A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

On this day, Chen Guangliang, accompanied by Zhang Fangshuo, the person in charge of Xinfeng Textile (Hong Kong), and others, came to Tsuen Wan for inspection.

Sun Fung Textile (Hong Kong) has its own factory, but Chan Kwong-leung plans to build a 'textile industrial park' to prepare for a large-scale integrated textile industry development. In addition, the current Sun Fung Textile factory is located in Kowloon, and the land area is not large enough.

Therefore, Chen Guangliang turned his attention to Tsuen Wan, which was still a rural area at the time.

The convoy of cars drove westward along Qingshan Highway, with farmland stretching out on both sides of the road.

Then, Chen Guangliang signaled the driver to stop the car, and everyone got out and looked at the scenery around them.

Zhang Fangshuo said from the side, "Boss, this place is far from the city center and is surrounded by farmland. It's probably not an ideal location for a textile factory."

He couldn't understand why the boss would suddenly buy more land when the factory was already big enough.
Chen Guangliang asked, "Going forward, I plan to expand the textile industry and enter the printing and dyeing industry, so I plan to purchase another plot of land for industrial use."

Zhang Fangshuo finally understood Chen Guangliang's thoughts, but he still didn't understand why the advantages of setting up a textile factory in Shanghai were so obvious, and the Hong Kong factory should just be a 'branch factory', so there was no need to invest too much.

Unless, the boss is planning to fully develop his business in Hong Kong, I've heard that his company has been making a lot of moves there recently.

"How many acres of land does the boss plan to buy?"

"About 100 mu (6.7 hectares), farmland here should be quite cheap."

Converting farmland into industrial land only requires paying one more fee to the Hong Kong government!

Zhang Fangshuo was surprised and said, "Even if the land here is cheap, it would probably cost 2 to 3 Hong Kong dollars per square foot, which is almost 1.8 yuan per mu. The resumption of production at our Hong Kong Xinfeng Textile is basically due to loans from Ping An Bank."

The implication is that Hong Kong textile factories rely entirely on loans, so where would they get the money to buy land reserves?

Chen Guangliang laughed and said, "We'll continue with the loans. Hong Kong's security has been very bad lately, so people are depositing their money in banks. However, many banks haven't found a way to channel their funds, so deposit interest rates are extremely low, and there are even storage fees for current accounts. Therefore, Ping An Bank is currently working hard to attract deposits, and the loan channel is to support industries like Xinfeng Textile and Vitasoy."

They vigorously attract deposits while simultaneously issuing loans, creating a virtuous cycle.

In fact, Chen Guangliang already possesses a fortune of US$4000 million, equivalent to over HK$1.6 million, so funding is not an issue for him. However, some of his US funds remain frozen and cannot be withdrawn to Hong Kong for the time being.

Even so, Chen Guangliang's wealth is enough for his current large-scale development.

"Okay, with the bank's support, there shouldn't be any major problems."

The interest rate is low, and I'm a business owner, so I can pay it back slowly.

Sin Fung Textile (Hong Kong) has a good reserve of textile talent, and now it only needs the arrival of the textile machinery ordered from the UK to quickly complete the full resumption of production. Sin Fung Textile's products were already being sold to Southeast Asia before the war and were quite popular, and it also had sales channels.

Subsequently, Chen Guangliang entrusted Zhang Fangshuo with the task of purchasing farmland in Tsuen Wan, and planned to have Ping An Bank and Cheung Kong Property cooperate, mainly in site selection and scale.

We definitely need to choose locations on either side of Qingshan Road, and fortunately, there are many options available here.

A land area of ​​100 acres is roughly 60 square feet, which is quite a large plot of land in Hong Kong. Moreover, the factory plans to build two- or three-story factory buildings, making it even larger in scale.

Finance, shipping, real estate, and industry—this is the empire Chen Guangliang is building for his four sons. If Hong Kong isn't enough, they'll continue expanding overseas.

Under the military government's rule, Hong Kong was primarily a place for the trials and punishments of Japanese people. Many Japanese were stripped down to their boxer shorts and then taken away in large numbers to deal with the ruins of Hong Kong. This scene naturally attracted onlookers from the Chinese community.

However, at the same time, under the rule of the military government, Hong Kong's public security was very poor, and all kinds of petty theft were rampant, so people deposited their money in banks.

The military government's primary responsibilities were taking over Hong Kong and trying Japanese citizens; it paid relatively little attention to other aspects of society.

Just then, Chan Kwong-leung reached an agreement with senior Hong Kong government officials to have Global Trade purchase food and other supplies from overseas, which would then be handed over to the Hong Kong government for allocation.

This move earned Chan Kwong-leung the favor of the Hong Kong government.

Some Hong Kong government officials also probed Chen Guangliang about Hong Kong's sovereignty, but Chen Guangliang dodged the question. After all, he was a businessman with relatively good relations with the Nationalist government and had great influence; if he said the wrong thing, he would probably be labeled a "new traitor".

However, Chan Kwong-leung also hinted that he had the idea of ​​settling down in Hong Kong.

a few days later.

Chen Guangcong and Jack returned to Hong Kong ahead of each other, arriving by plane from Los Angeles.

Back in 1935, Pan Am pioneered the first trans-Pacific route from the United States to China, a truly groundbreaking feat. They departed from San Francisco, passed through Hawaii, then hopped islands to Midway, Wake Island, and Guam, finally arriving in Manila and then Hong Kong, taking approximately four days.

Compared to sea freight, it saved about half a month of time.

“Brother, the US has established a postwar supplies processing center with all sorts of supplies, and Jack wants to get into that business. Also, the US produced about 2000 Liberty ships during the war. These ships have a water capacity of 10000 tons and can actually carry 5000 to 7000 tons of cargo. I'm thinking of buying two of them. But with Jack's American status, I think it will be cheaper and more reliable, so I'm planning to have him come to Hong Kong to jointly register a shipping company.”

At the Hongkong and Shanghai Grand Hotel in Central, Chen Guangcong began his introduction.

Chen Guangliang also became interested in this cooperation. Jack was a friend of many years, and there was no problem with trust. The United States had abundant resources after the war, but the prices were almost off the table. He knew of the Liberty ship, which cost $150 million to build. In his previous life, he sold 10 of them to the Nationalist government for only $55 each, and only 30% of the payment was required, with the remainder payable in installments.

If Jack had American citizenship, would the price be even cheaper?
Moreover, although the United States has more than 2000 Liberty ships, these ships are not sold directly to private individuals overseas. They are generally sold to governments, and in the previous life, many were sold to allied countries, including Britain, France, Greece, etc., which even helped Greece become a 'maritime hegemon'.

But if someone has Jack's identity, the US government will naturally prioritize its own citizens.

In addition, some American goods also sell well in the Far East.

Chen Guangliang immediately said, "Yes, this cooperation is a win-win situation."

Jack said happily, "Since I met you, Mr. Chen, I've had great luck. Over the years, I've made a lot of money in the stock market. I hope you'll take good care of me in starting this trading company."

"You're too kind. We're friends, and I happen to have started a trading company. We can complement each other's resources."

"it is good"

Regarding the purchase of Liberty Cruises, Chen Guangliang's idea is to buy four, with an estimated cost of 2 million US dollars.

Although the Liberty was built during wartime and everyone says it only has a ten-year lifespan, in reality, back in the 1970s and 80s, people in mainland China bought it and treated it like a treasure. This clearly shows that the ship still has at least 25 years of service life left, so this is a real bargain.

Jack wasn't very interested in the shipping business, so Chen Guangliang gave him 5% of the shares without him having to pay anything; it would be included in the commission from the auction of the Liberty. Chen Guangliang would then buy back the shares he held.

As for his younger brother Chen Guangcong, he subscribed for 45% of the shares.

Of course, a new shipping company needs to be established in Hong Kong, with Jack as the representative and the brothers Chan Kwong-leung and Chan Kwong-chung as shareholders.

As for the trading company, Jack would need to telegraph the list of goods to Hong Kong, and then Global Trading would decide what items were best to sell in the Far East, and the two parties would cooperate.

One day in late July.

Chen Guangliang, accompanied by Yan Renmei, Chen Wenjie, Chen Guangcong, Yang Xiaohu, his second uncle and second aunt, arrived at the Wharf dock. They were surrounded by seven or eight bodyguards.

After waiting anxiously for more than an hour, a ship flying the American flag finally sailed to the dock, and Chen Guangliang was immediately excited.

It had been almost five years since Chen Guangliang and Jiang Meiying had last seen each other, and their youngest son was already over four years old. As the boat came to a stop, Chen Guangliang saw Jiang Meiying leading their youngest son, Chen Wenhua, followed by Chen Wenjin, Chen Leyi and her brother, and Chen Guangliang's mother, Yang Hui, running towards them.

"Mom, Meiying"

"Husband"

The two couldn't help but embrace, and Chen Guangliang said, "Thank you for your hard work."

"It's all worth it, no matter how hard it is."

"elder sister"

"My dear sister, I've been waiting for you to come back."

A family reunited at the dock, attracting attention but revealing their wealth and status.

Chen Guangliang then picked up 7-year-old Chen Leyi and 4-year-old Chen Wenhua, one being his only daughter and the other his youngest son, whom he naturally doted on.

The eldest son, Chen Wenjie, also pulled his younger brother, Chen Wenjin, to reminisce; the two brothers used to have a very good relationship.

"Brother, there are three more members of your Chen family here!"

Yang Xiuying led her three children to Chen Guangliang at the opportune moment.

Chen Guangliang put down his two children, first patted his nephew Chen Wenbo's head, and then picked up his two nieces Chen Meiyi and Chen Manyi.

"Haha, our whole family is reunited today. Let's all get together tonight."

Today, the Chen family is quite large, and raising their children is now a top priority.

That evening, everyone gathered at the villa on Conduit Road.

Jiang Meiying and her four children moved directly into their ancestral home.

That night.

Chen Guangliang arrived at Jiang Meiying's room, feeling somewhat excited.

"Husband, what brings you to my room?" Jiang Meiying said deliberately.

After all, this was the main house, which she had never lived in before with Chen Guangliang.

Chen Guangliang laughed and said, "What's the big deal? If you stay here for a year, your house will need major repairs. So, from now on, I'll take turns staying in your room for three nights and Renmei for four nights."

Jiang Meiying said coquettishly, "So, does that mean we'll spend every night in passion?"

Chen Guangliang patted his chest and said, "What's wrong with having nights of pleasure?"

After saying that, he had already reached Jiang Meiying's side.
He said, "You've really worked hard these past few years. I'll make it up to you properly in the future!"

Jiang Meiying said happily:

"Although I think of you every night, I always feel hopeful and have something to look forward to, especially after the attack on Pearl Harbor. I was overjoyed because I knew the war would end."

"Furthermore, in April 1942, following your advice, I bought a large amount of military stocks. I sold them all in the last month or so, making a total profit of $6.5 million. I now have $10 million in hand. Because I am an American citizen, these funds have not been affected."

Chen Guangliang laughed and said, "Then you're a very rich woman too!"

Jiang Meiying immediately said, "I intend to give it to you, since your funds are frozen by the United States, and these funds are just right for developing your business."

Chen Guangliang said with emotion, "You underestimate me. I have brought 300 million US dollars from the mainland and Macau, so I have no worries about funding."

Chen Guangcong also brought back $100 million from the United States, but his funds were not actually frozen. The frozen funds were mainly bank deposits.

With these funds, it would be sufficient to develop shipping and real estate, and as for banking and industry, they would be a perfect match.

"Well, you can use my funds anytime."

“I know what you mean, but I really don’t need it. I’ll use this $1000 million to invest in assets in the US and projects around the world when I have time.”

"It's so kind of you"

Next, Chen Guangliang could no longer contain himself and sniffed the scent of Jiang Meiying's stockings, and a long-lost pleasure returned to him.

The next morning, the family gathered for breakfast, and the mother, Yang Hui, also moved in with her eldest son, as was customary.

During the meal, Yan Renmei said, "The most urgent matter is for the children to get into school as soon as possible. Of course, Liang-ge, you don't need to worry about this. Meiying and I will take care of it."

In fact, the eldest son, Chan Man-kit, has already entered St. Paul's Co-educational College in the Mid-Levels, which is the first co-educational secondary school in Hong Kong.

As for the other school, Queen's College, it has not yet started this year.

Jiang Meiying asked, "Which middle school did Wenjie attend?"

Yan Renmei said, "St. Paul's Co-educational School is a good option for Wenjin to attend."

Chen Wenjin is Jiang Meiying's eldest son. He is 11 years old this year and has just finished elementary school in the United States. He is preparing to go to middle school.

These children have been learning English since they were young, so there are no problems with teaching in both Chinese and English.

But upon returning to Hong Kong this time, Chan Kwong-leung will personally ask everyone to learn more about traditional Chinese culture.

Jiang Meiying nodded and said, "Sister is right."

The other five children, and my younger brother's three children, are all going to primary school and kindergarten, so there's nothing to worry about.

Indeed, Chen Guangliang doesn't need to worry about it too much.

After finishing breakfast, Chen Guangliang went to work to earn money without worry, leaving the two women in charge of the household.

This time, they also brought four maids and dozens of security personnel from Shanghai to Hong Kong.

Chen Guangliang also needs to continue to establish roots in Hong Kong and build relationships with the local government and businessmen. He is even preparing to establish the Ningbo Chamber of Commerce.

In this era of Hong Kong, it might not be the Cantonese people who reign supreme! (End of Chapter)