A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

In early November.

Chen Guangliang attended a banquet hosted by the Hong Kong government to mark his appointment as a Justice of the Peace in Hong Kong. The banquet was attended not only by Hong Kong government officials such as Alexander Grantham, but also by representatives of British-owned companies such as HSBC, Jardine Matheson, and Swire, as well as prominent Hong Kong Chinese figures such as Ho Tung and Chow Shouson. The event was of a very high caliber.

After all, when Chen Guangliang was serving in the Nationalist government, he was already the general manager of the China Merchants Group and a senior economic advisor. If he were to settle in Hong Kong, he would naturally attract a lot of attention and become a key target of the Hong Kong government's surveillance.

The Hong Kong government was truly relieved after learning that Chan Kwong-leung had not been engaged in political activities in Hong Kong, and began to bestow honors upon him.

On the other hand, Chan Kwong-leung's influence in the business world and his charitable activities in Hong Kong over the past two years have garnered much attention and praise. Granting him the title of 'Justice of the Peace' is just a warm-up; in another year or two, the British Royal Family should also bestow an title upon him.

After all, once a large number of "Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai businessmen" flood into Hong Kong, Chen Guangliang will still be their "representative" and his influence will be all-encompassing.

At the banquet, Governor Grantham smiled politely and said, "Mr. Chan, congratulations. Of course, this honor is a bit late, mainly because the Hong Kong government has never been sure whether you would settle in Hong Kong!"

Chen Guangliang humorously said, "I proved with facts that I deserve this honor."

“Of course,” Grantham said. “You have made great contributions to Hong Kong’s economic development, refugee relief, and housing improvement in the past two years. You deserve this honor.”

The Ge Lianghong couple, the Chen Guangliang couple, and the other two men raised their glasses and chatted for a while.

During the conversation, Yan Renmei handed Mrs. Ge Lianghong, Mu Lian, a business card and said, "Mrs. Mu Lian, we are planning to establish a charity called Oxfam. If you are interested, you may feel free to provide guidance."

This is wife diplomacy.

According to Chen Guangliang's understanding, although Grantham was one of the most well-regarded governors of Hong Kong, perhaps second only to Murray MacLehose, during the Korean War, smuggling was rampant in Hong Kong. Could Grantham have had some interests in this? Did he and his wife love money?

It is unknown, but if Mrs. Ge Lianghong wanted to get rich, Chen Guangliang would naturally have a way to make her rich legitimately.

Mu Lian happily accepted the business card and said, "I already know that Mr. and Mrs. Chen are charity ambassadors, and I am very interested in learning more about them."

The four of them attracted a lot of attention while they were talking.

British investors believed that Chen Guangliang's strength should not be underestimated, and future competition was inevitable. After all, they had already competed in Shanghai in the 1930s. Although Hong Kong was under British rule, the status of Chinese people had greatly improved since the war, and Chen Guangliang's identity was extraordinary. They would definitely have direct competition in the future.

It is said that Chen Guangliang became a director of HSBC through various means, to the point that even HSBC had to compromise.

The feeling of the 'elite Chinese' is that a powerful dragon has crossed the river, and this dragon has already become a 'local tyrant,' and the Chen family will probably become the most dazzling family in Hong Kong in the future.

The current businesses of the Chan family are enough to amaze the Chinese in Hong Kong—banking, shipping, real estate, industry, media, each industry is a behemoth in Hong Kong, which is hard to believe that the family has only been in Hong Kong for two years (in fact, the Chan family began to set foot in Hong Kong in 1934).

Little did these people know that Chen Guangliang's influence in Hong Kong would soon become even more unstoppable.

As for Oxfam, it was Chen Guangliang's philanthropic idea:
Chen Guangliang decided to establish a 'charitable organization' in Hong Kong. Although he owned the 'Ning An Foundation' in mainland China, he did not want to continue using that name to avoid being seen as a close associate of the Commander-in-Chief.

Therefore, after arriving in Hong Kong, he donated funds to Tung Wah Group of Hospitals and Po Leung Kuk in his own name or in the name of his family, or directly engaged in charitable activities.

Now, he wanted to establish a comprehensive charitable foundation, so he started using the name 'Oxfam'; this charitable organization was handed over to the public again in the 1960s and 70s.

As for the 'Chan Kwong Leung Foundation', it was established after the 1970s. Around 1978, Chan Kwong Leung decided to finally establish his own charitable foundation, mainly to help compatriots in mainland China.

In the early days of Oxfam, Chen Guangliang had Yan Renmei take the lead, with the wives of Sheng Qi and others joining, and Guo Deming, the "Chen family advisor," serving as an external consultant.

The initial funding is HK$100 million, primarily intended for the survival of Hong Kong refugees.

The next day, accompanied by Zhuang Zhujiu and Lu Hanzhang, Chen Guangliang arrived at the Phoenix Film Studio in North Point.

Currently, Times Pictures no longer has any film production operations in mainland China; all production is concentrated in Hong Kong. They've even sold the Times Cinema on Nanjing West Road.

Hong Kong's film production business is mainly concentrated in Phoenix Studios in North Point, and there is also a production base in Kowloon. Meanwhile, Times Films has just spent HK$40 to purchase 100 million square feet of mountain land in Clear Water Bay, planning to reclaim the land and build Times Studios.

In terms of cinema business, it already owns more than 120 cinemas in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, all of which are owned properties. The total number of seats is much larger than that of the Shaw family, almost more than twice the size; after all, many of the Shaw family's cinemas are open-air cinemas and rural cinemas.

Stepping into Phoenix Studios in North Point, one is immediately struck by its bustling activity; production staff and actors are always in a hurry.

Lu Hanzhang introduced himself, saying, "Our Times Film Company is now the dominant force in Hong Kong's right-wing films, producing nearly a hundred films a year. So everyone's work is slow, but we are also quite happy."

Chen Guangliang disagreed with the following statement.

Due to the 'monopoly' of Times Pictures, which owns a large number of cinemas in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, and Times Pictures also has strong film production capabilities, Times Pictures' cinemas do not show films produced outside of China.

As a result, those who wanted to make independent films had no choice but to rely on Time Pictures.

What are you happy about?
The monopolistic nature of Era Pictures inevitably leads to the exploitation of production and acting staff, leaving everyone with only the thought of being "employees under contract."

Chen Guangliang asked doubtfully, "Isn't producing a hundred films a year a bit too much?"

Lu Hanzhang laughed and said, "Not much! Boss, you don't know, Southeast Asia doesn't have high requirements for movies, they just care about fast updates."

Fast food culture?

That seems to be the case.

In the post-war era, people's lives became monotonous, and they needed more movies to alleviate the boredom. The old model of showing a film for two or three months, then again, then again, was clearly no longer feasible.

Chen Guangliang said, "A person who does not plan for the future will have trouble in the present. This model works for now, but in the long run, everyone will pursue better production content."

Lu Hanzhang immediately took it to heart and said, "We don't only pursue that kind of film. We will strive to produce more than ten high-quality films every year."

Chen Guangliang nodded. He probably worried a bit too much. After all, Times Pictures wasn't a paternalistic company. It had always had its own artist training program and director/editor training program, and its company rules and regulations were quite comprehensive.

The reason Shaw Brothers made a mistake in its previous life was because the people of Shaw Village liked to embezzle the production fees of Shaw Brothers in Southeast Asia, which angered Run Run Shaw so much that he traveled from Singapore to Hong Kong to personally supervise the production.

"By the way, you two should also pay attention to cultivating new talent. One of these days, organize a meeting between me and the management and production talents you have your eye on."

"it is good"

Throughout the entire Era Pictures, Zhuang Zhujiu served as general manager, overseeing not only cinema chains and distribution but also film production; however, Lu Hanzhang was in charge of film production as well.

Below the two leaders were many other managers, whom Chen Guangliang was familiar with, including the directors of the two film studios, regional distribution managers, and so on. If the film production business led by Lu Hanzhang didn't perform well in the market, Zhuang Zhujiu would bring it up.

Over the years, Zhuang Zhujiu has studied the film industry extensively and has become quite accomplished.

"Mr. Chen"

A surprised female voice called out to Chen Guangliang.

Upon seeing the person who had arrived, Chen Guangliang was filled with emotion, but he smiled and said, "So it's Miss Ruan Lingyu. I was unable to make it to your wedding last time, please forgive me!"

After being scolded awake by Chen Guangliang, Ruan Lingyu continued to film at Times Film Studio. She did not repeat the path of her previous life and married a production manager at Times Film Studio, which can be considered a happy ending.

Saving a life always puts you in a good mood.

Ruan Lingyu walked up to Chen Guangliang and said gratefully, "I am already very happy that you sent Miss Jiang."

Chen Guangliang said with satisfaction, "Good, good. The two of you should work and live well in Hong Kong and not go back to the mainland."

Ruan Lingyu gave a slight bow and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Mr. Chen. But now that you are in Hong Kong, we all naturally live according to your wishes."

"Haha, I heard you're a key actor at our Times Pictures. Let's help each other out."

Ruan Lingyu is only 37 years old this year, and she can play many roles. Moreover, her contracts are all top-tier actor contracts. Hu Die, a famous film star of the same era as Ruan Lingyu, also joined the Times Film Company after the war.

While nurturing new talent, Times Pictures also highly valued these former "Shanghai Bund" movie queens.

After exchanging a few words, Ruan Lingyu finally let go of her inner turmoil and politely left. This man had been in her sight for a long time, but she wasn't fortunate enough to have him, yet this man had saved her life.

Finally, Chen Guangliang and Zhuang Zhujiu walked together.

"After the war, did Time Pictures acquire so many properties? Are they currently facing any financial difficulties?"

Zhuang Zhujiu shook his head and said, "It's not really a difficulty. Ping An Bank is very supportive of us, and our profits are increasing year by year. We expect to be able to distribute dividends normally in another year or two."

He understood that Times Pictures belonged to the "Chen" family, not the "Zhuang" family, so he would report this every time they met.

Chen Guangliang said with satisfaction, "This is a good thing! Property is also an important cornerstone for the development of Times Pictures. With our own cinema chain, all the profits will be ours."

"Yes. But without your strong support in the early stages, no other company could have developed so rapidly. Moreover, the fact that Times Film Industry successfully avoided losses during the War of Resistance was also key to our rapid rise after the war."

"As the major shareholder, I should naturally give my full support."

He doesn't usually manage Times Pictures much, but Chen Guangliang's influence in the company far exceeds that of Zhuang Zhujiu.

Currently, the Chen Guangliang family holds more than 65% of the shares in Times Pictures, Sheng Qi holds 20%, and the rest are in the hands of some influential businessmen; there are basically no retail investors left.

Chen Guangliang still trusted Zhuang Zhujiu, believing he was capable of managing and controlling the overall situation.

As for the media industry, Chen Guangliang has no immediate plans—he intends to have one of his four sons from his first wife take over.

Real estate, shipping and trade, industry, and finance are the four sectors that the four major subsidiaries of the company need to learn from in the future.

Hong Kong, Nanyang Studios.

Nanyang Film Studio was a film production company in Hong Kong owned by the three brothers, Shao Zuiweng, Shao Cunren, and Shao Renmei (the eldest, second, and third brothers), and was second only to Times Film Productions.

Meanwhile, Shaw Renmei and Run Run Shaw (the sixth son) also ran the 'Shaw Brothers' in Singapore, controlling some cinemas and amusement parks in Southeast Asia.

Nanyang Studio and Shaw Brothers, one producing films in Hong Kong and the other distributing them in Southeast Asia, were truly "brothers working together".

However, the behemoth 'Times Pictures' not only prioritizes institutional advantages but also has a leading capital base, and it always manages to perfectly avoid losses and produce excellent films.

Over the years, Era Films has severely suppressed the Shaw Brothers Group.

The soul of Era Film Company was Chen Guangliang, while the management master was Zhuang Zhujiu. With countless talents under his command, Shaw Brothers felt that he was a major enemy.

Some say that the people of Ningbo dominated the Chinese film industry, and that's not entirely untrue, since both Chan Kwong-leung and the Shaw Brothers were from Ningbo.

But when the two families went to war, they didn't care about 'fellow townsmen's feelings', and this Shaw Brothers film was suppressed again.

Shao Zuiweng traveled from Shanghai to Hong Kong to hold a meeting with his two brothers, Shao Cunren and Shao Renmei. (Shao Zuiweng lived in Shanghai for a long time and did not leave until his death in 1979.)
The eldest brother, Shao Zuiweng, spoke first: "Times Film Industry is developing faster and faster, which has a great impact on our Shaw Brothers films. Do you have any good solutions?"

Shao Renmei immediately said, "After the war, Times Film Company expanded its cinema network in Southeast Asia by at least double. And nearly ten of their films hit the screens every month. Unexpectedly, we outlasted Star Film Company and Lianhua Film Company, but instead we have welcomed this behemoth, Times Film Company."

A sense of powerlessness enveloped the three brothers.

Some say that Times Pictures is a collaboration between "Jiangsu and Zhejiang tycoons," namely Chen Guangliang from Ningbo, and the Sheng and Zhuang families from Changzhou. This background is frightening enough.

Crucially, the development of Era Films can be said to have progressed rapidly after the December 128 Incident. However, it was not until after 1937 that it truly became a film industry giant.

Shao Cunren said, "From what I've observed, the film production of Era Films emphasizes speed and efficiency, low cost and short production time, but this seems to be very popular in Southeast Asia."

Shao Renmei's eyes lit up, and he said, "That's right. So Hong Kong really needs to increase production."

Shao Zuiweng immediately said, "In that case, you two brothers should communicate well and not let Times Pictures really defeat you. After all, Times Pictures is just a junior to us."

"Okay, big brother."

At this time, Siu Tsuen-yan did not yet hold absolute power in Hong Kong, so he could not withhold production funds. But now, they were forced to get involved in the 'production war,' and the quality would naturally decline.

Little did they know, they were already close to a 'trap'. Era Films would have been the first to brake in the early to mid-50s, pursuing higher film quality; but Shaw Brothers couldn't have reacted so quickly, and they would inevitably have lost more market share.

(End of this chapter)