The birth of the Hong Kong Island family

In the office of the Causeway Bay Media Group Building, Lin Zhichao interviewed two media executives, one was Luo Wenhui, the deputy president of "Sing Tao Daily", and the other was Dai Pingshu, the editor-in-chief of "Overseas Chinese Daily".

Sir Lin wants to run a newspaper, so naturally there are many talents eager to join. Luo Wenhui and Dai Pingshu are one of the two people he values ​​most. Luo Wenhui is second only to Hu Xian in "Sing Tao Daily" and is very familiar with management, distribution, printing and other businesses; Dai Pingshu is the editor-in-chief of the old newspaper "Overseas Chinese Daily" and is good at content.

"You two, today we are going to settle the matter in one fell swoop and see if we like each other!" Lin Zhichao said with a smile.

In the beginning, it was Li Ziduo who was in contact. Now Lin Zhichao met the two of them for the first time, but he already knew them to a certain extent. His time was precious, so he might as well make an appointment together today. If you are interested, you can do it. If you are not, you can do it. Keep looking for people.

Luo Wenhui immediately responded: "Sir Lin is a cheerful person! I read last year's report many times. Sir Lin saw it thoroughly and was very admirable."

It's not flattering, but it is an important statement.

In Luo Wenhui's opinion, if you follow Sir Lin, at least your future will be safe; even though Sir Lin is a media layman, others are willing to spend money!

Dai Pingshu took the initiative and asked: "What kind of newspaper does Sir Lin plan to run? Is it neutral or biased?"

Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "What I want to run is a common newspaper without any tendency. It involves some facts. We only report them and are not referees."

Dai Pingshu was a little disappointed. Isn't the 'Public News' just a newspaper that writes about dog scriptures and horse scriptures?

Luo Wenhui asked very smartly: "The 'vulgar newspaper' Sir Lin mentioned was the popular newspaper, right? After all, with Sir Lin's wealth and style, running a newspaper is not all about making money. After all, how much money can a newspaper make? Although the popular newspaper is a bit vulgar , but ordinary citizens can appreciate both refined and popular tastes, and the content is rich. I think it has great prospects."

What a great person!

The position of president is decided!

Lin Zhichao then said:

"President Luo, you are right! The first goal of running a newspaper is sales, so which group of people is the largest? It is definitely not the reading group of "Ming Pao", nor the business group of "Sing Tao Daily", but the ordinary citizens. Sui As Hong Kong's literacy level improves and its economy improves, why not target them!"

"If I run a newspaper, it will definitely be a popular newspaper, collecting and writing a large number of Hong Kong social news to attract readers, with fast timeliness and wide coverage. For foreign news, I will also hire a large number of permanent reporters to report major international news as soon as possible. .Readers can learn about the world without leaving home."

"So you don't think it is a popular newspaper, but it needs to recruit a large number of news reporters. Our initial news reporters must have 100 reporters in Hong Kong, 20 overseas reporters, and a large number of staff. That's it. In terms of investment scale, no one in Hong Kong can match us."

Dai Pingshu was shocked. This was a popular newspaper, it was simply an "international newspaper"; "Ming Pao" only had a few dozen people in total, and "Sing Tao Daily" had hundreds of people, but these were all employees.

Li Ziduo, who was accompanying him, saw that his boss was very interested in the two of them, so he said to the side: "Our boss has offered a Causeway Bay building for investment. I wonder which media company can match this boldness. So if you two are interested, please express your interest." Personally, our boss is very hungry for talents and hopes to start Oriental Daily as soon as possible."

"Oriental Daily" has registered its issue number, and the procedures are relatively simple. Now we are just waiting for the team to join.

Lin Zhichao doesn't want to pick and choose, he will take office as soon as possible if he finds a suitable one; if he does well, he will stay; if he does not do well, he can only say goodbye.

Luo Wenhui said: "I hope to join the Oriental Daily. Sir Lin's understanding of newspapers, I very much recognize and admire. I feel that the number one newspaper in Hong Kong in the future must be the Oriental Daily."

He said it very seriously. The first is that Lin Zhichao has a very good idea, the second is that Lin Zhichao has strong financial strength, and the third is that he has a high status in the world.

Dai Pingshu had already changed his mind and said quickly: "I am also willing to join Oriental Daily, but it will take a month to resign."

Lin Zhichao said with a 'haha' smile: "Then it's settled! You come and take office as soon as possible. As for salary, you come up with the original benefits and I will add 30% to this basis, which is considered as a supplement for job-hopping. As for the later stage Don't worry about the prospects. In addition to newspapers, we also need to publish comics and magazines, film companies, and invest in theaters. These will be the businesses of the 'media group' in the future."

Luo Wenhui and Dai Pingshu were excited to hear what Sir Lin said, which showed that the scale of investment was very large. No wonder, a building can be used as the headquarters.

People from Hongkong Land heard that Airship Tai was interested in selling Star House (Kowloon Commercial Building), and after some inquiries, they immediately became interested. Isn't this an opportunity created for them?

So they sent people to talk to Airship Tai, and the price came to 37.5 million Hong Kong dollars to acquire Starlight.

Due to the sluggish real estate market, the price was acceptable to Fei Tai and others, so they decided to sell it to a real estate company.

However, during the acquisition process, Land Group proposed a new plan: Land Group would first pay off RMB 7.5 million in cash and a loan of RMB 10 million from HSBC, while the remaining RMB 20 million would be settled in the form of committed notes.

The implication is to use a piece of paper as the remaining funds.

Real Estate knew very well that Airship Taizai had no other options under the joint "persecution" from the United Kingdom and the United States, so it insisted on settling with promised notes.

"This is too much! Even if I sell it, I can't sell it in such a lowly manner!" In front of his partners, Feipingtai said angrily: "There is no such unreasonable thing in the world. You buy a property from me, and I will transfer the property to you." When the name is transferred, you come to settle it with a piece of paper. The price is a trivial matter, but I think this is an unprecedented shame!"

At this time, He Gambling God just wanted to sell the property as soon as possible. He didn't have to pay much money, but he was worried that this trouble would burn him.

So, he said: "I remember that you have two theaters located in Zhucheng Building, and the movies shown are purchased from the eight major film companies such as MGM in the United States. If the United States continues to put pressure on you, then If there is a problem with the theater's film source, it will be difficult for two theaters to survive, and other problems may follow."

Airship Ty was shocked, he didn't think of this. There are really many issues that offend Americans.

"Don't worry, I'll ask a lawyer to ask the US Consulate what they want!" Airship Tai calmed down.

This matter cannot continue forever!

However, since this matter has been hanging over his head, since last year, he has reorganized Huo's enterprise and put Huo Xingtang in charge of everything; in fact, he has been prepared to reduce investment in real estate because he was targeted. It’s not about not investing, it’s about reducing investment to avoid being manipulated again.

"You figure it out!" He Gambling God said.

By telling him about the risks, he actually wanted Airship Tai to agree to the land purchase conditions and get out of the Xingguang Building as soon as possible.

At this time, He Tian said: "Actually, there is another person who may be willing to buy. The important thing is that he has a very good relationship with the British and American officials. Although Land is a British-owned company, if it is sold to this person, the U.S. Consulate may also accept it. ”

Airship Tai immediately reacted and said, "He Sheng is talking about Lin Zhichao?"

He Tian nodded and said: "Since you don't want to suffer the humiliation of Land Land, then Lin Zhichao may be the best trader. As far as I know, he has maintained a good relationship with the two presidents of the United States, and during the Vietnam War, He has also joined in transporting supplies, so maybe the U.S. Consulate will not cause trouble again."

Airship Tai said: "I thought about him too! But I was worried that it would cause trouble for him, so I didn't contact him."

He Tian said: "He can make money, so why should he be afraid of trouble? Moreover, in last year's incident, Lin Zhichao clearly favored the Hong Kong government, and now he is very powerful. Finally, with his strength, he is not afraid of trouble at all!"

Airship Tai nodded in approval. This sentence is true. The Starlight Building was sold for 37.5 million Hong Kong dollars, which was definitely a bargain.

After the party.

Feiping Tai entrusted a lawyer to write a letter to the U.S. Consulate, probably meaning: If he sells Starlight Bank, will Starlight Bank be removed from the blacklist?

A few days later, the U.S. Consulate really responded: We need to see who the buyer is first.

At this time, Airship Tai understood that Land was definitely a qualified candidate. And, is Lin Zhichao a suitable candidate?

Land Office.

As the boss of Jardine Matheson, Wharf, and Land Group, Mr. Johnson has recently noticed Starlight and intends to take advantage of the opportunity to raise prices.

In the office, he confidently said to his son Henry Keswick: "Henry, if we take over this Starlight Building, you will immediately ask the telephone company to install telephones for the tenants. Once the real estate is restored, this building will be able to provide us with Brings in good rent.”

Henry Keswick nodded and said: "No problem! Later we can use the rent to repay the bills issued. In fact, we bought this building for only 17.5 million Hong Kong dollars. Although Hong Kong is still There were some sporadic activities, but they have ceased to exist.”

John said: "If the real estate market warms up this time, Land will also need to increase investment. The Chinese Lin Zhichao bought the Navy Dockyard back then, which posed a great challenge to us."

Henry said: "No problem! Lin Zhichao bought the navy ship king, but now the Hong Kong government requires him to spend huge sums of money to build a landmark building in Hong Kong. His financial strength cannot keep up, so he has been dragging his hands with the Hong Kong government, and he is afraid that he will not be able to do it. A good idea. What’s more, we own multiple properties in the heart of Central, which cannot be compared with Cheung Kong Holdings.”

Old John nodded and said: "Yes! Land is a listed company and can use various channels to raise funds. This is our advantage. Jardine has been developing overseas very smoothly in recent years. I believe that in another ten years, the world will You will know that Jardine is not just influential in the Far East. When Hong Kong's economy and real estate recover, I will prepare to return to London to retire. When the time comes, you will take over as the taipan and continue to develop overseas businesses. As for Hong Kong's businesses, you can Let’s make full use of everyone’s trust in British capital and raise funds to continue development.”

Henry said respectfully: "Okay, father, I will remember your teachings!"

As for my father, I also admire him very much. As early as the late 1930s, he made great contributions to Jardine and withdrew its assets from the Shanghai stock market to avoid being later confiscated by the Japanese army. Therefore, my father's unique vision is unmistakable. Hong Kong is still unstable, so development must be concentrated overseas, while Hong Kong only needs to develop step by step.

Jardine Matheson, Land and Wharf are all listed companies and can raise funds for development, which is the best advantage.

Thinking that they could get one of the best buildings in Tsim Sha Tsui for HK$17.5 million, the father and son were in a very good mood and were filled with bright smiles.

Lu Yu Teahouse.

Lin Zhichao and Airship Tai were in the private room, talking about Xingguangxing.

He did hear that Starlight was planning to sell in the middle of the month, but took no action. First, he doesn't want to cause unnecessary trouble; second, he doesn't want to be someone who takes advantage of others.

So, just ignore it.

Unexpectedly, now it was Airship Tai who came to the door.

"Lin Sheng, let me ask you directly, are you interested in Xingguangxing Building? It only costs 37.5 million Hong Kong dollars. This is the price for real estate. It is absolutely cheap."

Lin Zhichao nodded and said: "This price is indeed cheap! But you should have almost negotiated with Land, why did you come to me to buy it again?"

Airship Taijiang Real Estate told them about the 20 million note they were going to give.

It can be seen that Airship Tai is very upset about Land's insult and is very angry at this time.

Lin Zhichao said calmly: "Hong Kong Land really goes too far! In this case, I will ask the president of Wanguo Baotong Hong Kong to go to their consulate to inquire. If you can sell it to me without causing trouble to you in the future, I will buy it. After all, this matter is mainly to solve the problem of the United States. The consulate is causing trouble for you, but as for the phone company, I don’t care."

As long as Lin Zhichao buys it, the Hong Kong government will not be able to target him, and the US consulate will not be able to target him, because he is not a pro-insider (not at this time); more importantly, the British Hong Kong government needs to win over him, and the British and American governments have a close relationship with him It's also very good that he has been dealing with him over the years.

The premise is that the U.S. Consulate can no longer target films such as the Pearl City Theater.

Airship Tai immediately agreed and couldn't help but sigh that Lin Zhichao's network of connections was so deep that even the president of Wan Guo Baotong Hong Kong was familiar with it. In this way, there is no need to pass the news through a lawyer like he did.

In fact, Lin Zhichao is not only very familiar with it, but has also cooperated with Hong Kong Citigroup (Citigroup) many times. He also cooperates greatly with Citigroup in the United States, and many financial transactions go through Citigroup.

So he asked the president of Wanguo Baotong Hong Kong for help, not only to ask questions, but also to put in a good word for Lin Zhichao.

After separating from Airship Tai, he went directly to Charles, the president of Wanguo Baotong Hong Kong.

"President Charles, please give me a good word on this matter! Today's Hong Kong has clearly maintained the status quo, and its future development potential is huge, and I am willing to deepen cooperation with your bank. I believe that on this point, you You don’t doubt my strength, do you?”

Charles was overjoyed. Lin Zhichao was a big tycoon in Hong Kong and had a place in world business. If cooperation is deepened, it will be very beneficial to them.

As for inquiries and kind words from the U.S. Consulate, he was confident. After all, the U.S. Consulate was there to serve their businesses!

"It's a trivial matter! Mr. Lin can rest assured that your style cannot be targeted by our U.S. Consulate. For this kind of property transaction, the U.S. Consulate doesn't care who the buyer is at all, as long as it is not someone close to the insider. What's more, , you are our American friend!”

Lin Zhichao immediately said: "Of course, we are friends! To tell you the truth, I also plan to cooperate with Mr. Malcolm this year to build a container terminal in Hong Kong. If we transport to South Vietnam in the future, not only the cost can be reduced, but the efficiency can also be improved. high."

Charles smiled and said: "This is really great, I will tell the consulate!"

Lin Zhichao was happiest when he beat Vietnamese monkeys.

If you include Starlight Bank's bargain-hunting, Cheung Kong Holdings will have to spend a full 238 million Hong Kong dollars this time (of which Li Gaofu and Feipingtai earned 41 million); the company's current cash is only about 10 to 20 million.

This small amount of funds cannot start real estate activities such as ‘Raffles City Plaza’, ‘Far East Financial Center Tower AB’, and development sites. Of course, Lin Zhichao can solve the problem of insufficient funds through loans.

After all, he has a huge territory, but has no debt. It is a very healthy enterprise in itself. It is not a problem to take out a piece of land as collateral and get a loan of tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars.

Once the development real estate starts selling next year, then using "sales of off-the-plan properties" can ensure sufficient funds.

The ‘Raffles City’ on Orchard Road in Singapore includes a five-storey shopping mall and a 32-storey office building. The investment is very large.

Lin Zhichao plans to demolish Daimaru Department Store, another property of Cheung Kong Holdings Group on Orchard Road, in the mid-1980s and build a shopping mall + five-star hotel commercial combination.

The Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore will be listed separately in the early 1970s. In the future, we can rely on this company to develop luxury housing projects and other commercial projects in Singapore.

At the end of January, the Spring Festival begins.

On this day, Tang Zhongyuan and his family came to No. 79 Deep Water Bay for a gathering.

During the conversation, I learned that Tang Zhongyuan had purchased a lot of land exchange rights and land in the New Territories, approximately 500,000 square feet.

Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "My father-in-law bought a property worth HK$35 million at the bottom in one fell swoop. If the real estate industry picks up, I am afraid he will be among the top ten real estate developers in Hong Kong!"

Tang Zhongyuan immediately said modestly: "I don't even know how to develop the land. What are the top ten real estate developers? I bought these lands with the intention of waiting for the appreciation in value and then slowly learn to develop real estate. But having said that, textiles, garments, Real estate has become the main business of Oriental Group, and I feel at ease now. Thinking about it now, I was still not bold enough with the idea of ​​just doing business. If my wise son-in-law hadn't led me into the industry, I really don't know how much I would have missed! "

Humility mixed with some confidence. His career has entered a period of explosive growth. The garment industry is Hong Kong's number one, the textile industry is a giant in Nigeria and a large textile company in Hong Kong. In terms of real estate, judging from his son-in-law's appearance, this time he is a safe bargain hunter.

Even if real estate returns to what it was like in 1964, his 35 million can turn into 100 million. Not to mention, he has decided to become a developer, so he can earn more.

Lin Zhichao said: "It doesn't matter. When doing real estate, you must take your time and don't rush forward. Half of the people who dominated Hong Kong real estate in the 1950s and 1960s began to fall silent, or they could not see the situation clearly, or they were affected by the political regime."

Tang Zhongyuan was shocked, remembering that if he didn't have a son-in-law, he would have been buying the bottom last year. Last year, I spent 15 million Hong Kong dollars, but I didn't buy many properties. At this time, I was still losing money.

"It makes sense! After all, Eastern Group has to focus on textiles and ready-made garments. These two industries will not be affected much. Xianqian is responsible for textiles and Youqian is responsible for ready-made garments. I will take care of the three and strive for the balanced development of Eastern Group."

"Xianqian and Youqian are both good!"

"Thank you brother-in-law"

The two brothers-in-law had already returned to Hong Kong. When they heard Lin Zhichao's compliment, they responded quickly.

Lin Zhichao nodded. These two wife-brothers both graduated from prestigious universities. Like most wealthy children, they are still excellent in all aspects and will have no problem inheriting their ancestral business.

Of course, it is also very difficult to break through or achieve the achievements of our fathers.

In fact, being able to stabilize the family property is already something that our parents are very satisfied with.