The Birth of the Hong Kong Island Family.

After the Spring Festival, Lin Zhichao went to Japan to participate in a summit of the Japanese shipbuilding and shipping industries, and he attended the meeting as a guest.

Since the outbreak of the Suez Canal crisis, all countries have been discussing the development of ocean-going ships in a 'big' direction.

Because everyone understands that the Middle East is a powder keg, so you can't just rely on the Suez Canal; in this way, everyone's idea is to go through the Cape of Good Hope. Although the shipping distance increases, if the ship is large enough, it can offset the time consumption.

In later generations, the world divided seagoing vessels into: Panama, Suez, and Cape Ships.

it means:
The maximum load capacity of ships that can pass through the Panama Canal is about [-] tons, so ships with a load of about [-] tons are called "Panamax ships";
The largest ship that can pass through the Suez Canal is about 15 tons of load, so a ship of about 15 tons is called a "Suez ship";
As for those with a deadweight of more than 15 tons, they are all called "Cape of Good Hope Ships", and Taiwan Island calls them "Cape Ships".

Lin Zhichao is now a shipping expert, and Japanese shipbuilding experts and government departments specially invited him to a meeting; of course, there is also one underlying meaning, that is, he hopes that Lin Zhichao can build ships in Japan.

Of course, Lin Zhichao did not refuse, saying that he could place an order at any time, provided that the oil tanker cannot be less than 8 tons and the cargo ship cannot be less than 5 tons.

You can build one of each first and give it to Japanese customers for long-term lease. It doesn’t matter if the price is cheaper; the real large-scale shipbuilding began in 1959.

Back to Hong Kong.

Lin Zhichao participated in the establishment ceremony of the "Hong Kong Shipowners Association" non-stop. This commercial organization was initiated by 12 local shipowners in Hong Kong, including Lin Zhichao, the largest Hong Kong shipowner.

There were far more than 12 local shipowners who came to the conference to participate. There were also some shipowners who joined later, and many non-shipowners. They were all professionals and institutions serving the shipping industry.

Everyone at the meeting talked with each other first.

"Dong Sheng, congratulations on the launch of the new boat and the good timing!" Lin Zhichao greeted Dong Haoyun.

A bulk carrier built by Dong Haoyun was launched last year. He is the second shipowner in Hong Kong who can build a new ship, and Lin Zhichao is of course the first shipowner (ocean-going ship) to build a new ship.

"We are all happy together. I heard that Lin Sheng has built a lot of big oil tankers, and it just happened to be a good time."

Lin Zhichao said modestly: "Where is there! Dong Sheng is a senior in the shipping industry, and I am just a junior. I have carefully read the books written by Dong Sheng, "China Ocean Shipping Industry and Huaxia Shipping Company" and "Guide to China Shipping Industry in the Past 25 Years."

Dong Haoyun replied: "I have read "On the Prospect of Container Containers" written by Lin Sheng in "Shipping" back then, and I deeply agree with it. And the Americans have proved Mr. Lin's ideas through practice."

Lin Zhichao published "On the Prospect of Container Containers" in 1954. At that time, his idea was to enhance his reputation; however, he did not have the strength to develop it. After all, he had to persuade two regions to invest.American Malcolm McLean invested more than 4000 million U.S. dollars for the container industry, purchasing transport fleets, ports and other facilities.

Such a large investment, even if Lin Zhichao persuaded the Hong Kong government and Japan (large trade volume), he would not be willing to invest.Although he did not succeed in practice, he was still rated as the world's "long-term vision" shipper.

"It's over! I'm talking on paper, and Malcolm McLean is the real industry contributor, the father of the container. I believe that in the 60s, the container will definitely become an important part of the world's shipping."

"I agree with Mr. Lin's opinion. The advantages of container shipping are: convenient unloading, lower unloading costs, and maximum protection of the goods."

The two chatted on the spot, which caused many people to watch.

At this time, Lin Zhichao already had an idea in his mind, that is, he invested in container terminals in the early 60s.

Of course, it is impossible to eat alone, and the Hong Kong government will not agree, because they must join the British capital.

But one advantage is that HSBC is a British capital, and Jardine and Swire may not be interested, they have their own docks; therefore, they only need to let HSBC and Wheelock join, Lin Zhichao will take the lead, and Dong Haoyun will come in.

that's it!
Lin Zhichao and Dong Haoyun boasted about their business.

At present, the three largest Chinese shipowners in Hong Kong are Lin Zhichao, Xu Aizhou, and Dong Haoyun. Among them, Dong Haoyun owns and manages a fleet of about 20 tons.

Next, Lin Zhichao greeted Dong Haoyun's father-in-law "Gu Zongrui". Gu Zongrui was a "big ship owner" in the Mainland in the early years; in 1949, Gu Zongrui and Dong Haoyun both moved to Hong Kong.

Lu Chuanwang is the idol of all Chinese shipowners. During the Anti-Japanese War, he transferred industrial equipment to the southwest to protect the national industry. Many things he did to prevent the Japanese invaders by sinking the ship in the Yangtze River were fearless. He was known as "one of the four most unforgettable people in China's national industry".

Next, the meeting officially begins.

The meeting unanimously elected Gu Zongrui as the first president of the 'Hong Kong Shipowners Association'. Although Lin Zhichao has more careers, his qualifications are obviously more important; in addition, Lin Zhichao has no intention of competing for this position.

In October 1949, Gu Zongrui won the bid for the 10.5-ton "Raymonda" ship with US$5 and renamed it "Wanli". With his outstanding reputation and good contacts, he secured a loan from the British Chamber of Commerce Defeng Company and owned the first ship after arriving in Hong Kong. With this, he founded Wanli Shipping Company, with his eldest son Gu Guomin as the general manager.

Although it is not as big as his son-in-law's development career, he is steady and steady, and owns several ocean-going freighters.

To be honest, an ocean-going ship is already a company of considerable size, after all, its assets are at least one million Hong Kong dollars.

The first "Hong Kong Shipowners' Association" went very smoothly. During the period, everyone invited Lin Zhichao to give a speech. After all, the most attractive person present was of course Lin Zhichao, a million-dollar shipowner.Gu Zongrui was chosen as the chairman because he was old and became famous early; if Lin Zhichao wanted to compete, the result would not be certain.

Lin Zhichao saw that everyone was looking at him eagerly, so he didn't shirk. He walked up to the podium and began to give a speech without script.

"Hello everyone, today you kindly invite me to speak a few words, so I will say a few words. The theme of my speech today is "On the Development Prospects of Hong Kong Shipping Industry."

As we all know, the first thing that comes to mind when mentioning "shipping" is "European and American fleets". Countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States used to have or are currently the largest fleets in the world. However, due to the sharp increase in crew salaries, European and American shipowners have become more and more overwhelmed; the seafarers' unions in these countries are powerful. If shipowners adopt low wages or hire third-world crews, they will inevitably lead to intervention and prosecution by seafarers' unions. In this case, shipowners can only tighten the size of their fleets.

Next, Greece and Japan, the second-generation shipping stars, rose rapidly in the mid-50s, including Onassis and Livanos in Greece, Nippon Steamship, Sanko, and Yamaguchi Steamship.However, these countries will also encounter the plight of Western shipowners, and it is the past few years that they have come to an end.

Therefore, we in Hong Kong belong to the third generation of shipping stars.Hong Kong's industrial economy is growing rapidly, and the overall economic development potential is huge; the wages of Hong Kong seafarers are relatively stable due to the continuous influx of labor from the Mainland and Southeast Asia; Hong Kong's tax rate is the lowest in the world, which is suitable for shipowners to avoid tax reasonably; Hong Kong is a free trade port, and funds come and go freely
Finally, let’s talk about the development potential of world shipping: since the Peninsular War, it is difficult for the world to have a large-scale worldwide war, and countries also need to develop their economies; in this way, trade around the world will be promoted.Currently, 90% of global trade is carried out by sea.Therefore, some economists assert that world shipping has a development period of 25 years.

With both external and internal conditions very good, I am personally very optimistic about the development of Hong Kong's shipping industry, and I am willing to make progress together with everyone and make my own contribution to Hong Kong's shipping industry. "

applause!

Thunderous applause!

This speech was very 'ordinary'. It didn't talk about navigation technology or management, but it talked about 'confidence'.In terms of Lin Zhichao's own experience, it is a legend, and these words are more convincing than anyone else.

In mid-February, Sing Tao.

In a restaurant, Lin Zhichao sat with Mr. Li. Every time he came to Sing Tao, he would find an opportunity to ask Mr. Li to get together.After all, Xingdao is a place dominated by Chinese, and it can be used as the second base of the Lin family in the future.

"Mr. Lin is coming to Xingdao this time, what project are you planning to invest in?" Councilor Li asked casually during the meal.

He has a good impression of Lin Zhichao, the reason is that Lin Zhichao has always been very optimistic about the development prospects of Sing Tao, and Lin Zhichao has become an influential Chinese businessman.

Lin Zhichao said: "I plan to open a department store on Orchard Road, and it is expected to open within three years."

Cheung Kong Properties has two pieces of land on Orchard Road. Lin Zhichao plans to open a department store quickly first, and then demolish it in the future, and then build a complex of shopping malls and office buildings.

Councilor Li suddenly asked curiously: "The area of ​​Orchard Road has not yet been developed. Will it be risky if you develop a department store?"

Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "The Cathy Building, the first skyscraper in Sing Tao (16 floors), was built on Orchard Road in the 40s. Although there is still only The Cathy Building, I believe that Orchard Road will become a prosperous area in Sing Tao in the future, because its location is close to the urban area. At the same time, where I open a department store, it will drive popularity."

At this time, Councilor Li naturally hadn't thought about the planning of Sing Tao, but he still had a good impression of Lin Zhichao's investment in Orchard Road.

"It makes sense! Maybe with your commercial building, someone will invest in Orchard Road, which will drive the economic development of Orchard Road. What kind of product collection is Mr. Lin's department store? Is it a Hong Kong product?"

He knows that Hong Kong's industry has developed well in the past three to four years.

Lin Zhichao saw that Mr. Li was interested in business, and he felt that it was just right to establish a good relationship in advance.

"I plan to cooperate with Japanese department stores and introduce them to Orchard Road, Sing Tao. In recent years, Japanese products have become popular all over the world, so Japanese department stores are relatively mature. What does Mr. Li think?"

When Lin Zhichao asked himself, Mr. Li was a little surprised, but then he figured it out again.This tycoon is investing in himself, betting that he will become a political figure and escort his business in the future.

Although he somewhat dislikes private businessmen, he does not dislike Lin Zhichao, because Lin Zhichao's achievements in the shipping and industrial fields will help the development of Sing Tao in the future.

"I think there is no problem! Although Japan has caused great harm to Asia, if the local economy can be developed, then there is no problem in introducing it."

Definitely a pragmatist.

Lin Zhichao said: "The introduction of Japanese department stores can cultivate the growth of local counterparts, learn from others' strengths, and make up for our own weaknesses."

Councilor Li directly ignored Lin Zhichao's flaunting of "Chinese culture", but asked: "Mr. Lin, what do you think of XXXX?"

Lin Zhichao immediately said: "I don't ask politics, but only look at the local business environment, economic development, and people's living standards. If these ideals are investment utopias."

Councilor Li later understood that Lin Zhichao had no intention of interfering with the politics of Sing Tao, and he came to invest entirely because he saw that Sing Tao had a Chinese foundation.

That's right, Sing Tao welcomes such people to invest, provided that they invest under the guidance of the government.

After the meeting with Mr. Li, Lin Zhichao came to Orchard Road, followed by Huang Changhong and other subordinates.

"I plan to build a four-storey department store on this land. The architectural shape is similar to that of an inverted '凵', and the appearance can be modernized with a bit of European style. After the building is completed, we will introduce a Japanese department store, and we will set up a theater on the upper floor or two, and rent out some restaurants."

He introduced Japanese department stores because of the best-selling Japanese products, the development of the Japanese department store industry, and thoughtful service.But it doesn't mean that he will completely hand over the management, restaurants, theaters, etc., he uses the popularity of Japanese department stores to complete a "shopping center" layout.

Huang Changhong nodded and said, "Then we have to set up a retail department, otherwise we will work in this area."

Lin Zhichao said: "Not only that, but I also intend to position Changjiang Real Estate as a 'commercial project management company' and be responsible for rent collection projects in the future."

Huang Changhong quickly understood the boss's idea. The development of real estate and commercial real estate were separated. Although they still belonged to a group company, the management must be clearer.

"Then we have to prepare a separate project team for this project. It is best to recruit some local talents and transfer some management personnel from Cheung Kong."

Lin Zhichao nodded and said, "You come to make preparations!"

"Ok"

Next, he stayed in Xingdao for another two days, not only went to inspect the factory, but also inspected the environment of Xingdao.

For the department store project of Orchard Road, he is more of a 'preconceived' attitude.And this four-story department store building may be demolished in about 20 years.

Because at that time, Orchard Road is planned to be a shopping street, and everyone will be a high-rise shopping mall, so its four-story department store building will naturally be out of place.

Of course, the land still belongs to Lin Zhichao, and it is impossible for the Singapore government to confiscate it. Lin Zhichao only needs to build a shopping center.

And if we build a shopping center plus office building model now, there will be no leased office at all, after all, Sing Tao is not even a country.It really developed in the 60s, and then slowly developed. At that time, Mr. Li happened to be in office. (end of this chapter)