Lin Zhichao came to a high-end restaurant in Wan Chai to attend the wedding of Li Jiacheng and Zhuang Yueming.
In fact, he recently attended a funeral where his 'benefactor' Jian Dongpu passed away, which made Lin Zhichao quite shocked.
Because although Jian Dongpu is 79 years old, he is still the chairman and general manager of Bank of East Asia and is still working; his sudden death is obviously a bit surprising.
Jian Dongpu was kind to Lin Zhichao. He took great care of Lin Zhichao when it came to loans, and he also vaguely became a "business backer" of Lin Zhichao.
Later, after Lin Zhichao became prosperous, he also took great care of the Bank of East Asia. His annual deposits were no less than 100 million, and he handed over the capital transactions of the Yangtze River Industrial Group to the Bank of East Asia.
Although it was a bit sudden, Lin Zhichao could only accept the fact that there was no resurrection after death.
Sometimes he even laments that he was born in August 1928 and is already 35 years old. He will also be 95 years old when he lives in 2023, which makes people feel "sad"; assuming that he can maintain the physical functions of a sixty-year-old by then, He can donate more money, otherwise he cannot guarantee that his children will continue his strong philanthropy.
From the current point of view, Lin Zhichao's body has not encountered the same situation in his previous life - he can't urinate enough in middle age and life is short; on the contrary, he is as brave as ever, and he can easily challenge three people, and he is as vigorous as when he was twenty. avoid.
Of course, even though he is so fierce and unscrupulous, Lin Zhichao is still very restrained in that aspect.
"Lin Sheng, Mrs. Lin, it's an honor for us and my husband to come here!" Li Jiacheng and Zhuang Yueming greeted happily.
At this time, many people at the wedding were a little surprised. They didn't expect that a small plastic flower businessman could actually know the leader of the Chinese community in Hong Kong and be invited to the wedding.
Zhuang Jing'an, who was standing next to him, was also surprised by his son-in-law's connections. If he invited Lin Zhichao, others might give him face; but since he had no social contact with Lin Zhichao, he would not invite him.
Many guests also speculated that Lin Zhichao was invited by Zhuang Jing'an, and they were immediately relieved.
"Congratulations, you two have finally achieved enlightenment and are happy!" Lin Zhichao congratulated with a smile.
"Thank you, please come in!"
Li Jiacheng was quite moved. This boss was still very approachable!
There were still many celebrities attending the wedding, but it was obvious that Zhuang Jing'an had enough reputation; Zhuang Jing'an was the founder of Hong Kong Chao'an Association and the first and second president of the association, so naturally he was there. The Chaoshan Gang has a certain prestige.
"Uncle Lin, Mrs. Lin" Liao Liewen immediately stepped forward to say hello.
Lin Zhichao and his father, Liao Baoshan, were close friends of the same generation, and when Liao was in trouble, Lin Zhichao was the most helpful and sincere. Liao Liewen, under the guidance of his father, Liao Baoshan, naturally respected Lin Zhichao very much.
Lin Zhichao patted Liao Liewen on the shoulder and said happily: "You are good! You have lived up to your father's expectations and supported the Liao family."
Liao Liewen said quickly: "Thank you Uncle Lin for your affirmation and teaching!"
Lin Zhichao said: "Don't talk about that! You can continue to develop real estate without shrinking, and you can play a huge role in the Chaoshan Chamber of Commerce. These courages are all due to your father's teachings and your own efforts. Okay, we will also If we don’t talk about this, we can cooperate more in the future. Who is this?”
Because beside Liao Liewen, there was a middle-aged man with a Chinese character face and thick eyebrows, standing there a little unable to let go!
Generally speaking, when he and Liao Liewen are reminiscing about old times, what are you doing here?
Liao Liewen immediately introduced: "Uncle Lin, this is Inspector Lu Lezonghua. He respects you very much, so he comes with me to pay a visit!"
Lin Zhichao looked at Lu Le and thought for the first time, is this the awesome Inspector Zong Hua on TV? Is he the Lu Le who dared to tell the British police superintendent to get out? Why do you stand in front of yourself without any momentum, even cautious and subtle?
"Hello Lin Sheng, I have worked as security for you and the Hong Kong Governor before, but I didn't expect you to be so young!" Lu Le said with a smile, a little reserved and low-key.
Lin Zhichao smiled and said: "It's Inspector Lu Zonghua! You did me a little favor last time. I'll toast you later!"
Lu Le was immediately flattered and said quickly: "Lin Sheng, you are serious, I will come and toast you later!"
"Haha, it's settled!"
"Yes Yes"
The small favor Lin Zhichao was talking about was what happened to Long Shengxun last time. As the chief detective of Hong Kong Island, Lu Le, after learning about the conflict between the two parties, decisively let Lin Zhichao's bodyguard go immediately and locked up Long Shengxun until the next day. , was released after being released on bail.
Although he was not personally involved in these matters, lawyer Hu Baoxing told him about them.
Of course, no one else would dare to shut down Lin Zhichao's bodyguard, especially if the other party was looking for trouble.
Next, Li Jiacheng's wedding began, and the banquet was quite good. After all, he was marrying Zhuang Jing'an's eldest daughter, so there was no reason to lose face.
Lin Zhichao made a little prediction in his mind. Li Jiacheng might be able to have a cash flow of 3 to 4 million Hong Kong dollars by 1967. If this amount of funds is used to buy real estate at the bottom, there is hope that it can be listed in 1972.
After all, it was very easy to go public in those years. It is said that assets of 20 million Hong Kong dollars can be listed on the market, and some restaurants can be listed to raise funds. Therefore, with Li Jiacheng's ability, he could manage the company to 20 to 50 million in 1972, and he could raise about 10 million in funds.
It is impossible to become Lin Zhichao's opponent again. No matter how powerful he is, he will never be able to catch up to the top ten real estate developers in the late 1970s.
Because of this, Lin Zhichao let him go at the auction and helped him; it was because Lin Zhichao did not want Hong Kong to lose one Li Jiacheng, including Bao Yugang, in the 1980s and 1990s.
The wedding went very smoothly. Later, many people rushed to chat with Lin Zhichao. It was obvious that he was the biggest celebrity today.
Lin Zhichao was not arrogant, and he always looked kind and friendly to everyone, but he also gave people the feeling that it was difficult to get along with him and be friends. In this way, it was naturally not possible for anyone who wanted to get close to Lin Zhichao.
The people he promotes must be his own people or people with real abilities.
Lin Zhichao actually had the same attitude towards Lu Le. When he came to propose a toast, he just expressed his gratitude, and then nothing happened.
After all, for Lin Zhichao, Lu Le was also a person who was not on the stage, so naturally he would not care about him. Above him, there is the Chaoshan Chamber of Commerce, and among the leaders of the Chaoshan Chamber of Commerce, who dares to stand up to Lin Zhichao!
Liao Liewen, who was about to become the president, even called him "Uncle Lin" with respect!
The only fly in the ointment is that London has not yet canonized him as a 'Sir', which is a bit disrespectful!
In other words, the response is too slow!
The Hilton Hotel at 2 Queen's Road in Central, Hong Kong opened. Lin Zhichao and Xu Caiying attended the opening ceremony.
It is well known that he has two official wives, but when he attends many events, he always brings Xu Caiying with him instead of Tang Caiyun.
It's not that Xu Caiying is more beautiful, after all, Tang Caiyun is also beautiful; the real reason is that Tang Caiyun is like a national treasure and a stable place for the Lin family, so she almost never appears in public.
At this point, Tang Caiyun did pay more. Fortunately, she and Xu Caiying had a very good relationship since childhood, and she knew her important position in the family.
According to Lin Zhichao's usual approach, Tang Caiyun wants to hold on to the 'best-kept' Yangtze River Industries assuming something unexpected happens to him; to put it simply, the shipping and industrial assets can be sold off, while the real estate needs to be held on to until his son can help and inherit it. At that time, the task is completed.
At present, it seems that Lin Zhichao's rear is basically stable. Tang Caiyun was able to control Yangtze River Industries while Lin Zhichao was abroad, and cooperated closely with the senior management without any conflicts. The characteristic of Tang Caiyun is that she continues Lin Zhichao's style and listens to the opinions of senior executives. She is not very strong, but she can represent Lin Zhichao.
The same cannot be said for Xu Caiying. Global Shipping is still transparent, and the senior executives will not ask her for advice. It is not that the senior executives are arrogant, but that the boss's wife is not professional at all, and there is absolutely no reason to ask for advice.
Fortunately, Lin Zhichao didn't force Xu Caiying!
"It's a beautiful hotel building!" Xu Caiying said with emotion as she looked at the building of the Hilton Hotel.
The Hilton Hotel in Central, Hong Kong, was invested by an American businessman and a German businessman. It is said to have cost US$1,400. It is located at No. 2 Queen's Road, while No. 1 Queen's Road is the HSBC Bank Building. The hotel building's appearance is somewhat like an 'L' shape, with an arc-shaped structure underneath.
After the hotel building is built, it is handed over to the Hilton Hotel Group for management. In fact, the ownership and management rights are separated. In this cooperation model, the general term is up to 50 years, and 10% of the turnover is charged as a management fee every year. Because it is fully managed, a signboard is also used.
The location of the Hilton Hotel is very good, and it feels better than the HSBC Bank, because there is a big park next to it and the view is very good; on the contrary, there are buildings on both sides of the HSBC Bank, which is slightly crowded.
"The future will belong to our family!" Lin Zhichao said lightly.
Xu Caiying looked at Lin Zhichao in surprise, and then smiled. She thought Lin Zhichao was joking and didn't take it to heart.
"Go in, don't let people think that we are here to spy on the military situation, but not to attend the banquet!" She took Lin Zhichao's arm and walked towards the hotel.
As everyone knows, Lin Zhichao was telling the truth. Not surprisingly, ten years later, due to the oil crisis, the owner of this hotel building was willing to sell the ownership (property ownership and hotel ownership), and the selling price seemed to be as much as one in Bali. The Hyatt Hotel only costs over 200 million (230 million), which is incredibly cheap.
At that time, Hong Kong was experiencing a sharp decline in real estate caused by the stock market crash and the oil crisis, so it could not be sold at a high price.
In this life, Lin Zhishan naturally accepted it. After all, besides him, who else in Hong Kong could afford it!
After buying it, it happened to wait until the 1980s when the contract with Hilton Hotel Group was forced to be terminated and a compensation fee was paid, and then it could be rebuilt.
By then, the building war and Feng Shui war between HSBC, Bank of China, and Yangtze River Center will naturally begin.
very interesting!
Arriving at the entrance of the Hilton Hotel, there were many Hong Kong celebrities participating. Even Governor Robert B. Lincoln came to attend, making it very lively.
The owner of the Hilton Hotel and the owner of the American-owned company Yonggao, John Qiao, also specially warmly entertained Lin Zhichao and his wife.
In Hong Kong, there are currently four five-star hotels, Peninsula Hotel, Miramar Hotel, Mandarin Hotel, and Hilton Hotel. There are exactly two in Kowloon and Hong Kong Island, regardless of each other. Before 1963, Kowloon was actually completely victorious and had two five-star hotels.
After the ribbon cutting and cocktail reception, the Hilton Hotel officially announced its opening.
During the reception, Bai Liji and Lin Zhichao also took the time to chat.
"Mr. Lin, thank you for supporting the work of the Hong Kong government and supporting a large number of water transport ships!" Bai Liji said with a smile.
"Your Excellency, the Governor of Hong Kong, you have given the award. As a Hong Kong citizen, I have always supported the work of the Hong Kong government. You know this!" Lin Zhichao raised his glass to indicate that the two of them could have a taste.
Bai Liji was very satisfied with Lin Zhichao's consistent style. According to people in the Political Department, Lin Zhichao had never participated in politics and had no communication with his opponent at all. In this way, everyone thinks that Lin Zhichao highly approves of the British Hong Kong government.
In fact, what these people don't know is that Lin Zhichao is a businessman, so he can naturally play both sides, but there is obviously no need to do so at this time.
From the bottom of his heart, Lin Zhichao's heart belongs to China. The specific manifestation is to repay the motherland after 1978. Take charity as an example. In the future, 70% of charity funds will be donated to mainland China and Hong Kong.
But he dares to say that 70% of his future wealth will come from overseas, not Hong Kong and the mainland.
Of course, with the lessons learned from Li Chaoren in his previous life, Lin Zhichao will never have high hopes, and it doesn't matter how much you love to comment on him. All he did was to have a clear conscience.
"By the way, Mr. Lin, what suggestions do you have for the future of this freshwater resource?" Bai Liji was very interested and directly asked Lin Zhichao's opinion in public.
Generally speaking, the Hong Kong government seeks the opinions of members of the Legislative Council, so it allows Chinese to be elected as some members, as well as large groups of foreign companies, so that they can intuitively understand Hong Kong society.
Now if you ask Lin Zhichao directly, there are many questions!
Lin Zhichao reacted quickly and knew the secret in an instant:
First, he is a Chinese business leader and has great influence in the eyes of Hong Kong Chinese, just like Ho Tung before;
Second, this is actually a political issue. Bai Liji is testing Lin Zhichao's tendency. It's very simple. Now when the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce and the Hong Kong and Kowloon Trade Unions go to the mainland, they have demands for building a water supply project. Once the mainland agrees to the water supply project, the Hong Kong government actually has no choice but to agree, rather than being very willing, because this means that the mainland Strengthening ties with Hong Kong is what the British Hong Kong government has always been vigilant about. So this is a political incident!
Lin Zhichao said seriously: "I believe that the British Hong Kong government is building a water supply project network for Hong Kong. After all, everyone knows the current achievements in this area. If the drought comes a few years later, of course, if the water supply project in the mainland is realized, it will be a double success." Insurance mainly takes into account factors such as sudden changes in the situation. Generally speaking, after this crisis is overcome, Hong Kong’s water supply situation will definitely improve in the future. I believe in Government Z!”
His answer was very clever. He recognized the water supply system built by the British, but he also hoped that the water supply project in the mainland would be realized. At the same time, he was not 'vague' or 'playing both ways', and clearly pointed out that the water supply project in the mainland would not be so stable. The problem, after all, as far as he knew, this water supply project had to ensure agricultural irrigation in Pengcheng, and it might not be stable at all in those ten years. Real stability came after the 1980s.
Because of this, Hong Kong built the High Island Reservoir in the 1970s, spending 1.35 billion to build the largest public works project; at the same time, it also stepped up efforts to desalinize seawater.
Why is there never enough fresh water in Hong Kong?
This is because of Hong Kong's population growth and the need for large amounts of fresh water for economic development. Therefore, even if the current water resources are satisfied, reservoirs must continue to be developed.
So, does the Dongshen Water Supply Project make a big contribution to Hong Kong?
The answer is, of course, a huge one. The 1980s were a time when Hong Kong’s population was booming and its economy was booming. Without fresh water from the motherland, it would not have been so smooth.
A later foreign reporter for the South China Morning Post said the 'water supply system' to be built by the British was "the most important factor" in Hong Kong's population expansion and becoming a booming city, "more important than any other single factor". The reason is: Hong Kong has historically lacked a reliable water supply system. There are no important rivers, lakes or other natural water sources. Its basic geographical conditions are not conducive to large-scale urbanization. However, thanks to the artificial reservoirs, open channels and Other infrastructure allowed Hong Kong to grow from a small self-sufficient village to a massive city.
This foreign reporter is definitely biased and is suspected of deliberately exaggerating.
Of course, at the end of the article, he briefly mentioned that the mainland had provided fresh water to Hong Kong since the 1960s, but he also said that in the next 20 years, "seasonal water shortages will still be common." The article also writes that Hong Kong's "water shortage" was not truly solved until the Dongshen-Shenzhen Water Supply Project was completed. This not only changed the lives of Hong Kong people, but also allowed Hong Kong's economy to achieve further development in the 1980s.
In fact, there is nothing to argue about!
It's like 7 million people need water, and a fresh water system can feed half of them. How can we argue that it doesn't matter who we are?
In the final analysis, Hong Kong is a small place. To support so many people, it is already overloaded!
After a brief chat with Bai Liji, the two separated.
Even so, many people have seen the close relationship between Lin Zhichao and the Hong Kong government.
(End of chapter)
