu didn't say anything. What his son said made sense. Now that he was on the pirate ship, he could still escape. At worst, they would just lose hundreds of thousands. After all, their annual income from this house is more than one million, so they can still afford to lose hundreds of thousands.

Lin Zhichao ate the abalone in his mouth. It couldn't be said to be very delicious, but it just felt like it was average.

"Hong Kong people are now rich and pay attention to eating well! If this abalone is cooked well, it can become a signature dish. Zhihao, you can specially import abalone, study cooking methods, make innovations, and make a signature dish. Don't I’m afraid of wasting a lot of money, so even if I spend 100,000 Hong Kong dollars on research, it doesn’t matter! Especially dried abalone will definitely be the favorite food of Hong Kong people in the future.”

Lin Zhihao's eyes lit up. He was naturally convinced of his cousin's skills and immediately said, "Thank you, Brother Chao, for your guidance. We will cook the abalone well!"

Lin Zhichao nodded and said: "If you revitalize this hotel and start the business, I will partner with you to set up a catering group. In the future, with the backing of our Yangtze River Industrial Group, good stores will take care of this catering group." , I will also guide you in doing business.”

Lin Zhihao was overjoyed. Who was his cousin? He was a genius and a god in business. If he could do business in partnership with his cousin, it would be a symbol of strength, not to mention a backer.

"Cousin, don't worry, I will definitely do a good job at Fulin Restaurant!"

Lin Zhichao nodded. Cheung Kong's investment in Catering Group is just like Jardine Matheson's investment in "Maxim's Group" in the previous life. It is for the sake of diversification.

In Hong Kong's previous life, there were several major catering groups - Café de Coral, Foxwoods, and Maxim's Group, each with a scale of several billions. Since Lin Zhichao knew some decisions, he would naturally not waste them. The management rights can be given to the second uncle for this house, but the shares must be 50%.

What is "sincerity of the Lin family"? You have to invest in everything including food, clothing, housing and transportation.

Finally, Lin Zhichao said: "High-end restaurants are not so easy to do. This year, the Mandarin Hotel and Hilton Hotel in Central will open. They will hit the high-end restaurants on Hong Kong Island."

Maxim's Restaurant in the previous life closed down this year, also due to the impact of these two hotels. Until 1966, Maxim's opened a coffee shop and cake (bread) model in the Ocean Terminal. The business was booming, and 20 coffee shops were opened within two years. With this stand-up brand, and the introduction of Jardine Matheson as a 50% shareholder in the early 1970s, and later with the financial support of Jardine Matheson and the real estate convenience of Land Company, it developed rapidly in the 1970s.

Lin Zhihao's heart dropped, and then he added: "We are a high-end Chinese restaurant, so the impact should not be particularly big!"

Lin Zhichao didn't say much, but what Lin Zhihao said made sense, because Maxim's Restaurant now belongs to high-end Western food.

"Then do it well!"

His Miramar Hotel in Kowloon, whether it is Western or Chinese food, is very popular, and that's because he spent money on it.