The Birth of the Hong Kong Island Family.

Time flies, and it is another year (1963) in the blink of an eye.

In early January, members of Lin Zhichao's family returned to Hong Kong from the United States one after another, ending their vacation.

Yangtze River Industries Group, conference room.

Lin Zhichao listened to the annual work reports of the general managers of each subsidiary, and there was no abnormal expression on his face, so that his subordinates could not see joy or sorrow.

The performance of the Yangtze River Industries Group last year (1962) was not good.

First of all, Changjiang Plastics and Changjiang Wigs, the performance of the two subsidiaries has fallen sharply, with profits of 2000 million Hong Kong dollars and 350 million Hong Kong dollars respectively; compared with the previous year's profits, they have decreased by 500 million and 100 million Hong Kong dollars, respectively, with a drop of 20%.

Secondly, the profit of Changjiang Toy Factory has not increased, and it still maintains 3000 million Hong Kong dollars; the reason is that after the listing of Audrey Toys, the profit margin of Changjiang Toy Factory has dropped sharply, and the Barbie doll has experienced a slight increase. It seems to be reaching a bottleneck.

Finally, the Yangtze River Zipper Factory also experienced a profit bottleneck, and even slightly reduced it, ending this year with only 4000 million Hong Kong dollars.

In other aspects, the profit of the steel factory is only 1200 million Hong Kong dollars, and the profit of Midea Electric is only 100 million Hong Kong dollars.
The Yangtze River Industries Group's total profit last year was only 1.065 million Hong Kong dollars, which was about 1500 million less than the previous year.

"Well, it's all in my expectation. I said it a few years ago-plastic flowers and wigs have a certain timeliness. Within two or three years, these two products will have no money to make. The general manager should be prepared for a 'smooth landing' and adopt the agency model step by step."

Tao Derong and Chen Linyuan immediately replied in unison: "Yes, boss!"

In the conference room, everyone admired Lin Zhichao's open-mindedness and self-confidence. If he were a boss, without these two golden eggs, he might not even be able to sleep soundly; I'm afraid the industry is about to die.

The more you say this, the better Tao Derong and Chen Linyuan are doing. Apart from the impact of the general environment, they can't help it. Both of them can be said to be determined to develop their enterprises.

Of course, their salary is also linked to their performance. The annual salary of the general managers of several early subsidiaries is already more than 20 Hong Kong dollars.It's no wonder that Lin Zhichao doesn't change talents if he doesn't do a good job. More importantly, without them, the boss and the group can be stable, and the group's talents are waiting in line for promotion!
"I am very clear about the long-term goal of the Yangtze River Industry Group. In short, it will not really go downhill. Zippers, toys, electrical appliances, and steel are all long-term industries, especially zippers and toys, which will hardly become obsolete; Accumulating experience and technology in radio receivers and fans will definitely lead to higher products in the future, such as TV parts, TVs and the like. Steel, needless to say, has always been in great demand.”

"In recent years, we have invested heavily in scientific research and technology. The technology of zippers has been closely following the world's giants, and the reputation and reputation are very good. Facts have proved that as long as we continue to invest in research and development, there will always be returns."

"So, everyone must take a long-term view and do a good job in the current affairs."

Everyone's spirits were shaken, and they responded one after another.

Those who work part-time are most afraid of working with an incompetent boss, who can neither afford salary increase nor promotion channels.

However, the development of the Yangtze River Industry Group has been advancing by leaps and bounds.

Of course, there is indeed a growth bottleneck at present, but as long as there are a few stable industries, the company will not worry about risks; what's more, Lin Zhichao is also planning for the follow-up industrial development, but the time has not yet come.

The capital of Changjiang Industry is undoubtedly very rich. The funds for overseas stock trading have reached as high as 9000 million U.S. dollars, and the 8000 million U.S. dollars bought at the bottom have increased by 15%, which can be described as a big profit; , still lying 1.7 million Hong Kong dollars.

Even if Lin Zhichao intends to allocate the funds from overseas stocks to his investment company, the funds accumulated by Changjiang Industry can still guarantee the subsequent development.

Changhe Plastic Factory.

Li Jiacheng was also calculating the harvest for the year, and the answer he finally got made his face change. Last year's profit could reach 150 million Hong Kong dollars; moreover, this was still including the rental profit of 50 from the industrial building.

This made the glory of Changhe Plastic Factory, which lasted only two years, began to plummet, from the profit of more than 180 million Hong Kong dollars in the previous year to the current 150 million Hong Kong dollars.

He suddenly became bitter, although he also learned that plastic flowers in Europe and the United States are no longer so popular, and there are already thousands of plastic flower factories in Hong Kong, and the competition is particularly fierce.

However, he didn't expect that the glory would be so short-lived, why would he marry his cousin!
At the beginning of 1961, he paid off the debts for the construction of the industrial building; now, although he earned 330 million in two years, he spent 70 on investment in plastic flower equipment, and the remaining 260 million is not owned by him alone. , he only owns a little over 60% of the shares.

In other words, he can only take out 150 million Hong Kong dollars.

Now their family is still living in a thousand-foot house, which is naturally a very good environment for ordinary people; but the daughter of the Zhuang family he is going to marry is a family worth tens of millions and a famous family. .

This little asset is obviously not enough!

Moreover, the Li family originally wanted to invest in an industrial building, but now there is no chance, because the industrial land has also risen to 130 Hong Kong dollars per square foot, and only one piece of land costs 300 million; the construction cost has also increased a lot, and the total investment Down, nearly 500 million Hong Kong dollars will be needed.

This made Li Jiacheng’s idea come to nothing!

After a while, Li Shulin and Li Yunsong walked in.

In fact, the real nobles of Li Jiacheng are not his uncle Zhuang Jingan, but his uncle Li Shulin and cousin Li Yunsong.Because when he raised enough venture capital of 5 Hong Kong dollars, his uncle became a shareholder, accounting for about 25%, becoming the biggest supporter among all relatives.

"Jiacheng, wasn't the situation very good last year?" Li Shulin said seriously.

Li Ka-shing nodded, and said: "The profit of Plastic Flower can reach 100 million Hong Kong dollars, a drop of about 25%; the rent has risen a bit, reaching 50 Hong Kong dollars."

In Cheung Wo Industrial Building, one floor is leased to itself, and the remaining 11 floors are leased to other factories.Even so, the profit has reached 50 Hong Kong dollars, which can be described as a great investment.

Li Shulin said: "What's the situation? Could it be that the competition in Hong Kong is too fierce, but it's unlikely that profits will drop so quickly!"

Li Jiacheng said: "Because the trend in Europe and the United States has weakened, many people have started to use cloth curtains and have given up on plastic flower products. According to this trend, plastic flowers may not have many years of glory, and they will have no money to make in three to five years at the latest. "He became determined.

He can make an annual profit of one million because he sells his products to Europe and the United States, and he also goes abroad for inspection once or twice a year.

Li Shulin said: "Then what should we do?"

Li Jiacheng said: "Uncle, don't worry, we still have a few years to earn money. We are slowly trying to find a way to transform. Plastic products are ever-changing. Our equipment can not only produce plastic flowers, but also plastic toys and the like, such as the head of a doll. , it’s not like there is no business. What’s more, we also invested in an industrial building, which is already much better than other plastic factories.”

Li Shulin nodded immediately, and said: "Thanks to your efforts to overcome all opinions, we invested in this industrial building, and we still listened!"

Li Jiacheng was immediately moved. His uncle supported him as always. Not only did he ask his cousin to help him manage the factory, but he never suggested dividing the family.

But he was moved just now, and Li Shulin's next words made him stunned.

"Jiacheng, you are old now, it's time to consider marriage with Ms. Zhuang. Although your career is not as good as that of the banker, at least you can earn nearly one million a year. Very good!"

Li Jiacheng is almost 35 years old this year, and Ms. Zhuang is also almost 31 years old, a typical late marriage.All of this is due to the disparity in the status of the families of the two parties, and it is more caused by Li Jiacheng's self-esteem.

He wanted to marry his cousin in a grand manner, but now he was a little reluctant to buy a garden house worth hundreds of thousands.But for the sake of face, he still decided to buy a garden house in the middle of the mountain.

He was a little reluctant to think that half of his savings would be spent on getting married, but there was nothing he could do.Originally, he had his eyes on Deep Water Bay, but the housing prices there have been raised, and there is no one million that can't afford it.

"Second Uncle is right. I recently bought a house and proposed marriage to Uncle!" Li Jiacheng gritted his teeth.

In fact, he and his cousin have already performed the ceremony of the Duke of Zhou. After all, they are young and frivolous, so there is no reason why they should not touch women for 35 years.Mainly due to his uncle's opinion of him, the wedding of the two could not be formally decided.

Li Shulin took the opportunity to say: "So, the capital of Changhe Plastics should be distributed to the shareholders. Everyone has only paid wages and not dividends for so many years because they think you can lead us to grow bigger and bigger, but now that the industry If it goes downhill, it’s time to pay dividends.”

Li Jiacheng suddenly had mixed feelings. Once the dividend is paid, it means that his hope of further progress in his career is much smaller; however, the dividend is also inevitable, and he also has to consider the matter of marriage.

"Okay, the funds in the account, we will distribute dividends according to the shares as soon as possible, and only reserve a small part of the funds in the account for emergencies."

"That's right! Then go ahead and call everyone together to discuss the dividends later."

"Second Uncle Walk Slowly"

After the second uncle and cousin left, Li Jiacheng figured out that if he spent half of his wealth to get married, he could barely satisfy his uncle.And the remaining 80 million Hong Kong dollars cannot be invested at all.

Doing real estate is almost like dreaming!

Li Jiacheng really wanted to do real estate, but what he wanted was to invest in industrial plants and collect rents stably.Now, with his funds, he can only buy ten residential units, that's all.

It's too far!

Two days passed.

Li Jiacheng and his mother came to his uncle's house, ready to propose marriage.

After Zhuang Jing'an heard about her intention, she said in a bad tone: "I think of proposing marriage at this time, I'm afraid I know that my career has stagnated, and I can't give me the prestige of an old man!"

In fact, he deliberately provoked this nephew back then to make him work hard and make a career; otherwise, there is no reason for his wife to lend the nephew the funds.

By 1960, his nephew had already made him reluctantly satisfied, and if he proposed marriage at that time, he would reluctantly agree.Unexpectedly, my nephew endured for another two or three years, and only today did he propose marriage.

With a child walking so close, there is no reason for him not to worry.Later, he also understood that his nephew was high-minded and wanted to marry his daughter in a grand manner in front of him.

So, he just said that on purpose!

Li Jiacheng blushed, as if his mind had been told.

Zhuang Yueming quickly pushed his father, meaning, at least you should give Ah Cheng some face!

"I don't dare to be majestic in front of my uncle! But my uncle was right just now. The plastics industry has reached the point of decline. At this time, I came to propose marriage because my cousin and I are too old to drag on. So I I beg my uncle to agree, I can assure you that I will always be loyal to my cousin, loyal to my family, and continue to work hard!" Li Jiacheng said bravely
Zhuang Jing'an didn't agree immediately, and deliberately kept silent. After a while, he didn't say anything until his wife pushed him:
"What happened to that plastic flower?"

"Europe and the United States are no longer so popular, and I don't expect to be able to make money in three to five years, but I have already thought about it. I can produce toys and OEM dolls for Europe and the United States and still make a stable profit!"

Seeing this, Zhuang Jingan also knew that it was not easy to do business, so she found a step and said, "You really have a good eye for investing in that factory building, and the appreciation is estimated to be nearly doubled now. As for opening a factory, after going through hardships, it is finally A little achievement. Well, with your current appearance, you can count as supporting a family in front of you, so I agree to your marriage. Remember that after getting married, you must continue to work hard to make money!"

Li Jiacheng was overjoyed and said quickly, "Thank you uncle!"

The matter finally succeeded, and then everyone discussed the specific steps together - buying a house, choosing a time, etc.!
At this time, Li Jiacheng was also lucky to think that he was lucky to invest in an industrial building, otherwise it would be even more unbearable in the eyes of his uncle.As for that industrial building, he knew it was thanks to Lin Zhichao's support back then.

At the auction that year, Lin Zhichao looked at him several times, and chose to give up when he wanted to bid several times; after that, he directly gave some care for the design and construction.

If it wasn't for others to be merciful, he might not have the chance to increase his wealth at all.What's more, the plastic flower was invented by others, and it was something that changed his fate. Otherwise, even after so many years, he might not be able to become a millionaire.

For this wedding, invitations must be presented, whether he comes or not.

In Cheung Kong's office, Lin Zhichao flipped through last year's financial statements, and the overall performance was very good.

A total of 1200 residential units were sold, with a profit of 3900 million Hong Kong dollars, and the average profit per residence was as high as more than 3.The return of land funds was nearly 1500 million Hong Kong dollars, mainly from the return of the land in Telford Gardens.In fact, Telford Gardens has 2200 unsold homes.

In terms of commercial real estate, the total profit was as high as 3000 million Hong Kong dollars, a surge of about 25%.

The annual profit reached 7600 million Hong Kong dollars, including the income from Poly Construction, Doll Noodles, etc., but excluding Anderson Daya Enterprise.

In Cheung Kong's account, there is a full 1.28 million Hong Kong dollars in liquidity.

Very nice look!

If it wasn't for the fact that it cost more than 3300 million yuan to buy a piece of commercial land and more than 1500 million yuan to buy three pieces of land, the total cost was 3900 million yuan; otherwise, the capital flow of Cheung Kong would be even more.

"Boss, the site at 141-143 Des Voeux Road Central can start construction in March!" Huang Changhong walked in and reported.

This is the sixth building of the Lin family in Central, and the fifth Central Building of Cheung Kong Industrial, named "International Building". 'Reputation.

In fact, since the construction of tall buildings was allowed in 1955, the tallest building in Hong Kong has been replaced by Lin Zhichao.

"Well, just pick a good date! By the way, how is the rental situation of Midea Building?" Lin Zhichao asked with concern.

The 32-square-foot Midea Building has been leasing since September last year and opened in March this year.

Huang Changhong immediately said: "The leasing rate is 90%, that is, the office building is still renting out. It's not a big problem. It should be more than 95%."

At this time, overlooking Central Hong Kong from Victoria Peak, there are already many high-rise buildings, so the office buildings in Central are no longer in short supply, and are relatively abundant; of course, the office buildings in Central, such as Cheung Kong Industrial, are all first-class Grade A office buildings, which are very popular in the market .

Regardless of whether it is a foreign company or a local company, the ability to work in Central is regarded as a guarantee of the company's reputation, which has always been the case.

Lin Zhichao nodded, and continued: "Now the company's projects are fewer, but we can't relax. Horizontal development is also very important. Poly Construction, Anderson Daya, Changjiang Finance, etc. all need energy management. You, the deputy general manager, need a lot of time. Help me manage the company."

Huang Changhong immediately sat up straight and said, "Don't worry, boss, I will do my best to ensure the stability of the entire group's affairs."

Development of real estate, retail real estate, commercial real estate, doll noodles, Poly Construction, Anderson Daya, Changjiang Finance, real estate agency, property management. Cheung Kong has more than 30 subsidiaries, large and small.

It is impossible for Lin Zhichao to manage so many companies, so he can only rely on these managements. He is more of a leader.

And Huang Changhong is the "Prime Minister", Lin Zhichao's assistant, or the big housekeeper, etc. In short, he has a lot of power.

Although it says "three carriages" and "four carriages", the other managements are still half a level lower than the management after all, and it can only be said that they are all directly responsible to Lin Zhichao.

If it goes public, the organizational structure will naturally change!

Afterwards, Huang Changhong said: "In fact, although we have few real estate projects, in fact, one large real estate project surpasses more than ten others. The side of Fude Garden is also enough for Poly Construction to get it in 1964. Another international building will be started soon. , so everyone’s work arrangements are also very reasonable.”

Lin Zhichao nodded and said: "It is not wrong to maintain this rhythm. Although we have funds, it is not a risk to develop more; but the development of real estate is a long-term business, and there is no need to eat too much at one go. Of course, the plot ratio will be reduced by 20% , but if the unit price is higher in the future, won’t you earn more!”

Huang Changhong said: "It is true that everyone is rushing to start construction and develop before 1966. I am afraid that the housing supply may exceed demand again and cause fluctuations."

He followed the boss to do things, so he could naturally find some signs. For example, the boss seldom buys land at official land auctions, no doubt because he dislikes the high price.

"Who knows! Anyway, it's not a good thing. Originally, the market only needs 15000 a year, but if it exceeds 2, or even 3 a year, it will be strange if nothing happens."

"Makes sense!"

After chatting for a while, Huang Changhong left. He felt that everything was under control as soon as he chatted with the boss.

Cheung Kong has sufficient land reserves, huge assets, and sufficient cash flow. As long as there is no risk in Hong Kong, Cheung Kong will have no risk. (end of this chapter)