The birth of the Hong Kong Island family

Lin Zhichao held the Wharf Group's management meeting for the first time and officially performed his duties as a taipan.

After the Wharf Group was acquired by Universal Group, the original Jardine Matheson senior executives have voluntarily resigned, including the CEO, executive director and others; however, the overall changes have not been significant, with only four senior executives leaving.

As for the other senior executives, they originally belonged to the Wharf Group, and this company was a listed company. Naturally, they would not follow Yihe's will. As for the middle and low-level management, there is no need to say that they are completely happy that the new owner's acquisition is successful and the Wharf Group's poor management situation has been changed.

In terms of senior management, Lin Zhichao transferred a financial executive from Universal Group, Xu Jiashen, to serve as deputy general manager and director of Wharf Group, in charge of Wharf's financial and technical arrangements. In addition, Lin Zhichao appointed his son Lin Ruihai as executive director and deputy general manager of Wharf Group. The CEO of Wharf was replaced by Tony Dank, the original deputy general manager.

In just over a week, everything is on track, and Wharf Group has also ushered in new and great development opportunities.

"How much liquidity is left in Wharf's account and how much can be used for investment?" Lin Zhichao first asked at the high-level meeting.

Xu Jiashen quickly sat up straight and immediately replied: "There is a total of 110 million Hong Kong dollars in cash in the Wharf account. What needs to be paid in the short term is the construction fee of Harbor City. If you make an investment, you can spend up to 50 million Hong Kong dollars; if it is more, Progress arrangements need to be made.”

Lin Zhichao nodded and said: "In this way, we will immediately arrange to invest the 50 million Hong Kong dollars in spot gold. For the specific operation, I will arrange a gold investment consultant for you."

Every enterprise may have non-recurring profits, and these profits may come from the financial field. Therefore, it is normal for Hong Kong listed companies to invest in financial products.

Xu Jiashen nodded immediately. He had worked at Universal Group for many years and naturally knew how strong his boss's financial investment capabilities were. The crude oil speculation back then was the best proof.

CEO Tony Dank reminded: "BOSS may be able to spend 50 million Hong Kong dollars in the short term, but if gold occupies this fund for a long time, there may be a financial shortage."

Lin Zhichao nodded and said: "I understand this! So I plan to let Universal Group lend 200 million Hong Kong dollars to Wharf at a low interest rate of 6%. These funds can make Wharf's funds worry-free. And , I will let Cheung Kong Group and Wharf Group jointly invest in property development, and in this way we can change the financial difficulties of Wharf Group as soon as possible."

A two-pronged approach, the profits from gold and real estate development (residential) were enough to change the financial situation of the Wharf Group before 1980.

Not to mention, with the sharp increase in rents, the profits of Wharf's rent-collecting properties have also increased sharply.

Everyone was overjoyed when they heard what the new boss said.

The parent company borrowed HK$200 million at low interest rates and also allowed Wharf to cooperate with Cheung Kong Holdings. This sounds like a very good financial and technical arrangement.

Next, Lin Zhichao said: "The development plan of the Hong Kong Tramway Causeway Bay Main Plant needs to be reviewed again. Director Lin Ruihai will be responsible for this matter and the development plan will be re-formulated."

After joining the Wharf Group, Lin Zhichao discovered that the tram plant in Causeway Bay had been included in the development plan, but the plan was to develop residential buildings, and the Hong Kong Tramway Company and the real estate companies of the Wheelock Group would cooperate.

This is obviously not possible!

Fortunately, it is only in the plan and has not been implemented yet. Otherwise, even the dismantling of the foundation that has been laid would have to be carried out immediately.

Lin Ruihai immediately said: "Yes, Chairman!"

He has been reminded by his father that a large and beautiful commercial complex must be built on this land, and he feels a heavy responsibility at this time.

After some arrangements, everyone felt refreshed and felt that the new boss was very extraordinary. With just a few words, he had the power to change the world.

Back to Universal Group.

Lin Zhichao stood in front of the window and had an unobstructed view of Harbor City on the other side. He couldn't help but smile.

Universal Group has initially formed a comprehensive group with businesses in shipping, aviation, real estate, terminals, etc. Its more important assets are of course the fleet, Amazon Commercial Real Estate Company (nine office buildings in Manhattan), Wharf Group, and Hong Kong Airlines.

Despite its aggressive expansion in recent years, Universal Group still has sufficient cash flow, which can even be described as terrifying.

After acquiring nine office buildings in Manhattan (expense of 1 billion) and Wharf Group (expense of 2.4 billion), Universal Group still has a cash flow of HK$4 billion.

This cash flow of HK$4 billion includes the US$250 million that Universal Group received from the sale of 50 oil tankers of 100,000 to 150,000 tons and some three-building cargo ships in the past eight months. These ships are older, and even if the market is quite good now, they can still only be sold for 40 to 50% of the price (the original half price, the current shipbuilding cost has been much higher).

At present, Universal Group (Global and Worldwide) still has a fleet of 13 million tons. Asia Shipping has stopped expanding and has 2.6 million tons. Longfeng International has 1 million tons and China Star Shipping has 1 million tons. Lin Zhichao still controls the world's largest ship. Team.

In the next time, of course, we will continue to sell ships, and we will sell VLCC ships.

Universal Group's VLCC ships have a guaranteed value of 70%, which is very valuable. This means that the value of the 50 VLCCs of Global and Universal alone is as high as US$900 million to US$1 billion.

Of course, I can't actually sell it at such a high price. After all, I am in a hurry to sell it.

‘Raffles City’ in Admiralty, Central, opened grandly on Christmas Day, attracting a large number of Hong Kong residents and tourists.

‘Raffles City’ has now become a ‘shopping mall’ brand under the Cheung Kong Holdings. Raffles City Singapore has been very popular in recent years, driving the development of shopping malls in Orchard Road and even the entire Singapore.

Today’s ‘Raffles City’ in Hong Kong has a total of five floors (two underground and three above ground) shopping mall with a total area of ​​approximately more than 160,000 square feet, which is more than 1.6 times the area of ​​the Landmark Plaza that will be completed in two years.

Raffles City has well-developed transportation links. Through pedestrian bridges and underground passages, it can be connected to the surrounding Far East Financial Center, Admiralty Center, and Penfolds Center, as well as to the Admiralty MTR Station.

This area, including the Admiralty Center, Penfolds Center, and Admiralty Tower (above the station), which will be completed next year, will form a strong commercial area.

It has a luxury five-star hotel, five first-class Grade A commercial buildings, a large shopping mall, and a subway station (Admiralty Station). Among them, only one building (the development rights above Admiralty Station) will be sold to the public in strata next year.

On the opening day of Raffles City, Lin Zhichao attended the ceremony.

Compared with the Cheung Kong Group in the previous life, the Cheung Kong Group led by Lin Zhichao in this life owns too many commercial properties - Miramar Hotel, Miramar Shopping Center, Raffles City Singapore (including a 32-storey office building), Raffles City Hong Kong, Daimaru Department Store in Causeway Bay, Xintiandi Shopping Center, Lai Chi Garden Amusement Park, etc.

While developing commercial real estate, Cheung Kong Holdings also maintains Hong Kong's leading position in the field of real estate development, accounting for approximately 130% of the scale (residential) of second-place Sun Hung Kai.

A very reasonable ratio, everyone can make money, but this 'everyone' is a relatively monopolistic group.

"Lin Sheng, the design of this Raffles City is really unique and a model model for shopping malls in the world!" After the ceremony, Guo Desheng said highly at the cocktail party.

Everyone nodded, Raffles City was indeed not an ordinary shopping mall, it was quite refreshing.

Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "In terms of design, we attach great importance to cultural integration and maximize the inclusion of modern cultural elements in a limited space. And in terms of leasing, we have thoroughly screened every merchant who has settled in Raffles City. grade”

Raffles City is full of boutique stores, with the highest concentration of big-name European and American brands in Hong Kong.

Fortunately, Hong Kong is already the second largest city in Asia after Tokyo. Companies and institutions from all over the world are coming to Hong Kong. The per capita GDP is approaching 20,000 Hong Kong dollars (the gross product value is nearly 90 billion Hong Kong dollars). The number of tourists arriving in Hong Kong has reached 2 million. .

Such a city with unlimited potential has naturally become the first choice city for the world's major brands to land.

Later, Lin Zhichao said: "The first phase of the New World Center is about to open next year. The two sides of Victoria Harbor are packed with businesses, and Hong Kong's economic situation is great!"

Everyone smiled. After Lin Zhichao acquired the Wharf Group, Guo Desheng, Lee Shau Kee, Zheng Yutong and others were the hosts and invited Lin Zhichao to a banquet to celebrate. The friendship between everyone was also very good.

Zheng Yutong smiled like a Maitreya Buddha and said: "The first phase of the New World Center will open next year. Everyone must come and join in the fun."

Li Gaofu said with a smile: "This is natural! We also want to see how outstanding Zheng Sheng's large-scale project is."

A group of real estate developers took this opportunity to communicate with each other.

With the boom in real estate, large Chinese-owned real estate developers are making huge profits, and their companies are expanding rapidly.

At this time, these Chinese real estate companies also began to have the strength to enter commercial real estate. for example:

This year, Sun Hung Kai Properties acquired a piece of high-quality commercial land in Wan Chai and Tsim Sha Tsui East, and is preparing to build the Sun Hung Kai Headquarters Building and the Royal Garden Hotel;

New World Development has been obsessed with the development of New World Center in recent years. According to the value of Harbor City, the land area of ​​New World Center alone has increased seven to eight times, and the overall value is close to 2 billion. Zheng Yutong only spent 130 million in the early 1970s. Take the land.

Only Lee Shau Kee still adheres to the principle of "goods come around" and firmly ranks third in the development of real estate. You know, in 1972, he was "kicked out" by Sun Hung Kai. To be so powerful, it is obvious that "goods rotate" is very effective.

Other real estate developers worth mentioning are of course Hang Lung and Hopewell. These two companies cooperated and won the Kowloon Bay site of the MTR Corporation this year. The large-scale project with 5,000 residential units, the famous Telford Garden, can earn Of course, each of the two companies only gets 25% of the money, with the MTR Corporation taking the lion's share.

What surprised Lin Zhichao was that since Li Jiacheng was promoted to a medium-sized real estate developer, he made a lot of money with a wave of off-the-plan industrial buildings. These funds were used by him to purchase residential land, and now he has become a medium-sized real estate developer. If he continues to develop according to this model, he will still be among the top ten real estate developers in the mid-1980s.

Lin Ruijiang accompanied his pregnant wife Zhu Linlin to Raffles City for shopping.

He was quite happy in his heart. These were his own properties, so it was different when he went shopping.

Although his father separated the brothers and each joined a company, he still had a sense of honor. When they are brothers together, they never talk about how the company belongs to them. They all focus on helping their father reduce his work.

"Husband, I want to go to Wellington Street to eat wontons later. I don't want to go to a high-end restaurant!" Zhu Linlin said coquettishly, holding her husband's arm.

"No problem, after you said that, I also want to improve the food." Lin Ruijiang said cheerfully.

Zhu Linlin suddenly felt like she was being taken seriously, and her husband respected her choice!

"By the way, Lingling, how are you living at No. 79 Deep Water Bay?" Lin Ruijiang asked with concern.

"It's very good. Everything is very natural. My grandma, father-in-law and mother-in-law are very good to me, and my sister-in-law also cares about me very much." Zhu Linlin said with a happy face.

This family really does not have feudal or big family rules, giving people a modern and mutually respectful feel. Of course there are some rules, but they are completely acceptable because they are all good traditions.

Lin Ruijiang said: "What I mean is, if the child is born, should we move out?"

Zhu Linlin immediately said: "Of course this won't work! Although my parents-in-law said that it is up to us to decide where to live, but how can we move out as soon as the child is born! We have to talk about it later."

Lin Ruijiang immediately stopped mentioning this topic. Compared to his wife, he was more interested in moving out. This is because since returning to Hong Kong, he has been living outside and only returns home regularly.

Now that my wife has said this, she is too embarrassed to insist on it. In fact, his personality is more freedom-oriented, and the same is true in terms of clothing. He doesn't often imitate his elder brother's formal attire.

Yangtze River Industrial Group.

Lin Zhichao sat in the office and listened to his son Lin Ruijiang's work report.

"On Christmas Eve, nine game cards developed by us have been put on sale at Atari, and the response so far has been very good."

Among the nine games, there is "Space Wars (Little Bee)", others include "Hong Kong Cube", and the remaining seven games. The sales volume of this game card is related to the income of The9 City.

Lin Zhichao has experienced them all and feels that the quality of the games he planned is far superior to other games.

Of course, there is usually only one best-selling game on a game card, and the others are accessories.

Lin Zhichao nodded and said: "Continue to strengthen investment in the field of software games. Also, I hope you will lead the establishment of the console game department. We will also enter the field of game consoles in the future."

With the rise of Taiwan Semiconductor, this threshold will become lower and lower.

Lin Ruijiang said: "Okay, there are already a lot of talents in this field in Hong Kong, and it will also be very convenient for us to develop the technology industry."

Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "Developing technology requires long-term investment. In addition, we will make use of the resources and markets of the mainland in the future. I believe that the mainland will open up. This is an extremely huge market."

Listening to his father's description, Lin Ruijiang knew that the future development of Yangtze River Industrial Group had been completely planned by his father.

"Okay, I will definitely work harder and do better in science and technology."

Lin Zhichao smiled with satisfaction. His son's behavior when facing his brothers showed that he was different from his personality outside of career. He could truly love the technology industry without being impetuous.

"Next year, Yangtze River Industrial Group will also purchase a building as a means of asset preservation. In the future, Yangtze River Industrial Group will need to invest in technology industries, and naturally it will not lack financial support. Therefore, in addition to the development group, Yangtze River Industrial Group's liquidity will be , I will not withdraw it anymore, but will use some investment methods to maintain the increase in asset value and provide a solid foundation for the future development of the technology industry."

Lin Ruijiang heard about the group's affairs for the first time, but he immediately said: "My father has decided that I will concentrate on Midea's affairs."

He was worried about being misunderstood. After all, their brothers were taboo about taking over. Their real intention was to share the worries of their father.

Lin Zhichao said: "This is not my business alone. Later you will have to participate in the group's affairs and understand the group's future development, capital mobilization, etc. You don't need to be taboo about anything. To be honest, I will pass the company on to you right away. On the contrary, It’s about getting some peace and quiet. I have my own private investment company, and it’s easier to make money than these companies.”

Lin Ruijiang blushed and said, "Of course not. Father is our spiritual support. No matter how well we do, we are still not one-tenth as good as you."

Lin Zhichao smiled and said: "I won't ignore it. Even if you become the general manager in the future, I will guide you on key issues as chairman and give you enough rights. Just like the nuclear weapons in the mainland, they may not be used after they are developed. But we can’t live without it, otherwise we will always be threatened by the old Americans, British and Russians.”

Lin Ruijiang laughed and then said, "Father is very optimistic about the situation in the mainland?"

Lin Zhichao nodded and said: "It's getting better and better. We must have confidence in the country. Moreover, if you develop the technology industry, the mainland is a very important part."

"Ok, I see."