Return to 1958 and build a century-old giant

Chapter 953 Brothers Reunited and Opportunities in the Mainland Market
Time quickly passed to January 1, 1985, New Year's Day. Except for the service industry, almost everything in Hong Kong was closed.
Yang Wendong and his family boarded a yacht and floated on Victoria Harbour. The yacht, which was hundreds of meters long, attracted the attention of countless people on both sides of the strait.

However, those who frequently frequent the harbor know that this is the luxury cruise ship of Hong Kong's richest man, Yang Wendong. There are even five or six smaller cruise ships surrounding it, making it virtually impossible for other ships to get close.

"It's a bit chilly outside with the sea breeze blowing," Yang Wendong said, shivering slightly as he walked in.

Hong Kong winters aren't very cold, but they weren't wearing any heavy clothes, which would normally be fine. However, today the weather was a bit overcast and the wind was strong, making it quite cold outside on the boat.

Zhao Liming laughed and said, "Come on, Brother Dong, a hot pot has been prepared here. Have some to warm yourself up."

Lin Haoyu also said, "Yes, Liming's cooking skills are really good, he's almost a master chef."

"What chef? I just learned a little from the chefs under my command," Zhao Liming said, shaking his head.

"Hmm, it tastes good." Yang Wendong took a bite and immediately praised it, then asked, "Liming, how's business at your restaurant lately?"

Zhao Liming said, "Business wasn't doing so well a few years ago, as you know, Brother Dong. It's been a little better these past few days. Judging from the current trends in the stock and land markets, it should gradually return to normal."

Lin Haoyu laughed and said, "It doesn't matter. You're just opening a big restaurant for fun. With how much Brother Dong has taken care of us over the years, we don't need this little bit of business."

"Doing business isn't just about making money; it's also about having something to do. Otherwise, you'll be bored every day without any goals," Yang Wendong said, raising his glass and taking a sip of beer.

He doesn't smoke, and he basically doesn't drink alcohol, except for some very important occasions, in which case he might drink a little low-alcohol wine or red wine.
Otherwise, since today is a family gathering, I specially invited Zhao Liming and Lin Haoyu, who started from scratch with me, so we just had a few beers.

It's rare to find a true friend in life, and there aren't many people like him these days;

Early on, Yang Wendong removed these two men from his core power sphere, partly because they lacked ability and had not received systematic education, and partly because he was worried that the superior-subordinate relationship would affect their friendship.

At the same time, any relationship may not withstand the test, so it's better not to test it at all;

In the beginning, he put Zhao Liming and Lin Haoyu in charge of his charity business and gave them a considerable salary. He also informed them about the real estate market and certain bank loan benefits, which enabled the two of them to make a fortune. Now they are both worth hundreds of millions.
Later, as the group expanded, its charitable business gradually became more formalized, and the two of them left in the 70s to venture out on their own, doing small businesses and the like.

Lin Haoyu replied, "No, that's not true. I'm a very simple person. Now I have food, drink, a house, and a car. It's good that I don't have any goals. I retired early and play every day, often going to play mahjong."

“That’s true, everyone has their own ambitions.” Yang Wendong smiled and added, “You can play mahjong, but don’t gamble. Losing money is a small matter, but this stuff can easily ruin a person’s mind.”

Lin Haoyu said, "Don't worry, Brother Dong. I know you warned us against gambling and drugs. If I dare to do it, you can throw me in to feed the fish."

"You watch too many movies. I'm not a gangster," Yang Wendong said, shaking his head helplessly.

In recent years, Hong Kong films have become wildly popular across Asia, including some gangster movies, undercover police movies, and even some ruthless gangster movies, which have probably corrupted quite a few people.

"Haha, just kidding." Zhao Liming laughed. "I'm different from Haoyu. I'm getting older now, and I'm thinking about starting my own business. I don't want to be like Dong Ge, but it would be great if I could be like Li Ka-shing or Li Shau-kee."

"Really?" Yang Wendong looked at Liming with some surprise, then said, "At this point, it's a bit late. Hong Kong's real estate economy has basically reached the era of oligopoly."

However, if you really want to, I can invest in your company, get some preferential treatment from the bank, and then have Hutchison Whampoa collaborate with you. That way, you can achieve considerable success.”

People don't stay the same forever. Some people are very career-oriented when they are young, but they become more open-minded when they get older.
Some people might do the opposite: they play hard when they are young, but want to build a career when they get older.

Zhao Liming shook his head and said, "I don't want your help, Brother Dong. That's too boring. I want to make my own way and leave some inheritance for my descendants."

"Who told you to marry so many wives and have so many children?" Lin Haoyu laughed heartily.

Yang Wendong then said, "Haoyu, you're special. You and your sister-in-law are truly in love."

Of the three brothers, only Lin Haoyu married only one.
It's important to know that before 1971, it was legal to have multiple wives in Hong Kong. Even after 71, wealthy men could only register their marriages officially, and this was still widely accepted in society.
By the 60s, these two men, while not extremely wealthy, were certainly financially independent and could easily marry several wives.

Lin Haoyu said, "I think it's great. Just like Dong Ge said, everyone has their own ambitions. Wasn't there an emperor in the Ming Dynasty who only had one wife? He didn't even have any concubines?"

"That's true." Yang Wendong didn't think much of it; there really was such an eccentric emperor.

In fact, there are quite a few people like this. For example, Bao Yugang was extremely wealthy in the 60s, and he did not remarry even though his wife had no son.

There may still be some "true love" in this society.

The group continued eating hot pot. Yang Wendong asked, "Liming, do you want to make a fortune, or do you want to build a business?" "What's the difference?" Zhao Liming retorted.

Yang Wendong replied, "If you just want to make money, then you can go directly to Hang Seng Bank, take my business card, and get a loan to buy a house in Hong Kong."
Aside from industrial land, you can acquire any kind of residential, office, or commercial property you like, the higher the leverage, the better. As long as the rental income can cover the minimum interest payments and the cash flow doesn't collapse, then it's fine.

"Brother Dong is optimistic about Hong Kong's future real estate market?" Zhao Liming had experienced several real estate crises, so he naturally understood Yang Wendong's meaning.

Yang Wendong said: "Yes, you can study the Sino-British Joint Declaration, which contains many restrictions on the Hong Kong British government. One of them is that only 50 hectares of land can be transferred every year in the future."
I estimate that the Chinese side's purpose was to prevent the British Hong Kong government from frantically selling off large amounts of land before leaving, hence the strict restrictions.

However, once this restriction is in place, it will inevitably lead to a surge in future property prices. Furthermore, I predict that the mainland economy will rise, and Hong Kong's global standing will improve; these will all be factors driving up property prices.

If the Hong Kong British government had continued to govern, it would certainly not have resorted to short-sighted measures and would have adopted the same approach to the property market as before.
But Hong Kong was to return to China in 97. Without restrictions, things would inevitably go wrong. The Chinese side was certainly aware of this, hence the restrictions.

However, due to the restrictions, coupled with the fact that the mainland economy took off in the 1990s even stronger than predicted, this led to the take-off of Hong Kong's economy, with the entire real estate market increasing more than tenfold in 12 years.
However, even with many restrictions, the British Hong Kong government still left Hong Kong with a considerable mess, including the 98 financial crisis. Although external factors included George Soros, the internal cause was the methods left by the British Hong Kong government.

“If Brother Dong thinks so, then it seems he’s right.” Zhao Liming pondered for a moment, then asked, “What if I want to start my own business?”

Yang Wendong said, “In Hong Kong today, it is very difficult to start a business on your own. But there are many opportunities in the mainland. As a Hong Konger, you can also enjoy preferential treatment if you invest. You can consider it. Like me in the early days, you can start a business and have the opportunity to achieve something.”

Historically, in Hong Kong in the 80s, social classes were already quite fixed, with powerful Chinese-owned conglomerates and traditional British-owned conglomerates controlling everything.
Even if there are still disputes and wealth still flows, it is a matter between the rich. It is difficult for new forces to rise in the lower classes.
Admittedly, there have been legendary figures like Liu Cixin, but they are basically exceptions. Liu Cixin himself is very capable, and he also inherited his family's electric fan factory, which led to his later success.

The presence of Yang Wendong has accelerated all of this. Although he did not do it intentionally, his contribution to the wealth of Hong Kong society cannot be ignored.

But in mainland China, there are still many opportunities. Looking back at the 80s from the 21st century, it was practically a goldmine.
Historically, there were even a few Hong Kong companies that relied on mainland factories and the mainland market to become industrial giants with assets in the tens of billions.

“Going to China to do business,” Zhao Liming said with a smile. “My old man went back a while ago to pay respects to our ancestors, and I went with him.”

“That’s good too. The old folks all want to go back to their hometown,” Yang Wendong nodded.

He had actually tried to find his biological parents in this life, but unfortunately there was no news at all;
Fortunately, his childhood memories are in Hong Kong, so the impact wasn't too great;

Zhao Liming then asked, "But I don't know what to do? Dong-ge, can you give me some pointers?"

“If you follow me, you can become a supplier for my factories in mainland China. It’s not difficult, and there are professionals to guide you,” Yang Wendong said.

Zhao Liming shook his head and said, "No, if it's just to follow Brother Dong, why would I go through all that trouble? I want to make things happen on my own, otherwise I think life is too boring."

“If you want to do something yourself, then I’ll give you some pointers, but I won’t go into specifics.” Yang Wendong thought for a moment and said, “Go to the mainland, live there as an ordinary person for a few months, and see how life there differs from your life in Hong Kong.”
The parts of this that you're not used to are business opportunities. Introducing these Hong Kong goods or services to the mainland is an opportunity, or you could even build your own factory on the mainland.

Zhao Liming and Lin Haoyu, after all, started the business with him. Although they did not have shares in his company, their early income was not low. With his guidance over the years, they also have a lot of high-quality properties and stocks in Hong Kong.
If there were even a Hong Kong rich list, the two of them would definitely be included.
However, like those traditional old families, the two of them did not have a separate company, but mainly collected rent;
If either of them wanted to raise funds in a short time, it wouldn't be a problem, let alone with their relationship, getting financing from Hang Seng Bank would be a piece of cake.

"Different lifestyles?" Zhao Liming pondered.
Yang Wendong continued, "In fact, the essence of business is to solve needs. The essence of new business is to solve some problems that have no solution. For example, our early sticky mouse traps and sticky notes were all to solve customer needs. Before we launched them, people in society did not know about these needs."
However, this kind of innovation is still very difficult. But if you go to the mainland, as a Hong Konger, you can easily discover the needs of the mainland market that mainlanders are unaware of. If you discover these needs first and solve their problems, that's a business opportunity.

In the 80s, many of the people who discovered business opportunities in mainland China were actually people who had been abroad. After going abroad, they discovered the gap between the two sides, which created their own opportunities.

This can also be reversed, allowing Hong Kong people to discover opportunities to start their own businesses.

“I understand, Brother Dong,” Zhao Liming nodded and said.
Yang Wendong's early entrepreneurial history was essentially about solving customer needs, and other business logics are essentially the same.

Lin Haoyu asked, "The mainland probably doesn't allow Hong Kong people to build factories there and then sell their goods there, right?"

"Haoyu is right," Yang Wendong agreed. "However, the policy will change. Besides, if you can solve these problems in Shenhai City first, then naturally many people will help you deliver your goods to the mainland."

Until the 90s, there were large ZS teams around the deep sea, which was unavoidable because there was demand in the mainland market.
This phenomenon isn't limited to the deep sea; it occurs in other places as well.

Zhao Liming said, "Okay, then I'll go to Shenhai City for a while in a few days. It would be great if I could find something. If I can't, I'll just treat it as a trip."

Yang Wendong raised his glass and said, "Alright, I won't go into too much detail. Just try it yourself. If you can't find it, that's fine. If you do find it, then give it a try. I wish you every success."

"Thank you, Brother Dong." Zhao Liming also raised his glass.

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