A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

A month later.

On this day, on the top floor of the Ping An Bank Building on Des Voeux Road Central, Chen Guangliang invited Du Yuesheng, who had just arrived in Hong Kong, along with Fang Jiaobo and Yan Zhiduo, to his office.

"Since Mr. Du has come to Hong Kong, I, as a junior, should pay him a visit."

Du Yuesheng's eldest son, Du Weifan, married Yan Renmei's younger sister, Yan Renyun. Therefore, Chen Guangliang was considered a junior to her, and the two families were indeed related.

Before they could finish their pleasantries, Du Yuesheng said, "Guangliang, we've been old friends for years, no need for formalities. I just arrived in Hong Kong, and you invited me here, which shows you remember me. Haha!"

After saying that, he laughed, a laugh that hinted at the decline of a hero.

Chen Guangliang said, "I know that Mr. Du and his family have just arrived in Hong Kong and prefer a quiet environment, but the reason for inviting everyone here is about the profits that Ping An Bank has earned over the years, which have not been distributed yet, so we will distribute them this time."

Upon hearing this, Fang Jiaobo, Du Yuesheng, and Yan Zhiduo were all very surprised. They had all borrowed money from Ping An Bank, but Ping An Bank had not pressed them for repayment. Later, they thought that the investment funds had been wiped clean.

When Ping An Bank was first established, everyone was just investing out of friendship.

In addition, over the years, Ping An Bank has been strictly controlled by Chen Guangliang, and the other shareholders do not know how much money they have made or how much money they have saved. However, after the war, Ping An Bank was registered in Hong Kong, and they were notified that it had nothing to do with the Shanghai-listed Ping An Bank, so no one had anything to say.

Du Yuesheng said, "What's the difference? The development of Ping An Bank over the years is all thanks to you. Besides, we also had a debt relationship with Ping An Bank back then."

Chen Guangliang waved his hand and said, "These are all old stories, there's no need to talk about them. Besides, Ping An Bank has basically withdrawn from the Shanghai Stock Exchange now, so everything can be settled with a single stroke. However, this dividend is the accumulated profit over the years, totaling 1000 million US dollars. We will distribute it according to shareholding. Mr. Du and Mr. Ji Fan will each receive 5 US dollars, my father-in-law will receive 50 US dollars, and for the other shareholders, I have already handed over the funds to their descendants (Yu Qiaqing and two others). The rest is mine."

Du Yuesheng and Fang Jiaobo's eyes widened. They never expected that their casual investment back then would yield $5 in dividends. They also never expected that Chen Guangliang would receive $925 million so easily, which meant that Chen Guangliang's wealth was unfathomable.

Du Yuesheng then said, "What a pleasant surprise!"

He has many debts, but it's impossible for anyone to repay them voluntarily. His family's wealth in Hong Kong is less than a few hundred thousand US dollars, so this 5 US dollars is quite a lot and a very timely help.

Chen Guangliang said, "My original intention was to expand this pie and distribute it to all shareholders in one go in the future. Of course, this is also related to the years of war."

Everyone nodded in agreement. To receive such a share of the spoils during the war was simply too high a return.

Afterwards, everyone received US dollar checks issued by Ping An Bank in Hong Kong, which they could then cash directly.

Undoubtedly, Chen Guangliang's father-in-law, Yan Zhiduo, was the happiest. His family had fallen on hard times, and when he came to Hong Kong, he brought only US$100 million with him. Over the years, he had purchased some properties, intending to become a "rent collector." This US$50 was undoubtedly a considerable fortune.

After the matter was settled, Fang Jiaobo took his leave first. He was now very close to Chen Guangliang and was managing the affairs of the Ningbo Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong for Chen Guangliang. He was considered a prominent figure in Hong Kong.

Then, Du Yuesheng said, "Guangliang, your brother-in-law Weifan has always worked in banking."

Chen Guangliang said, "If he is willing, Ping An Bank will naturally welcome him to join the company, after all, I know he is capable."

Du Yuesheng said happily, "Okay, I'll tell him when I get back."

Chen Guangliang said, "Wei Fan and Ren Yun are the same. It's too much trouble for Mr. Du to do this. Don't you two know that they have a father-in-law and mother-in-law, and a sister and brother-in-law in Hong Kong? However, I do know Wei Fan. That's just his personality. It's good that way. He can live a peaceful and stable life."

He said this to ease Mr. Du's depressed mood, and even took the initiative to speak to Chen Guangliang about this.

Du Yuesheng nodded and said, "My eldest son has some skills, but he has no ambition. In the future, let him follow you and support the family in Hong Kong."

That's good; at least this son has a future.

After chatting for a while, Chen Guangliang personally saw Du Yuesheng off, and then saw off his father-in-law Yan Zhiduo.

After Yan Zhiduo arrived in Hong Kong, Chen Guangliang did not help him make a fortune. However, since he had a daughter named Yan Renmei, he naturally knew that he should invest his money in property and become a landlord.

As for Chen Guangliang's brother-in-law, he is 33 years old this year and manages the family business for his father.

The meeting room of Ping An Bank was filled with talented people. Most of the management of Ping An Bank in Shanghai had gone to Hong Kong, leaving only a few people who were unwilling to come to Hong Kong to continue to run Ping An Bank.

Chen Guangliang fulfilled his responsibility as a 'good boss' by sending someone to persuade them. Those who were really unwilling to come were not forced, and Ping An Bank in mainland China also had business with them.

"Ping An Bank's business in mainland China is now completely unrelated to Ping An Bank in Hong Kong, and Ping An Bank's business in mainland China has also ended."

Dozens of executives expressed their sadness, after all, Ping An Bank in mainland China had already reached the scale of a large bank.

Then, Chen Guangliang said, "Next, Ping An Bank will not only be based in Hong Kong, but also open branches in Southeast Asia such as Sing Tao Daily. Therefore, many of the new employees will need to work in Southeast Asia. As for your families, they can live in Hong Kong for the time being, and you can choose freely later. At the same time, the pension funds of Ping An Bank in mainland China have all been transferred to Ping An Bank in Hong Kong, so you don't need to worry about welfare benefits."

"thank you boss"

Upon arriving in Hong Kong, everyone was provided with welfare housing by Ping An Bank for its management staff, and many of the managers moved into luxury apartments of over 1,000 square feet with their families.

After calming everyone down, Chen Guangliang made some personnel appointments. Ye Ximing, Xia Gaoxiang, and Li Hongsheng were appointed as deputy general managers; Guo Deming and Zhang Shounian were appointed as bank advisors (both also serving as advisors to the Chen Guangliang family); and Qin Bohou was sent to Sing Tao to expand its business.
After a while, everyone quickly calmed down.

When the management of Ping An Bank moved to Hong Kong, they also brought the machinery and equipment of Xinfeng Textile directly to Hong Kong. In fact, what Chen Guangliang left behind in the mainland were fixed properties such as the Ping An Bank Building and the Shangri-La Hotel.

Moreover, these properties have effectively been sold off, as they were purchased with depositors' money.

Mr. and Mrs. Chan Kwong-leung then hosted Mr. and Mrs. Tong Fei-fan, who had come to Hong Kong, at their villa on Conduit Road.

"I am very pleased that Professor Tang is going to teach at Harvard University in the United States."

Tang Feifan's feelings were complicated. He didn't want to leave Shanghai, but a letter from his longtime friend Chen Guangliang changed his mind. But undoubtedly, he still felt very attached to his country.

So he said, "I wonder if my choice was right?"

He still wanted to communicate with Chen Guangliang face-to-face, even though he had always felt that Chen Guangliang had an astonishingly forward-thinking vision, including his greatest achievement—the Nobel Prize, which Chen Guangliang actually deserved half the credit for. Chen Guangliang said earnestly, "If Professor Tang hadn't been one of the inventors of penicillin and hadn't won the Nobel Prize, I wouldn't have interfered with your decision, because perhaps the new China really needs someone like you. But now, your position is like a 'backbone' of our Chinese nation. In the future, when Westerners list 'great inventions of modern mankind,' they have television and airplanes. We, too, must have something to offer, and penicillin is one of them. Moreover, over the years you've cultivated many talents in biology and virology in mainland China; you should make even greater contributions to all of humanity."

When trying to persuade Tang Feifan, Chen Guangliang was conflicted. After all, Tang Feifan had made great contributions to the field of trachoma in his previous life. Was his departure an injustice to his compatriots?
Upon reflection, Chen Guangliang felt relieved. Tang Feifan's role in life was that of a pillar of the nation. Moreover, over the years, Tang Feifan had used his influence to cultivate many students, and Chen Guangliang had consistently provided financial support to him during that time.

Tang Feifan stood up, bowed to Chen Guangliang and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Mr. Chen. You are no less than my mentor in life."

Chen Guangliang immediately stood up, helped Tang Feifan up, and said, "Professor Tang, you are too kind. Go to America and focus on your studies. Don't hesitate or feel guilty anymore. Your contributions to all mankind are enormous."

"No, it's all thanks to Mr. Chen's ideas and financial support that I have achieved what I have today."

After exchanging pleasantries, Chen Guangliang hosted a dinner for the couple and their children to see them off.

In Chen Guangliang's heart, he did not feel that he owed anything to the country in the future. Over the years, he has cultivated many textile talents, and indirectly cultivated talents in biology and virology. Although some have left the mainland, many have stayed.

Moreover, history won't change just because a few people are missing!
Tang Feifan was his friend and confidant for many years, and he also felt reluctant to let him go, after all, Tang Feifan's wife was He Lian, who was He Jian, a warlord in Hunan Province.

In mid-May, the battle for Hong Kong began. At this time, Hong Kong was already overcrowded, with a conservative estimate of over 1.8 million people.

Over the years, Chan Kwong-leung has invested heavily in Hong Kong real estate, building approximately 900 houses with about 4600 floors, which can solve the housing problem for 3 to 5 people.

However, it solves the housing problem for the wealthy. The transfer fee is 6000, and the rent for one floor is 180. These are not places that ordinary people can afford.

At that time, Hong Kong police officers at the grassroots level earned only HK$100 to HK$150 per month, and it was impossible for them to afford new housing.

Therefore, most of the people who came to Hong Kong for refuge either crowded together in one floor, built wooden houses and thatched huts, or were homeless on the streets; during this period, the streets of Central were full of refugees, who were, to put it bluntly, refugees.

Ping An Bank Building.

Unlike the outside environment, the Ping An Bank Building is peaceful and full of vitality.

Yan Kuan walked into the office and reported, "Boss, our occupancy rate is now almost 100%, and it's hard to find any vacant properties. On the other hand, we've noticed that while the rental market in Hong Kong is active, the buying and selling market is not. Many wealthy people come to Hong Kong, but they don't seem to be interested in buying property."

Chen Guangliang immediately said, “There are many reasons why the market is not active: First, people’s purchasing power is not strong. A new apartment costs about HK$3, and few people can afford it all at once. Second, many people who come to seek refuge are thinking that they are only staying in Hong Kong temporarily. After all, if Shanghai cannot be held, how can Guangdong Province be held? At that time, the PLA will be separated from Hong Kong by a river. How can they not be afraid?”

Yan Kuan nodded and said, "Yes, that makes sense. Although there are now practices like 'tiered pricing', the housing market remains sluggish."

Next.

Chen Guangliang said, "Cheung Kong Property's next step is to use the rental income to purchase commercial properties in Central, and we need to consider future consolidation plans; at the same time, I am also preparing to purchase properties in Singapore."

"Okay, I understand!"

With a large amount of rent flowing into Chen Guangliang's hands, he naturally had to invest it to avoid wasting it.

In fact, much of the money Chen Guangliang has has not yet been fully utilized.

After Yan Kuan left, Yan Renmei went to Chen Guangliang's office. She was now also involved in the business of Yangtze River Real Estate, but she was less involved in other companies and was only familiar with them.

He is involved in shipping and trade, and has a younger brother named Chen Guangcong.

Real estate conglomerate, with Yan Renmei;
In the finance and industry sectors, Yan Renmei and Chen Guangcong did not participate in the work; Chen Guangliang personally oversaw everything.

As for the media, it was mainly Zhuang Zhujiu who kept an eye on it. Chen Guangliang intended to downplay the family's influence, but secretly controlled it, just like Li Xiaohe and Run Run Shaw of TVB in his previous life.

"By the way, we're going to the US this time to transfer $1000 million, which will be placed in your account."

We have too much money; we can't keep it all in Hong Kong. What if history changes and Hong Kong returns to China ahead of schedule?

Yan Renmei said, "Not investing?"

Chen Guangliang nodded and said, "We'll talk about interest later."

He also has over $800 million in wealth in the United States (excluding assets from his second wife), which consists of properties and savings he acquired in the past, and he continues to hold them.

To truly invest in the United States, it would be necessary to wait until at least 1953, when the Korean War ended and the United States lifted its barriers against Hong Kong.

"Um"

Yan Renmei came up behind Chen Guangliang and massaged his shoulders to relieve her husband's fatigue from work.

She then added, "Now that there are more and more refugees, can Oxfam increase the scale of its relief efforts, especially food relief?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Guangliang immediately agreed, saying, "Okay, our family will donate another US$100 million, mainly for purchasing food and medicine. By the way, there are many talented people who came to Hong Kong this time, and I have already enrolled them in Oxfam to help you with disaster relief."

“That’s great. It can solve their job problems and also allow them to do more for charity.”

Yan Renmei was very happy.

Oxfam was founded by Chan Kwong-leung, but he downplayed the influence of his family and instead recruited ladies such as the Governor's wife, Mrs. Murray, and Miss Sheng Qi. Of course, everyone knew that this was a charitable organization supported by the Chan Kwong-leung family.

Oxfam has only been established for a little over a year, but its influence has already risen, rivaling that of Tung Wah Group of Hospitals and Po Leung Kuk. Given time, it will surely become an influential charitable organization in Hong Kong.

When the time was right, Chen Guangliang handed the charitable organization over to the public, and the family withdrew, establishing the Chen Guangliang Foundation.

Of course, that's still a long way off; it might be twenty years from now. (End of Chapter)