A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

More than three months later.

mid-December.

At the Wharf of Kowloon Wharf in Tsim Sha Tsui, Chan Kwong-leung and his wife personally saw off his younger brother Chan Kwong-chung and eldest son Chan Man-kit as they prepared to board their own boat to travel to the United States.

This time, Chen Wenjie was actually going to New York to attend high school, and his uncle Chen Guangcong accompanied him.

Chen Guangcong had spent five years in the United States and even attended university for a few years, so he was quite familiar with the country. Of course, Chen Wenjie's high school in the United States was arranged by his friends and subordinates there.

"While learning advanced Western knowledge, you must always remember that you are a Chinese, and you must not slacken in learning traditional knowledge." Before leaving, Chen Guangliang instructed his eldest son.

Chen Wenjie received the 'eldest son' education from Chen Guangliang since childhood and has a steady personality. After hearing his father's instructions, he immediately said: "Yes, combine Chinese and Western approaches, take the essence and discard the dross."

Chen Guangliang patted him on the shoulder and said, "Don't put too much pressure on yourself, and rote learning is not advisable. Social relationships are very important."

These words are hard for most people to understand. Does Chen Guangliang expect his son to be 'perfect'?
Actually it is not.

Although Chen Guangliang had high expectations for Chen Wenjie, they were nothing more than "steady progress". As the eldest son, Chen Wenjie would be arranged to take over the "Changjiang Group" in the future, and Chen Guangliang would be in charge of the company's development. Chen Wenjie only needed to be a "talented person", not a "genius".

Chen Wenjie nodded and replied, "I will, Dad!"

After giving a brief explanation, Yan Renmei stepped forward and gave another briefing. There were no tears in her eyes, but rather a sense of hope and expectation.

"My biggest regret in life is not going to university. You must help me fulfill this wish."

Chen Wenjie knew that his mother was a very studious person, but because she knew his father, she missed the opportunity to go to university.

So he said, "When I go to college, I'll invite my mom to visit the university!"

Yan Renmei smiled slightly and said, "If my grades aren't good, I won't come."

Chen Wenjie said excitedly, "I will definitely do my best!"

Yan Renmei smiled and hugged her son, and Chen Wenjie immediately made up his mind.

The brothers had always believed that their mother always smiled at their father, while being very strict with them. Even today, Chen Wenjie feels that his mother's smile can also be reserved for them.

"Brother, Wenjie's personality means he'll have no problem surviving independently in America. He's much better than I was back then!"

"Don't praise him! You can help me a lot right now, but he still has a long way to go."

The two brothers chatted for a few minutes.

Whether Chen Wenjie will truly succeed remains to be seen; Chen Guangliang will only dare to say so at least ten years from now. Ten years later, at 24, after three years of work, his performance will be evaluated based on his ability to complete projects and manage relationships with colleagues.

Although he is doing well now, the story of "The Tragedy of Zhongyong" serves as a lesson.

Soon, Chen Guangcong set off with Chen Wenjie. They arrived in the United States in early August, first in San Francisco, and then by plane to New York.

On the way back, Yan Renmei leaned against Chen Guangliang's chest, her mood suddenly sinking. Her outward sternness and strength did not mean that her feelings for her children were less than Chen Guangliang's; in fact, she might even feel more sorry for them. It was just that she needed to play this 'family role'.

“It’s normal for children to grow up and spread their wings. Wenjie has been intelligent and steady since childhood, which is why I feel at ease letting him go far away at the age of 14. Besides, we have so many friends, relatives and subordinates in the United States.”

Yan Renmei nodded and said, "I'm just not used to it right now, it's not that I'm really worried about that much."

This time, Chen Wenjie's guardian was not Jack, Chen Guangliang's friend, but his great-aunt Yan Youyun. Chen Guangliang had also visited this aunt, one of the legendary "Yan sisters," when he first went to New York.

Of course, Chen Wenjie attended a boarding high school, and he mainly relied on himself.

The sweltering heat couldn't dampen Chen Guangliang's enthusiasm for his work, and he visited the new 'Sun Fung Textile' factory on Castle Peak Road in Tsuen Wan.

The original 100-plus acres of farmland has now become the site for Xinfeng Textile's new factory, and the factory is currently under construction.

"Mr. Tong, this is our new factory at Hong Kong Sun Fung Textile, which is expected to be in production next year. At that time, Hong Kong Sun Fung Textile will become a vertically integrated enterprise encompassing textile dyeing and sewing."

Zhang Fangshuo, general manager of Hong Kong Xinfeng Textile, introduced the group to Tong Runfu and others who came from Shanghai, including Chen Guangliang.

The manufacture of a garment must go through four steps: spinning, weaving, dyeing, and sewing.

Spinning: is the process of spinning cotton into cotton yarn;

Weaving: This refers to the process of using knitting or woven techniques to weave cotton yarn into knitted fabric (plain fabric) and woven fabric.

Dyeing: The raw knitted or woven fabric is sent to a dyeing factory for processing and dyeing, and then it becomes various colored fabrics available on the market.

Sewing: This refers to the process of using a sewing machine to sew processed and dyed fabrics into clothing. Different raw materials can be used to sew different types of clothing; for example, cotton fabric is sewn into cotton clothing, while wool fabric is sewn into wool garments.

Hong Kong's Sun Fung Textile Factory is planned as a textile industrial park integrating textile dyeing and sewing, and of course, it will be built in phases.

Tong Runfu was invited to Hong Kong for an inspection. After hearing Zhang Fangshuo's introduction, he sighed inwardly that this leading figure in Chinese commerce was now content to settle down and start a business in small Hong Kong. It seemed that he had a very bad judgment about the situation in the mainland.

Then, Tong Runfu asked, "As far as I know, Hong Kong's climate is humid and not suitable for spinning. Have you already solved this problem?"

In the early days, Hong Kong's textile industry did not have the step of 'spinning'; it imported 'cotton yarn' from the mainland and then used it for weaving. In other words, what was imported was not cotton, but cotton yarn bales or spindles.

Zhang Fangshuo said proudly, "This is all thanks to Shanghai Xinfeng Textile School, which continuously sends textile talents and skilled workers. Our technicians discovered that the heat generated by the operation of machinery can counteract the moisture in the air, so the quality of the cotton yarn is not affected by the humid weather."

Sin Fung Textile dominates the Hong Kong market, and currently has nearly 2,000 employees in its Kowloon factory. Its products are sold to Southeast Asia and even to mainland China.

These achievements are inseparable from the textile talents and skilled textile workers sent from Shanghai.

The 'Xinfeng Textile School' that Chen Guangliang strongly supported back then not only cultivated many textile talents for the country, but also provided great assistance to his own textile industry.

Tong Runfu nodded and then said, "In this way, Mr. Chen's textile business in Hong Kong can be said to have great potential. Don't worry, Hong Kong Xinfeng Textile needs technicians and skilled workers, and our Shanghai Xinfeng system will provide strong support, after all, it's all your investment."

At this time, Tong Runfu not only served as the general manager of Shanghai Xinfeng Textile, but also as a textile industry official in the Nationalist government, thus belonging to the category of official-businessmen.

Chen Guangliang said with a smile, "The main reason for inviting Manager Tong to Hong Kong this time is that we hope you can lead the Xinfeng Textile system in Shanghai to move to Hong Kong later, including talent and skilled workers, as well as you and your family." Tong Runfu was taken aback, and he immediately said, "Mr. Chen, I am not considering moving to Hong Kong."

Chen Guangliang immediately said, "Mr. Tong, do you know what the consequences will be if you choose to stay in China?"

Tong Runfu shook his head.

Chen Guangliang then analyzed two possibilities for him, and finally said, "Mr. Tong, serving the country is something everyone wants to do, but if you can't, although you are a talent in the textile industry, your identity is 'bureaucratic capitalism,' and it's impossible for you to integrate into it, at least not without transformation."

Upon hearing this, Tong Runfu's face turned red.

"Is Mr. Chen exaggerating a bit?"

Chen Guangliang smiled and said, "I believe you will believe me. Don't forget who I am! I plan to gradually move Xinfeng Textile from the mainland to Hong Kong next year. Those textile technicians and skilled workers will also be our targets. I hope Mr. Tong will give me his support at that time. Of course, I would be even happier if Mr. Tong could come to Hong Kong."

Tong Runfu was startled. He knew who Chen Guangliang was—he knew about opening factories in Hong Kong and Chongqing before 1937, and he knew about relocating factories in Hong Kong and the concessions in 1941. His analysis of the situation could almost be described as prescient.

His current analysis of the two factions in the country is indeed very reasonable. If the Nationalist government is indeed going to lose, then the new regime will inevitably belong to the working masses.

Is he considered a capitalist?
Anyway, he had a driver and servants, and lived in a Western-style house in Shanghai. Although he was an employee, his salary and bonuses were very generous. More importantly, he held an official position in the Nationalist government.

"Okay, I'll think about it when I get back."

Chen Guangliang patted him on the shoulder and said, "Sometimes, supporting the country doesn't have to involve sacrificing yourself. We in Hong Kong can also provide support. As a window for exchanges between China and the West, Hong Kong will undoubtedly play a significant role in the future."

Tong Runfu nodded and said, "Yes, Mr. Chen has always been very farsighted."

In fact.

Chen Guangliang's business also began to extend into the areas controlled by another faction, and he would inevitably increase trade with them, selling them the steel, medicines, and other supplies they needed.

After this conversation, Tong Runfu, who originally planned to stay for a week, decided to continue his inspection tour in Hong Kong.

It seemed that he quickly changed his attitude, which reminded Chen Guangliang of Tang Feifan from the mainland, a friend he respected and China's first Nobel Prize winner in Medicine (penicillin).

Currently, the Chen family's "industrial system" only includes textiles and zippers, while "Vitasoy" is strictly speaking a food and beverage company and may be incorporated into Cheung Kong Group in the future.

Xinfeng Textile and Hehe Zipper are the industries currently involved in by Chen Guangliang.

On this day, Chen Guangliang came to Hehe Zipper to inspect the work.

General Manager Wang Feichao explained the situation to him: "Boss, our four machines can currently produce continuously, and we sell the zippers we produce to Southeast Asia and the mainland. In particular, after our products entered the Shanghai market, they had a great impact on the local market, and those manual zipper manufacturers will go out of business completely."

Looking at the endless stream of zippers being produced, Chen Guangliang said, "If this kind of product were sold to Japan, wouldn't it have a devastating impact on Japan's handmade zipper industry?"

Wang Feichao said, "As long as Japan doesn't have automatic zipper machines, local zippers basically won't have much room to survive. After all, the cost and performance of mechanized production far surpass that of manual production."

Chen Guangliang nodded, and then convened a meeting with the management team.

He said, "We have two goals next. First, we will import more automatic zipper machines to increase production and thoroughly penetrate Southeast Asia and Japan, with Japan being our new target. Second, I will establish a 'zipper research institute' and recruit R&D personnel from the mainland and Hong Kong. We also need to have the technology."

Chen Guangliang's second goal is actually to produce 'aluminum alloy zippers', but he does not yet have the corresponding technology.

Upon hearing this, everyone's spirits lifted, knowing that Hehe Zipper was about to experience a leap in development.

Wang Feichao said, "We can import ten zipper machines (rice sorting machines), and at the same time, we will set up an office in Japan."

Chen Guangliang said, "Ten units are not enough, at least thirty units are needed, of course, in batches. The markets in Japan and Southeast Asia are huge, and we need to act quickly to seize the local market and put pressure on local businesses."

This time, in 1947-1948, the total investment will reach nearly one million US dollars, not only for importing chain gear machines, but also for improving research and development capabilities.

For example, once aluminum alloy zippers can be produced, Hehe Zippers will inevitably take a step forward.

Meanwhile, once this wave of development takes off, smelters should also be established, with steel and aluminum alloys as the target products.

"Ok"

Everyone knew that if such an investment were made, the boss would likely have to personally oversee the development plan, and their company would receive more attention from the boss.

The fact that Chen Guangliang continued to work at Hehe Zipper after the meeting is the best proof of this.

A week later, Chen Guangliang established another toy company, Huatai Toys. The initial management and staff were all transferred from Xinfeng Textile Factory, totaling four people.

In the conference room, Chen Guangliang said to the four people, "One of our products is this toy called 'Little Yellow Duck,' which you must produce using plastic. So, Huatai Toys was initially a plastics factory, producing plastic toys. You all need to recruit the necessary technology and machinery as soon as possible."

"Yes, boss."

The four didn't know why the boss would be interested in this industry, but they all understood one thing—they were the founding members, so as the company grew, their status would increase significantly.

Manager Liu Yuanlong suggested, "Boss, this hand-painted 'little yellow duck' is very representative and unique. Should we consider applying for a patent overseas?"

Chen Guangliang has some foresight; he actually thought of this.

"Of course, once the company is fully prepared and the plastic rubber ducks are produced, the first thing we will do is apply for a patent in the United States."

The father of the little yellow duck?
"Okay, we've got it."

Then, Chen Guangliang said, "Huatai Toys not only produces this little yellow duck, but also plastic water guns and all kinds of toys. In short, you must understand that after the war, the world economy will gradually develop, and the toy industry will also grow very large. Although we have just been established, we must have a long-term plan in mind."

Everyone applauded, their expressions filled with excitement.

All four are young people in their twenties, belonging to the young management team at Xinfeng Textile. Now they've come out to start their own business with the boss, and they'll seize this opportunity.

After giving his instructions, Chen Guangliang continued to plan the business in his office.

Plastics and toys are actually two separate industries, and they may eventually develop into two independent companies. (End of Chapter)