The birth of the Hong Kong Island family

Beginning in the spring of 1978, news began to spread that the Japanese shipping company was facing bankruptcy due to poor management.

Nippon Shipping Company and Yamaguchi Steamship are two of the largest customers of Universal Group. At their peak, they leased more than 20 super tankers and more than 20 100,000-ton oil tankers from Universal Group, totaling about 8 million tons of ships. .

The total tonnage of these two shipping companies is almost 18 million tons.

Fortunately, Lin Zhichao had known about today's situation for a long time, so in the past year, all oil tankers whose leases had expired were immediately sold; if a customer purchased the ship, a lease was even included. After a year of ship reduction actions, the total tonnage chartered to these two shipping companies has been directly reduced by half.

But it is obvious that there are still many ships leased to Japanese shipping companies. Once this company goes bankrupt, Universal Group will also suffer losses. After all, it is impossible for Lin Zhichao not to maintain these customers. After all, the main business of Universal Group will include shipping.

As of May of this year (1978), all of Universal Group's non-VLCC oil tankers had been sold out. More than 50 oil tankers of 100,000 to 150,000 tons were sold for a total of US$260 million, which was only more than 40% of the cost. This is because these ships are older and have high operating costs.

Fifteen VLCC oil tankers have been sold, with a total tonnage of 3.5 million tons, with a capital of up to 250 million U.S. dollars, and the sales price reached about 70% of the construction cost. This is because the construction cost has increased by more than 50%, so although these ships are older (10 years old), they still sell for a good price.

Currently, Universal Group (Global and Universal) has only 35 VLCCs left, totaling 8.5 million tons of oil tankers. Some of the remaining bulk carriers were injected into China Star Shipping (a listed company mainly engaged in container ships); its listed companies, Asia Shipping and Longfeng International, also reduced their ships, leaving only 2 million tons and 800,000 tons respectively.

Universal Group's big moves in the past year have had a great impact on the industry. Of course, everyone is a little confused and only thinks that Universal Group made the decision to acquire the Wharf Group.

In other words, no one will say that if Universal Group is reducing its ships, will shipping be heading for a trough? They don't think so.

On this day, Shen Bi came to the office of Universal Group and visited Lin Zhichao.

The matter regarding SITC Bank has received official approval from the United States, so it is a done deal. Therefore, both Lin Zhichao and HSBC were very satisfied with the transaction.

But this time Shen Bi visited Lin Zhichao, obviously not for those things. After all, he was in the office of Universal Group.

"Mr. Lin, there are eight VLCCs leased by World Shipping to Nippon Shipping Company. Now it is reported that Nippon Shipping Company is facing bankruptcy. Do you have any countermeasures?"

His tone was a little worried and a little doubtful - since Lin Zhichao was adding ships, why did World Shipping slow down its ship reduction actions?

Lin Zhichao said calmly: "Don't panic, Chief Shen Bi. In a few days, the President of the Industrial Bank of Japan, Kisaburo Ike, will visit Hong Kong in the near future. As long as we get this person's support, the Japanese Shipping Company will survive this crisis. And Huanyu can also avoid suffering huge losses. What's more, we have made considerable profits over the years, and now we have no debt, so why worry?"

The implication is that HSBC has made a lot of money in recent years. Now that World Shipping has no debt, what are you doing in a hurry?

After hearing this, Shen Bi immediately changed his face and said: "If the Bank of Japan endorses it, then it will be safe and sound."

Lin Zhichao said: "This is a matter of national credibility. I believe there will be no problem."

Shen Bi nodded. He still believed in Lin Zhichao's abilities, so after a brief chat, he stood up and left. As for why World Shipping is slower in reducing ships, he knows without asking that Lin Zhichao must give priority to taking care of his son.

Three days later.

Kiura Kisaburo arrived in Hong Kong. At a banquet that almost gathered Hong Kong politicians and business tycoons, he said that the Industrial Bank of Japan and its related banks would provide strong support to Japanese shipping companies, especially for their foreign debts and leases. He accepted the responsibility under the contract and later gave the same guarantee to the Hong Kong media.

At the banquet, Lin Zhichao and many Hong Kong shipowners gathered together and discussed.

Lin Zhichao generously shared his experience: "Everyone, shipping has been booming since World War II, and it has been thirty years now. Today's shipping is facing shrinking business and increasing competitiveness. So I suggest that Hong Kong colleagues should be cautious. Thinking about it!”

The words just fell!

Dong Haoyun, Bao Yugang, Zhao Congyan, Cao Wenjin, Gu Guomin (Dong Haoyun's wife and brother), etc., all pay attention to this topic.

Bao Yugang said with a smile: "Lin Sheng did not build ships in batches as early as the early 1970s. Now he is the first to reduce ships. He is very cautious!"

Smiling tiger?

If Lin Zhichao had not expected it, Bao Yugang also wanted to reduce the ship, but now his words did not mention the point of view he agreed with. Could it be that - he is worried that if he sells a ship, he will encounter competition from Hong Kong shipowners, resulting in a lower price?

To be honest, Lin Zhichao was only willing to remind everyone on this occasion after he sold many boats.

Dong Haoyun then said: "When Lin Sheng's fleet was at its peak, we could only keep up with it. Later, we worked hard to catch up, and finally narrowed the gap little by little, and Lin Sheng began to reduce the number of ships ashore again. I really want to compete with Lin Sheng on the same stage, but there is no What a blessing!”

This is a stubborn person. Why did you leave so much debt to your son?

Zhao Congyan said: "If you encounter a trough, just absorb it. Shipping has a cycle. Unlike Mr. Lin, we can develop in multiple industries."

Sure enough, good words can never persuade a damned person!

Of course, some shipowners also asked Lin Zhichao for advice!

Cao Wenjin said: "Is Lin Sheng not optimistic about the subsequent development of shipping because of the Japanese ship incident?"

Seeing that there were already many shipowners around him, Lin Zhichao generously shared his views: "This is just an effect, not a cause. The real reason is that Europe has North Sea oil fields, the United States has restarted the exploration of Texas oil fields, and Japan attaches great importance to new energy sources. ——Nuclear energy, even China, which has underdeveloped industry, has aroused the interest of Western countries and actively helped China develop submarine oil in the South China Sea. Once this plan succeeds, Japan's demand for oil transportation will be greatly reduced."

Cao Wenjin nodded and said: "Indeed! No matter how many ships increase, the business will decrease day by day."

Gu Guomin also listened and said, "Listening to Lin Sheng's words is worth ten years of reading."

Dong Haoyun said nothing, his wife's brother was his wife's brother, he was him.

Seeing that Lin Zhichao had already warned his fellow shipowners, he ignored the matter. He had already given the advice that should be given, and there was nothing he could do if he did not listen. In his heart, he still hopes that Hong Kong shipowners can reduce their losses. After all, we are all Chinese and should take care of them.

Tsuen Wan, World Sailors Club.

Lin Zhichao attended a seafarers' demobilization meeting, with almost two hundred people present. Universal Group sells ships. If the buyer is a Hong Kong shipowner, the seafarers will still have the opportunity to continue performing their duties. If the buyer is an overseas shipowner, the seafarers will have to be dismissed.

Of course, no matter which way, every official seafarer of Universal Group will receive a generous severance package, which is something that all shipowners in Hong Kong cannot do.

Lin Zhichao came to the seats and first greeted everyone cordially.

"Aquan, you have worked for Universal Group for 15 years, right?" Lin Zhichao greeted a senior seaman cordially.

Universal Group still had 7,000 to 8,000 seafarers at the beginning of last year, and it has laid off several hundred people every month in the past year. When Lin Zhichao has time, he will also attend the demobilization meeting and chat with everyone. After all, he knows many senior seamen.

"Boss, it's been eighteen years since I joined Universal. I didn't expect you to still remember me." Aquan said excitedly.

A few hairs on his bald head were flying, unable to hide his inner excitement.

Lin Zhichao patted him on the shoulder and said: "I remember that you are a senior seaman who graduated from Global Maritime Academy and a senior first mate. And your name is Chen Bin. Your name is Wang Sheng. You have made great contributions to our Global Group. !”

The emotions of the two hundred sailors suddenly aroused, and some began to wipe away tears.

Universal Group is the largest shipping company in the world, with the best welfare in Hong Kong. It is an extremely memorable company. The turnover rate is the lowest among all shipping companies, which is the best proof.

"Boss, why did Universal Group lose so many ships overnight?" a sailor asked in confusion.

Yesterday it was the world's largest shipping company, but today it has reduced its tonnage by more than half. The change is frighteningly fast.

Lin Zhichao said: "Shipping is cyclical. If we don't reduce the number of ships today, in two years I'm afraid there will be no business, and the ship will depreciate a lot. So I'm thinking, it's better to sell the ship while it's still valuable. I will give you a generous severance package. If the market fails and the company cannot make a profit, I worry that everyone will have no future."

For a moment, there was thunderous applause.

They had already heard that Global Shipping's severance pay was very high, so there was not much resistance today.

Lin Zhichao then walked up to the rostrum and began to deliver a speech: "Everyone, many years ago, I anticipated today's situation. At that time, I forced senior seafarers to pay pensions, and later it was extended to senior seafarers who were more than three years old. Seafarer (that is, starting from the first contract renewal). Many people did not understand it at first, but I insisted on going my own way. Now it seems that our global group’s pension system must be the most successful. The group does not greedy a penny of money, on the contrary, these The annual pension system investment makes money every year, and the value increases very much. Therefore, the largest sum of money after your dismissal actually comes from your pension. The older the employee, the more he will get."

For Universal Group's pension investment, Lin Zhichao personally directed it and invested in many projects, all of which yielded good returns; of course, some of them were deposited in banks to earn interest.

The old sailors in the audience clapped excitedly!

It’s a sense of belonging!

"Pension is the first payment you deserve, and the second payment you deserve is that I give you part of the money from selling the ship as severance pay. This payment is the amount you pay for every round of the world. If you work for the group for one year, you can get the salary of the latest month. If you work for Universal Group for 16 years, we will pay you 16 months of salary."

Boom, many people at the scene flushed with excitement.

Tang Quan, who has been working for 16 years, suddenly felt like he was getting rich. He is the first mate and his monthly salary is 10,000, which means he can get 160,000 in severance pay. And that’s not even counting pensions!

(PS: The current labor wages in Hong Kong are - HK$50 per day in the manufacturing industry, HK$68 per day in the furniture industry, and the lowest is HK$36 per day for flashlights, second only to Japan in Asia)

In fact, Tang Quan is a senior seaman. Although his monthly salary is only 10,000, he can actually receive more than 16 months' salary a year, as well as various subsidies and 45 days of leave.

"The third issue is placement for you. I will ask my other companies to recruit you. If you are still willing to work in my company, you can voluntarily choose to apply. If you can find a better job, Then I will also wish you a bright future."

Marine engineers can work as technicians, which are valuable assets. Ordinary seamen can only work as workers in factories. As for senior seafarers such as captains, first mates, and second mates, they do not need to worry about their futures, and they are not short of money.

"Okay, basically these are the three benefits. If you have anything you want to say to me, just say it!"

"Boss, has shipping really gone downhill?" a sailor asked.

Lin Zhichao said: "This is my personal opinion. Shipping is going downhill, and it may enter a cold winter. How come you, a young man, are still addicted to being a seafarer? I remember that Hong Kong people don't like being seafarers!"

Sailors are still something many people are unwilling to go to unless there is no other way.

Someone said loudly: "He thought every shipowner in Hong Kong would give him a high salary!"

"That's right! It's impossible for a seafarer who has become a global shipping company to work as a seafarer for another shipping company!"

Many people laughed.

Global Shipping's salary is on average 30% higher than that of its counterparts in Hong Kong. More importantly, there are some hidden benefits, which add up to 50% higher benefits.

With benefits so high, how does Lin Zhichao make money? In fact, only the 30% higher salary and the remaining bank interest money every year are enough.

Shipping is very profitable, otherwise Bao Yugang in his previous life would have made huge wealth in just 25 years starting from 1955.

Not to mention, people like Lin Zhichao who understand the cycle have made their profits go up several notches.

Lin Zhichao does not work in sweatshops, which is what he has always adhered to. Even in the Yangtze River Industrial Group, the average salary of workers is 60 Hong Kong dollars, which is 20% higher than that in the manufacturing industry. This is because zippers are high value-added, Yangtze Toys is also a high value-added company (Audrey Company is designated as an OEM company), and Midea has also entered high value-added industries.

Lin Zhichao signaled everyone to be quiet, and then said: "Don't laugh, everyone. It is normal to have a career crisis at this time! If you are an ordinary seaman, I suggest you go to my factory to work as a worker, so that you can spend time with your family and the salary is more than 1,500. Since we are talking about it here , here I advise some sailors with a lot of money not to blindly invest in business. Think about it, how much do you know about things on land and at sea all year round, and in your hands is your pension money, staring at you? The people may be the people around you. Be cautious! Here, I suggest that it is best to buy a house. This is the safest investment and does not require thinking. Or buy stocks of Cheung Kong Group and HSBC Bank, which must be held for a long time. Yes, dividends are paid every year and are guaranteed.”

In every wave of dismissal of seafarers, Universal Group held a meeting like today's. Even if Lin Zhichao was not present, Feng Yongfa and other senior officials would hold it according to Lin Zhichao's pattern.

This large-scale layoff may involve 4,000 to 5,000 people. Lin Zhichao tried his best to accommodate everyone, using hundreds of millions of funds, not including the expenditure on the pension system and the jobs provided. It even plans investments for everyone, which can be said to be a conscientious company.

"Boss, I heard that housing prices have increased significantly. Will they fall?"

"In recent years, it won't likely fall, it will only rise. But I don't recommend you to speculate in real estate. If you are able, you can buy a house to live in or rent out."

Nowadays, the price of mid-to-high-end residential properties in Hong Kong and Kowloon has risen to HK$450 to HK$500, and a 600-square-foot unit costs HK$300,000. Of course, houses in the New Territories are cheap, and there are also units of four to five hundred square feet.

After an hour of a meeting, everyone left the meeting room satisfied.

Lin Ruihai, who was following him, truly felt at this moment why his father was so famous in Hong Kong. It was really a great kindness.

I would like to ask if there is a second boss in Hong Kong who spends hundreds of millions of Hong Kong dollars to lay off employees?

The answer is absolutely no!

In fact, Lin Zhichao also thought about one thing, capitalists will always be capitalists. People in this era are more likely to be satisfied, and people will not be so grateful to him in the future.

Of course, Hong Kong is a place where "hatred of the rich" is relatively weak, and everyone recognizes the fighting spirit.

Tang Quan received a pension of 315,000 from Universal Group (Hong Kong pension is a one-time payment) and severance pay, and left the company happily. He is only 35 years old today, but he has worked for Universal Group for 16 years. Because he was studious and hard-working when he was young, he has been promoted from ordinary seaman to senior seaman.

Arriving downstairs in the residential building, Tang Quan happily greeted people.

"Uncle Ping, Uncle Da, are playing chess again!"

"It's Aquan, why are you back today? Aren't you running the boat?"

"I'm going on a long vacation, and I plan to spend some time with my wife and children."

"well"

At this time, an old woman said: "What's the matter? His wife doesn't need anyone to accompany her, she has someone to accompany her!"

Tang Quan was like a thunderbolt, and he quickly asked: "Po Chun, what do you mean by this?"

"I saw a man driving your wife back to the building and driving a car!"

For a long time, Tang Quan ran home angrily. He never thought that one day such a thing would happen to him. It is true that this happens a lot when he is a sailor, but he believes that he and his wife have a very good relationship, and they have a son and a daughter.

Over the years, his salary has provided a house for his wife and children to live in. She does not have to go to work. It doesn't matter if she likes to play mahjong, as long as she takes good care of his two children.

"I must make this woman look good!" Tang Quan rushed home angrily.

At the same time, he also gave up the idea of ​​telling his wife about getting the money this time. If it was true, he would ask this woman to get out of the house.

After returning home, Tang Quan opened the door with his key. This 600-square-foot apartment was bought a few years ago for just over 100,000 yuan. Now it is worth more than 200,000 yuan, and its value has increased significantly.

"Hurry up, I have to pick up the kids. Why didn't you play today?"

"Let the child come back on his own! Besides, does this child belong to your man?"

"Fart, of course this child is his."

"Do you want me to give him another one?"

Tang Quan was so angry that he picked up a guy and kicked open the bedroom door.

"You two bitches, I'll beat you to death today!"

"Aquan, listen to my explanation!"

"Brother, I'll give you money, stop fighting!"

Soon, a naked man ran out of the building, shouting 'Kill!'

On the same day, the police came to the scene to deal with the matter, and Tang Quan was also taken to the police station. He beat the person and bled, but fortunately it was not fatal. Everyone in the building knew about Tang Quan's wife's theft.

When things got to this point, Tang Quan and his wife had no choice but to divorce. Over the years, he had given all his work to his wife. Logically speaking, his family should have a lot of savings. After all, he was the first mate on the ship, and his salary was five times higher than that of workers on land. However, the family had almost no money, and it was all squandered by his wife. What was even more annoying was that his wife was a good friend, but he had no money. Buying a car was all part of his wife's support.

A week later.

Tang Quan and his wife completed their divorce. He got the custody of their two children and a house, and his wife left the house. The reason for this is because the wife is afraid that Tang Quan will go berserk and want to kill her, and Hong Kong law protects men's property better, and the woman is the fault party.

The wife was about to say goodbye to her son, but she didn't expect her twelve-year-old son to say something like this: "Mom, dad said he would take us to buy a house and live in a big house in the future."

The wife was stunned and asked Tang Quan: "Where did you get the money?"

Tang Quan said: "Pension and severance pay paid by the company"

The ex-wife quickly asked: "How much?"

Tang Quan snorted coldly and said: "Hundreds of thousands."

The ex-wife was stunned and said quickly: "Aquan, can you forgive me? I promise to listen to you in the future!"

For a moment, his ex-wife begged for mercy, and Tang Quan felt an inexplicable feeling of relief in his heart, and he finally took a breath.

"Impossible, you have brought a cuckold to my house. Have you considered the feelings of the children? From now on, I will allow you to come and see the children, but remember to ask your lover to give you money. Don't be empty-handed and provide money for the children. Gift."

After saying that, Tang Quan led his son away coolly. There was also a daughter at home.

He did not doubt whether the child was his biological son, because the son still looked like his, not to mention the last time he heard his wife say that he was his.

Life is so unpredictable!

He wanted to share the happy event with his wife, but unexpectedly she gave him a 'surprise'.

"Dad, can you stay with us every day from now on?"

"Well Ah Jin, why did you choose to go with dad instead of mom?"

"Because daddy is rich!"

KAO, Tang Quan cursed in his heart, in this world of CAO eggs, you have to be rich to do anything. Back when he was earning a high salary, all the matchmakers broke through. He married his current wife in just three days, and then it took more than a week to create a human. When the vacation is over, I go to work immediately.

Buy a property, don’t make other investments! Tang Quan thought to himself that this was the boss's advice.

He has already thought about spending more than 200,000 yuan to buy a residential unit, then move in and rent out his current house. In this way, he is equivalent to having an income. For the remaining tens of thousands, buy stocks of Cheung Kong Holdings and HSBC Bank. Be sure to listen to what your boss says.

Little did he know that Tang Quan's decision would still be grateful to Lin Zhichao decades later, and he would always remember Lin Zhichao's goodness, and it would influence generations of future generations.