A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

After the Spring Festival, Chen Guangliang went to England.

In fact, his main reason for going to London was to participate in the award ceremony, and secondly, to inspect the British shipbuilding industry.

Chan Kwong-leung, already the largest tycoon in Hong Kong and a "shipping magnate" and, more importantly, a "leader of the Chinese community," had reached a point where the British court had no choice but to win him over.

Meanwhile, Oxfam, founded by Chan Kwong-leung, made significant contributions in a very short time through activities such as providing relief to disaster victims, establishing Tsuen Wan Hospital, and donating to schools.

What is most 'admirable' and 'worrying' is that out of Hong Kong's population of over 240 million, approximately 1 are directly employed by the Chan family, while the number of those indirectly employed is even larger, involving numerous families.

In short, Chen Guangliang went to participate in the awarding of a knighthood; otherwise, he wouldn't have been willing to go to London.

London in 1951 had gradually recovered from being the world's most heavily bombed capital during World War II.

However, according to Chen Guangcong, London's recovery after World War II was not even as fast as that of the German borough occupied by the United States.

After several days of flying, I finally landed at London's airport.

The British naturally wouldn't send anyone to greet Chen Guangliang, but the Chen family was not without influence in Britain, and Chen Guangcong was already waiting for him with his men.

"Brother, you must be tired from your journey!"

"You brat, do you think I'm an old man who can't handle this short distance?"

"I'm definitely not an old man, I look older than you!"

The two brothers met in London, exchanged some jokes, and then a Rolls-Royce and a British Rover, carrying the two men and their entourage, headed towards a manor in London.

Throughout the journey, Chen Guangliang looked out the car window and could clearly sense that London was gradually emerging from the shadow of war, and everything was returning to normal.

Chen Guangcong said, "London is gradually regaining its glory, but the shadow of war still looms over the citizens. In order to help Britain recover from the war, Britain is preparing to hold 'Britain's Day' in London this year. It's just that the weather here in winter is smoggy all day long, and it hasn't cleared up yet."

He introduced the situation in London to his older brother. In recent years, he has been traveling all over the world and has been to many places, but the place he has spent the most time in is London.

Chen Guangliang nodded and said, "If this smog gets any worse, people might die. It seems that coming to London in winter is not a good choice. The heavy industrial pollution here is too severe!"

"Yes, Britain is a small country, not as big as the United States, so pollution is indeed serious."

As the two chatted, the car drove into a large, well-maintained manor on the outskirts of London.

After the manor was purchased, it remained under the names of Chen Guangcong and his wife. It was considered one of the gifts Chen Guangliang gave to the couple, but it wasn't particularly valuable to him.

The estate has four maids, all of whom are white middle-aged women, but they are of good quality and are obviously well-trained.

Chen Guangliang took a good bath and then had a meal with his younger brother.

"Brother, the three shipyards in Britain have already arranged a visit, which will last about a week. After the visit, you will need to return to London to attend the ceremony where the Royal Family will confer a knighthood upon you. I estimate that King George VI will not attend in person; it will likely be the Prince of Wales or a princess who confers the knighthood upon you. After you finish your visit in London, you will then travel to West Germany for another visit."

West Germany is the alternative. Chen Guangliang's main purpose in coming to the UK is to enhance his reputation as the "Asian Shipping King". After all, in the shipping industry, it seems inconvenient to carry out business without any influence.

Now that Chen Guangliang's children have grown up, he doesn't mind being a little more high-profile.

"Alright, if you have something to do, you can go ahead and do it yourself. Just arrange for someone here to accompany me."

"Being there for you is the most important thing."

Chen Guangliang didn't say anything more. This time, the two brothers came to Europe, but Yan Renmei and Jiang Meiying were also there in Hong Kong, so there was no problem for the brothers to travel together.

Haaland and Wolff shipyard.

This is a long-established shipyard, founded 90 years ago. It has built a large number of warships during World War I and World War II, as well as giant cruise ships like the Titanic. Moreover, the Titanic was only the second of three similar oil tankers being built at the same time, meaning there were three cruise ships just like the Titanic.

But after World War II, the shipyard had to lower its head and start building cargo ships and oil tankers.

"President Will, Chen Guangliang, a shipping magnate from Hong Kong, will be visiting our shipyard tomorrow. Would you like to take some time to receive him?"

"The shipping magnate of Hong Kong, haha, I seem to have heard of him. He's the Chinese man who owns a fleet of scrap metal ships."

George, the president's assistant, said helplessly, "Perhaps, but he came to the UK to inspect the shipbuilding industry, perhaps he's planning to buy a new cargo ship!"

After a brief moment of contemplation, President Will said, "I'm very busy, so you'll be in charge of greeting him. Show him our British shipbuilding technology and broaden his horizons. Once he's made enough money, he can buy our new ship!"

He did not believe that a Chinese shipowner had the means to purchase a new ship, nor was he a representative of the Chinese or Taiwanese governments.

On the other hand, although Chen Guangliang and Global Shipping are well-known in the Far East, they are also seen as second-hand ship owners in Europe and America who "specialize in picking up scrap metal" and have no real influence.

Chen Guangliang and Chen Guangcong traveled a long way to the Harland and Wolff shipyard. There was no grand welcoming ceremony; only the president's assistant led them on a tour of the shipyard.

This move naturally displeased the two brothers, but considering the important matter at hand, neither of them showed it.

The president's assistant launched into a long-winded introduction of the two, his voice brimming with self-praise.

Looking at the not-so-busy dock, Chen Guangliang pointed out incisively: "Harland and Wolff shipyard used to build warships and cruise ships, but they seem to lack experience and history in building cargo ships, and even less experience with oil tankers."

George choked for a moment, then immediately said, "Mr. Chen, it seems you're not a professional shipowner. We can build warships and giant cruise ships, so building cargo ships is a piece of cake for us. We can even build oil tankers."

Chen Guangliang neither confirmed nor denied, but said, "Then why not show me your real technology? I'll build a new ship in England!"

George's expression immediately changed, and he said, "Okay, please."

Next, the two sides reduced their high-sounding remarks and focused more on technical introductions and discussions.

The people at Harland and Wolff shipyards quickly realized that Chen Guangliang's expertise in ships was exceptional among shipowners, and he was knowledgeable in many technical aspects.

These people simply don't understand. Chen Guangliang has been involved with ships since the 1930s and has accumulated a wealth of technical knowledge.

During their week-long visit, Chen Guangliang and Chen Guangcong inspected three of the most famous shipyards in Britain, but none of them received sufficient attention. None of the shipyards sent their presidents to introduce them to the shipyards, clearly indicating that they did not believe that Global Shipping could afford to order the new ship.

Chen Guangliang was furious; it was a deep-seated prejudice!

He didn't even bother placing any orders for a single ship, and instead returned to London to attend the commissioning ceremony.

King George VI did not appear at Buckingham Palace, as he was in poor health.

Therefore, it was Crown Princess Elizabeth and her husband who conferred the title upon Chen Guangliang.

Elizabeth, on the other hand, was poised and elegant, and it was immediately apparent that she was a 'responsible British monarch'.

"Sir Chen, we have prepared a party for you tonight, and we hope you can attend!"

"Thank you, Princess Elizabeth. I will definitely attend on time."

Although I've been holding back my anger these past few days, I have to maintain appearances and keep things in order since I'm dealing with politicians.

As a result, the people who came to the evening party were not of much importance. Only Princess Margaret came to represent the royal family. The others were basically not very influential. They did not have high enough official positions, titles, or business scale.

Moreover, these people weren't particularly interested in the Chen brothers. They gathered in small groups, and occasionally someone would come over to chat for a few minutes, but then leave without a word.

Chen Guangliang glanced at Chen Guangcong and thought to himself, "This is the kind of relationship you made in London? It doesn't seem right today!"
Chen Guangcong felt a little embarrassed. His social connections were far inferior to those of the people who came today. "Sir Chen, I hope we haven't been too inadequate in our hospitality today!" Margaret's arrival made Chen Guangliang's eyes light up. Finally, she was someone of importance, polite, and pleasing to the eye.

"No, it was very thoughtful, everyone was very welcoming," Chen Guangliang replied politely.

Margaret is 21 years old, a beautiful age. She is very polite and has a more down-to-earth heart than her sister.

No wonder, the prototype for the later "Roman Holiday" should be this person, although it is impossible for them to be completely similar.

Margaret then chatted with Chan Kwong-leung, and asked curiously, "What kind of place is Hong Kong?"

Chen Guangliang said, "It is a pearl of the Far East, and perhaps one day it will become a pearl like New York and London."

In its previous life, at its peak, Hong Kong was known as the "New York-London-Hong Kong trio".

With the Chen Guangliang family as village chiefs in this generation, Hong Kong will surely become even more like New York, London, and Hong Kong, at least for a time!
Margaret exclaimed in surprise, "You're lying to me! As far as I know, Hong Kong is very poor right now and is under trade blockade!"

I have some understanding; it seems I did my homework.

Chen Guangliang said, "Princess Margaret asked a Hong Konger, so I won't say anything bad about him. Besides, Hong Kong's difficulties are only temporary, and it has many factors that will enable its future economic take-off."

"For example? I sincerely want to ask you!"

Chen Guangliang then said, “I’ll use an old Chinese saying to explain to you: ‘Favorable timing, advantageous location, and harmonious relationships.’ First, favorable timing: because of the war, the most intelligent Chinese merchants and some technical personnel came to Hong Kong. Second, advantageous location: Hong Kong is a place where Chinese and Western cultures meet, and it is also a bridgehead to the Far East. Finally, harmonious relationships: the Hong Kong government implements a relatively lenient system, and Hong Kong people possess the most diligent and hardworking spirit. Therefore, Hong Kong is bound to rise!”

Margaret smiled and nodded, saying, "You should be able to make me, someone who has never been to Hong Kong, feel the great potential there, as a politician."

"I'm just a businessman."

At the banquet that evening, apart from Margaret being quite special, no one else was particularly noteworthy.

"Go to Germany"

Chen Guangliang's experience in Britain made him realize that he had to increase his influence and show these British people that their era of maritime dominance was over, and that his fleet would now 'dominate' the seas.

A few days later, the Chen brothers, Chen Guangliang and Chen Guangcong, appeared at a shipyard in Hamburg, Germany.

This time, the Herden family of the Hamburg shipyard in Germany attached great importance to it and sent the head of the company, Willie Herden, who is also the owner of the shipyard, to personally welcome them.

"Mr. Heden, I wonder what the current capabilities of your shipyard are, especially in the area of ​​building oil tankers!"

Heden, with his imposing stature and booming voice, was clearly a brave and magnanimous business leader.

"Mr. Chen, our shipyard's history of building oil tankers is that the world's largest oil tanker is 23000 tons, a record we held for 20 years. After the war, we actively resumed our shipbuilding business, and our technical team became even more mature. So now, let alone 23000 tons, we have a 32000-ton tanker under construction, and we have even technically broken through the 40000-ton mark."

Chen Guangliang was very interested after hearing this!
He knew two things: first, oil became increasingly important to various countries in the 50s, so oil tankers began to account for a larger share of the merchant shipping sector; second, the Suez Canal Incident of 1956 forced the world's fleets to detour around the Cape of Good Hope, and the Cape of Good Hope has high winds and large waves, making it more suitable for large-tonnage ships, so oil tankers and cargo ships also became larger and larger.

Subsequently, the Chen brothers began a serious investigation in Germany, and they were very particular about the technical aspects.

The more Heden looked at Chen Guangliang, the more convinced he was that Chen was genuinely interested in ordering the ship, so he stayed by his side constantly and arranged the best loan.

three days later.

"Mr. Hudden, what is the price of a 32000-ton oil tanker?"

"Based on our budget, building such a ship would cost $700 million."

"What about the 23000-ton oil tanker?"

"Hmm, I can give you 550 million US dollars!"

Chen Guangliang breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, then stood up and extended his hand to Hudden: "Thank you very much, Mr. Hudden. I will visit again tomorrow, and we will discuss all the details in detail then."

He can afford this price!

Back at the hotel, Chen Guangliang and Chen Guangcong held a closed-door meeting.

"Brother, if you really want to build a 32000-ton tanker, that would be the largest oil tanker the world can currently build. Although it's not the first one (there are some under construction that will be launched next year), the world's largest oil tanker is only 23000 tons. Besides, we don't have much experience operating oil tankers yet. Should we start with second-hand ships?"

Chen Guangliang was also deep in thought at this moment. He was brewing a 'monstrous plan', but it required taking a great risk.

However, if he succeeds, he will truly join the ranks of the 'world's shipping magnates' and greatly increase his fame.

In fact, for him, a mere 700 million US dollars is nothing.

"I plan to build a new 23000-ton and a 32000-ton oil tanker. If there's an opportunity, I'll also buy a second-hand oil tanker. The Chen family wants to make a major foray into the shipping industry, break out of Hong Kong, and become a world-class businessman!"

A few days later, media outlets across Europe reported that Chen Guangliang, the shipping magnate of Asia, had built two large oil tankers in Germany with a total tonnage of 5.5 tons.

The news sparked a media frenzy in Germany and the UK, especially in the UK, where media outlets began to express their cynicism.

After all, as a Hong Kong businessman, Chan Kwong-leung's decision to build oil tankers in West Germany instead of Britain was undoubtedly a slap in the face to the British shipbuilding industry.

"What? A 32000-ton tanker and a 23000-ton tanker, owned by a Chinese shipowner?" Will, president of Harland and Wolff Shipyard, said in disbelief.

George nodded and said, "The contract has been signed! President Will, this Chen Guangliang is not just a Far East fleet owner, he was also a tycoon in Shanghai in the 1930s, and his wealth has been accumulated for more than 20 years."

Will said regretfully, "Why didn't you say so sooner?"

"I told you so, but you just didn't believe me," George thought to himself.

Now that things have come to this, Will's regret is useless.

George suddenly remembered something and said, "I remember now, Chen Guangliang also inspected cargo ships, but he didn't order any from Germany this time!"

Will immediately said, "Quickly, invite him to visit our Harland & Wolff shipyard again. I will personally receive him!"

Chen Guangliang's order for two large oil tankers in Germany (the largest oil tankers at the time) caused a huge stir in Britain.

When he returned to England, he was asked to be interviewed by reporters, which he did not refuse.

A reporter asked, "Mr. Chen, I heard you spent a week in the UK on a research trip. Did you find the British shipbuilding industry very impressive?"

Chen Guangliang stated directly, "They are quite formidable right now, but West Germany is even further ahead. I believe that in five years, the shipbuilding industry will depend on Japan in Asia."

Boom! The scene was set on fire.

One reporter said unhappily, "Japan can build advanced ships. Mr. Chen must be joking, right?"

Chen Guangliang shrugged and didn't argue.

After the incident sparked public outcry, the British criticized Chen Guangliang for being arrogant and short-sighted.

"This Chinese man is so annoying! He actually said that Britain's shipbuilding industry is not as good as West Germany's now, or that Britain's shipbuilding industry will not be as good as Japan's in Asia in the future. My God, I really want to know what kind of vision he has and how he made his money!"

"Exactly, this Hong Konger's vision is so shallow; no wonder he's from a small town!" (End of Chapter)