Return to 1958 and build a century-old giant

Chapter 799 Bao Yugang's Request
"You're out? Why didn't you tell me beforehand?" Yang Wendong asked.

Wang Zhiqun said, "Mr. Yang, I apologize. It's because we can't be 100% sure that this input method is working properly, so we're still testing it. As you know, testing this kind of software involves so many Chinese characters, which takes up a lot of time."

"It's okay. As long as the common Chinese characters can be typed, that's fine. As for the rare characters, not many people use them, so don't worry about them. We can add them in later when we have the chance," Yang Wendong said nonchalantly.

While it's said that the customer is king, not every customer is. No business can cater to the needs of a small minority at the expense of the vast majority.

Wang Zhiqun said, "Okay, we've already prepared the floppy disks. We're currently using our own computers to do software testing, and we can also take a look at our hardware."

The engineer immediately took a floppy disk from the drawer next to him and installed it on the computer. Soon, a notification appeared on the screen. After a few steps, the engineer said, "Mr. Yang, it's installed. We can start typing now."

"Then just type out a section of the newspaper." Yang Wendong took a newspaper from the table and handed it over.

"Okay, Mr. Yang." The engineer took the newspaper, glanced at it, and began typing on the keyboard.

Yang Wendong looked at it carefully, and the familiar radical coding appeared before his eyes again. Perhaps it was a little different in logic from the one in his previous life, but as long as the characters were typed out, that was enough.

Soon, about 20 words appeared. Yang Wendong checked the time and said, "20 words per minute is not slow."

Wang Zhiqun laughed and said, "We have also tested it. The fastest person's speed is about 30-40 words per minute, but theoretically, if you are skilled enough, it will definitely be faster."

"This is already quite good," Yang Wendong said.

In the past, the fastest typing speed using Wubi was 293 words per minute, and even a normal stenographer could type at a speed of over 100 words per minute. However, this was likely a matter of proficiency. Any method, as long as it has a pattern and someone masters it, will inevitably become faster and faster.

Given the current societal demands for computers, being able to input Chinese characters is already quite good.

Wang Zhiqun said, "We will test it for a while longer. If there are no problems, we will prepare to launch it. The first batch will be launched together with the V1 computer. If we encounter Chinese customers in the United States, we can give one away at a low price. In this way, we can at least stabilize the Chinese community in the United States."

“This is a good method,” Yang Wendong nodded.

The number of Chinese people in the United States is not very large, but in the increasingly competitive personal computer market, even a small market is good. Honor itself doesn't have a market yet.

Wang Zhiqun added, "In addition, we are also planning to have the game department design some special games based on computer operation methods and install them on computers, which may also increase our sales."

Yang Wendong said, "Okay, that's fine. Computer games may be a huge market in the future. Let's just test the waters for now."

For the next few years, the main market for games will still be home consoles, but in another ten years, computer games will overtake them because the number of computer owners will be larger, and playing games will no longer require additional equipment. Plus, there are internet cafes.
Yang Wendong then asked, "How's the research on the home game console going?"

Wang Zhiqun said, "The samples have been produced, but the hardware cost is still too high, with a budget of about $400 per unit. I am already negotiating with Intel about chip utilization, but it will probably take some time."

"Okay, then let's wait a bit longer and launch the personal computer first," Yang Wendong nodded.

Although personal computers are technically more complex than home game consoles, there are already many similar products on the market, and the United States has a lot of talent in this field, so it is actually easier to manufacture them.
Game consoles, on the other hand, need to be specially customized, similar to non-standard machining, and they also need to be compatible with all existing games, which makes the special design very difficult.

Historically, Atari was developing a home video game console, but it failed and they eventually had to sell it to Warner Bros.

Wang Zhiqun said, "Okay, it is expected to be launched in the US market next month."

“Okay, I might also go to the United States, and then we’ll see how the results are,” Yang Wendong said with a smile.

Personal computers are expensive, costing at least seven or eight thousand Hong Kong dollars. In Hong Kong today, where the average monthly income is only three or four hundred, few families can afford one.
The only ones who can buy from them are large companies or educational institutions; for these, you can just negotiate directly, sell to them at a lower price, and also do some preliminary testing.
As for distribution channels, there's no need for that. At most, we'll put one in a few Carrefour stores in Central and see if any wealthy people are willing to buy it.

In mid-March, temperatures in Hong Kong returned to comfortable levels, and the streets were bustling with pedestrians.
Looking at the crowds in Harbour City across the street from the top of the Kang Le Building, Yang Wendong felt a sense of joy. The Harbour City project could be considered as successful as it had been in the past, or even surpassed it.

With its strong cash-generating ability, as long as the previous debts are paid off in the future, it can become the group's cash cow every year.
Of course, all types of real estate in Hong Kong are pretty much the same; once the debt is gone, the speed at which they can attract funds is terrifying. However, under normal circumstances, any conglomerate that can afford to buy such a building will take out a loan, and even if the loan is almost paid off, they will mortgage it again to buy other properties.
Human desires are endless. For example, Yang Wendong already owns many properties in Hong Kong, but he still dreams of acquiring more infrastructure projects and properties in Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, and, in the future, mainland China.
There's no way around it; large conglomerates or capital groups instinctively want to expand and acquire more assets. In the past, companies like Tencent, ByteDance, and Alibaba were already incredibly wealthy, but they were never satisfied with their achievements and even tried to compete with vegetable market vendors for business. Of course, Yang Wendong looked down on such things. Even if he were to sell vegetables, he would provide the property to others to sell vegetables, rather than selling them himself.
Just then, Assistant Aying knocked on the door and came in, saying, "Mr. Yang, Mr. Bao Yugang from Global Shipping would like to invite you for tea."

“Bao Yugang?” Yang Wendong said, “Okay, tell him I’ll be waiting for him in the presidential suite at the Four Seasons Hotel tomorrow at noon.”

He hasn't met with Hong Kong's wealthy elite for some time now. This is mainly because he has focused his energy on overseas markets in recent years, and his business in Hong Kong has basically taken shape, so there's nothing particularly noteworthy about it anymore.

I never expected that Bao Yugang would arrive just when I was considering Harbour City. You know, historically, Harbour City belonged to him, so I guess I snatched it away.
However, he didn't care, since the Bao family wouldn't exist anymore anyway. Thinking about it carefully, it's quite a pity that the family of a shipping magnate is gone just like that.

The next day at noon, Yang Wendong met Bao Yugang: "Bao Sheng, it's been a long time."

"Haha, yes, Mr. Yang, it's been a long time." Bao Yugang smiled and shook hands, saying, "Mr. Yang, your business is growing bigger and bigger. Now all my friends in America know your name."

"You flatter me," Yang Wendong said with a smile.

His business in the United States had indeed grown significantly. Best Buy and KFC had become industry leaders, and he had made numerous other investments, including Berkshire Hathaway, Nike, Walmart, Intel, and Apple. The success of Red Bull had also brought him, a Chinese-American financial tycoon, into the spotlight of the American media. Bao Yugang laughed, "It's no exaggeration. I only just learned that you invested in Apple. That company is incredible; it has a huge reputation in the US and is a leader in the American technology industry. I never expected you to invest in it."

"Your channels are pretty good too. Apple hasn't gone public yet, so right now it's only attracting the attention of some investment institutions, right?" Yang Wendong asked rhetorically.

Bao Yugang said, "Yes, my friend is also from an investment institution. I consulted him and we talked about this during a casual chat."

"Are you planning to invest in the United States?" Yang Wendong asked.

Bao Yugang shook his head and said, "No, it's just that I'm here today because of this. I'm not very optimistic about the future trend of shipping. Mr. Yang should have seen that earlier, right? I've noticed that your company has rarely purchased new ships in recent years, and you cleared out your oil tankers a long time ago."

"Yes, I'm not very optimistic," Yang Wendong nodded in agreement.

There's nothing wrong with admitting this. In fact, most shipping magnates are pessimistic about future trends because demand is declining while the number of ships is huge and still increasing, so shipyards would rather lose money than not produce.
Unless the Suez Canal closes again, it's only a matter of time before the shipping market collapses.
The difference is that some shipping magnates believe this is just a normal decline that will recover in a few years, just like the ups and downs of Hong Kong real estate.

However, Bao Yugang believed that the situation would not recover for a long time, so he abandoned his ship and landed to seize Kowloon Wharf in the original historical record.

Bao Yugang said, "Yes, Yang Sheng withdrew even earlier than me. Even if I wanted to withdraw now, I'd have to sell the ships at a loss."

"Isn't Tung Chao-yun still acquiring ships? You can sell them to him," Yang Wendong said with a smile.
The shipping magnate Dong was the kind of person who thought the industry was in decline, so he went against the trend and bought up stocks at rock-bottom prices to expand his business. In the past, he almost ruined the Dong family in this way. If it weren't for his son's support and the assistance from the mainland, the Dong family would have really declined completely.

“I had this plan, and I arranged to talk to him about it, but I came to see Mr. Yang today not for this matter.” Bao Yugang paused and said, “Mr. Yang, you and I both made a lot of money in the shipping market a few years ago;

But you've invested a lot of money in Hong Kong real estate, so your funds have an outlet, while mine don't."

"Why don't you just invest in Hong Kong real estate directly?" Yang Wendong countered.

In the past few years, shipping magnates have made a lot of money, including the Tung family, which is also the source of funds for his continuous expansion;

Bao Yugang, however, believed that they should abandon the ship, as the previous funds plus the proceeds from selling the ship were indeed considerable.

Bao Yugang shook his head and said, "If I get involved now, I can only start small. I may have a lot of funds, but I don't have the team I need."

"So you want to borrow my team?" Yang Wendong asked, puzzled.

Bao Yugang laughed and said, "No, if I really wanted people, I could just poach them from you, haha."

"Bao Sheng is truly honest." Yang Wendong shook his head. If he really was poaching people, as long as it wasn't blatant poaching, Yang Wendong wouldn't care.

Bao Yugang said, "Mr. Yang, I have two things to ask you about. First, I want to invest in your Hutchison Whampoa and Hong Kong Electric. Second, I would like to ask for your opinion on how I should invest in the Hong Kong real estate market."

"Hutchison Whampoa and Hong Kong Electric?" Yang Wendong asked. "Why?"

“These are your only two large listed companies. One has a strong real estate portfolio, and the other is a public enterprise that won’t lose money,” Bao Yugang said. “I also wanted to give some of my funds a safe place to go.”

However, if I were to acquire it directly, it might cause some misunderstandings and a surge in the stock price. So, I'm asking you first. If you disagree, that's fine. If you agree, I'll increase my investment. This would be better for both of us.

"You seem to have quite a bit of capital on hand," Yang Wendong smiled and said, "Hutchison Whampoa is fine. I'll have the board issue shares to both of us through a private placement. I'll still maintain my 49.9% stake, and I can offer you 10%. How about that?"

Hutchison Whampoa is its own listed company, and according to the law, it can only hold 49.9% of the shares. The rest belongs to other shareholders and investors, so it doesn't matter who gets them.
It is also because his prophetic abilities are not of much help to Hutchison Whampoa's business that he has allowed it to remain listed. Furthermore, Hutchison Whampoa's large-scale overseas investments in the future will require mixed ownership with other capital to maximize profits.

“Okay.” Bao Yugang nodded and said, “How about Hong Kong Electric? It’s a public infrastructure company, you can’t privatize it in the future, can you?”

If Yang Wendong disagreed with giving him Hutchison Whampoa's shares, that would be understandable; however, HK Electric is a public enterprise, and the law clearly stipulates that it must be listed.

Yang Wendong shook his head and said, "No, you just said you wanted to ask for my opinion. My opinion is that you should also invest in a power company, but not Hong Kong Electric, but CLP Power."

However, Hong Kong law has restrictions: once you become a major shareholder of HK Electric, you cannot invest in CLP Power, and vice versa.

“CLP Power? That’s the core of the Kadoorie family’s business! How could they possibly agree to that?” Before Bao Yugang could finish speaking, he asked with a surprised expression, “Mr. Yang, do you want me to acquire CLP Power?”

"Why not?" Yang Wendong retorted.

Since they couldn't legally gain control of CLP Power, they might as well give it to another Chinese company. In short, they had to seize the British-owned interests in Hong Kong.

PS: Please give me a monthly ticket
(End of this chapter)