A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

In mid-September, I returned to Hong Kong.

Yan Renmei quickly began interrogating Chen Guangliang about why he frequently went to Europe for work; she had clearly also noticed something amiss.

Chen Guangliang knew he couldn't keep the truth hidden for long, so he took the initiative to confess.

Yan Renmei immediately became unhappy and said, "Yes, Mei Ying and I are getting old now, and you've found someone young, and a foreigner at that. We'll be even less popular in the future!"

Chen Guangliang quickly came to Yan Renmei's side, put his arm around her and said, "What are you saying? Our relationship as husband and wife has lasted for more than 20 years. How can others compare? Besides, you and Meiying are not old at all. Anyone who sees you would say that you are only in your twenties. You could easily be mistaken for siblings by Wenjie and the others."

After being praised, Yan Renmei said coquettishly, "Stop flattering me! Let me ask you, you've been able to endure this for the past twenty years, so why can't you hold back now? Are you going to find someone younger in another ten or twenty years? What will the children think then?"

Chen Guangliang immediately said, "This is definitely the last one. If I were to find another young one, wouldn't that be a disgrace to the family?"

Audrey Hepburn was born in 1929, four years older than Chen Guangliang's eldest son, Chen Wenjie, but still older.

Yan Renmei immediately retorted angrily, "Didn't you say the same thing back when you took Mei Ying as your concubine?"

Chen Guangliang was speechless.

At that time, I never expected to run into Audrey Hepburn.

"Then tell me, honey, what do you want me to do? I'll do whatever you say!"

Yan Renmei knew that this was Chen Guangliang's shameless tactic. Even if Audrey Hepburn wasn't pregnant with Chen's child, she wouldn't make a fuss with her husband of over twenty years over something like this.

If her husband hadn't been Chen Guangliang, she would never have allowed him to take a second wife. There was only one man in the world who made her compromise time and time again.

"What do you want to do?"

She said she was handing the initiative over to Chen Guangliang.

Chen Guangliang immediately said, "Let Audrey Hepburn be my mistress, after all, she is already pregnant with my child. She and the child will never be involved in Hong Kong affairs in the future. On the other hand, her child is much older than my current seven children, so there is no need for them to be included. Therefore, let her develop in Europe and overseas."

Yan Renmei snorted coldly and then said, "You certainly know how to enjoy yourself!"

Ever since she learned about Jiang Meiying's situation, Yan Renmei had been worried that Chen Guangliang would take another concubine, so she had been preventing Jiang Meiying from entering the house as a form of deterrence.

Later, she took the initiative to let Jiang Meiying into the house, which was a combination of kindness and severity.

I never imagined that after so many years, my husband would find another woman, and a foreigner at that.

But there was nothing she could do; she couldn't do anything more, neither for this man nor for this family.

On this day, Chen Guangliang attended a meeting of the Hong Kong Chinese Manufacturers' Association, a huge gathering with hundreds of business owners in attendance.

This organization is one of the largest and most representative non-profit business groups in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions closely monitors the latest developments in the world market and internal and external situations that may affect Hong Kong's industry and commerce.

The meeting, held at the Six Nations Hotel, mainly discussed the future of Hong Kong's industry and commerce.

Since June 25, the Hong Kong British authorities have implemented stricter import and export bans, which restrict the import and export of more than 200 kinds of goods in 13 categories.

This has put Hong Kong's economy in a state of 'potential collapse at any moment,' so today people are more concerned about the prospects of Hong Kong's economy.

Wang Kuancheng, chairman of the Federation of Manufacturers, said, "First of all, we would like to invite Mr. Chen Guangliang to share his views. Please give him a warm welcome!"

Chen Guangliang no longer holds any public office; he has resigned from most positions, including the president of the Ningbo Chamber of Commerce, mainly because he is often not in Hong Kong afterward.

Although he does not hold a 'public office', his influence is the greatest among all groups.

Chen Guangliang walked up to the stage and looked at the group of factory owners, some from Guangdong and some from Shanghai. They were all now business owners in Hong Kong.

"Thank you all for giving me this opportunity to speak. I haven't prepared a speech today, so I'll just casually discuss with you all the most pressing issue right now—Hong Kong's economic prospects and current difficulties."

“I know that everyone is feeling pessimistic lately, thinking that the embargo will have a big impact on Hong Kong.”

"First of all, I admit that it has indeed had a significant impact, but it is also a turning point for Hong Kong. In the past, Hong Kong was mainly engaged in entrepot trade, but with the establishment of factories after the war, we should understand one thing—times are changing, and Hong Kong is destined to gradually transform from a region mainly engaged in entrepot trade into a region of industrial production. This is inevitable. Hong Kong has the most visionary and intelligent Chinese entrepreneurs, as well as technology and machinery that have migrated from Shanghai, and low taxes and cheap labor, so industrial development is bound to happen."

Upon hearing this, everyone applauded.

At this moment, Chen Guangliang said, "Does anyone have any questions?"

A textile business owner asked on the spot: "Mr. Chen, Hong Kong textiles have indeed entered some regions such as Indonesia and South Africa, but they do not have the huge market of the United States or the United Kingdom. In particular, the United States, the world's largest consumer market, is currently very hostile towards Hong Kong."

Chen Guangliang nodded and then said, "First of all, back then, Shanghai's textile industry had never entered the American market, although we had a huge domestic market at that time; secondly, the war will inevitably end, and Hong Kong's position in the Far East will also prompt the United States, our ally, to gradually abandon its hostility. Therefore, I believe that Hong Kong's industry will face the global market in the future. So, please persevere and overcome the difficulties together!"

The applause grew even louder!

Over the years, Sun Fung Textile, as a giant in the Hong Kong industry, has not only opened up markets such as Indonesia, Pakistan, India and South Africa for the Hong Kong textile industry, but also provided relatively affordable cotton to some factories in Hong Kong.

Therefore, Xinfeng Textile's leading position in the industry is unshakeable. Of course, another key figure in Xinfeng Textile's success is its General Manager, Tong Runfu. With him in charge, Xinfeng Textile's technology and management are top-notch; he also serves as the Chairman of the Hong Kong Textile Association!
Then, Chen Guangliang said, "I would also like to mention something else today, which is that our Chinese Manufacturers' Association will take the lead in funding the development of the Hong Kong Institute of Technology, striving to give Hong Kong a polytechnic tertiary institution, or even a university. This is a long-term plan!"

He did not issue the order directly, but waited for the proposal to be approved.

He can certainly offer his support personally, but the Chinese Manufacturers' Association should also get involved.

Then, Wang Kuancheng took the microphone and said, "Mr. Chen's suggestion is excellent. We will decide by raising our hands in a moment."

The meeting that day was a great success.

Chen Guangliang's words, in particular, were seen as inspiring by many factory owners, making the current difficulties seem less insurmountable. Of course, the wave of factory closures will continue, but those business owners with the strength to persevere will stick it out.

"Boss, the Crocodile brand has been bought from the Hong Kong government and now belongs to our Xinfeng Textile Group."

At the San Fung Textile Industrial Park in Tsuen Wan, Lin Jianyun, a young manager in his thirties, gave a work report to Chen Guangliang.

At that moment, Tong Runfu was also in his office.

Lin Jianyun is the head of the garment department at Xinfeng Textile. He joined Xinfeng Textile right after graduating from university, making him a young senior executive with both academic qualifications and experience.

All of Chen Guangliang's companies are experiencing the issue of "generational succession," with some young managers taking up middle and senior management positions.

Tong Runfu, the general manager of Xinfeng Textile, is 55 years old this year. After serving for 5 years, he will eventually have to consider stepping down to a secondary role and serving as an advisor.

"Well, now that we've secured the deal, we need to do it well. I think we should rename it 'Crocodile Shirts,' specializing in mid-to-high-end shirts, crocodile leather shoes, and other products. The product concept is very important; we want to create a 'Hong Kong brand,' deeply integrated into the lives of 'Hong Kong people' from childhood to adulthood, just like the 'Bauhinia flower' of Hong Kong. So, you guys think carefully about how to do it, and come up with a plan for me later. Remember to have a broad vision and a long-term perspective!"

He has some thoughts in his mind, but he won't say them out loud right away!

Lin Jianyun nodded and said, "Okay, we'll organize a team immediately and carefully study Crocodile Garments' development plan!"

After he left, Chen Guangliang and Tong Runfu began to discuss the matter.

"Currently, our ready-made garment products have entered South Africa, which is considered our major market after Southeast Asia. As for ready-made garment products, it is currently difficult to enter the European and American markets, given the limitations of Hong Kong's technology and the current environment."

Tong Runfu himself is more skilled in textile dyeing and has not done much research in the field of ready-made clothing.

To put it bluntly, the technology involved in the ready-to-wear industry is not high; the requirements for branding and management are quite high, but that comes later.

Instead of being overly ambitious, Chan Kwong-leung said, "Hong Kong's textile industry will inevitably follow a development process: textile dyeing in the 1950s and 60s, and ready-made garments in the 1960s and 70s."

Tong Runfu remarked with admiration, "You are so farsighted that I cannot answer these questions."

Chen Guangliang laughed and said, "I am the theorist, and you are the technician. We each have our own strengths."

Tong Runfu nodded and said, "Given this, we need to strengthen Xinfeng Textile's talent development plan!"

The implication is that he hopes to cultivate more management and technical talents.

"You make the arrangements, I trust you!"

After inspecting the various factories, Chen Guangliang convened a meeting with the senior management of the Yangtze River Industrial Group.

The Yangtze River Industrial Group includes companies such as Hsin Feng Textile, Rong Chang Heavy Industry, and Hua Tai Toys. Currently, Chen Guangliang serves as the general manager of the Yangtze River Industrial Group, and Guo Deming serves as the deputy general manager.

In reality, the various companies under its umbrella are relatively independent. The Cheung Kong Industrial Group is more of a group model for allocating funds and making connections, and will be subject to 'group management' later depending on the situation.

"Currently, all industries in Hong Kong are facing difficulties, and those of us in the manufacturing sector are even more so. However, I am quite well-established, and I am personally very optimistic about the future of Hong Kong's industry, so please don't have any negative sentiments. Improving management and technology, and striving to expand overseas business are all things we need to do."

The most difficult situation was for Rongchang Heavy Industry. Due to foreign trade controls on steel, it was difficult to export it overseas (although the Japanese government provided subsidies), and there were few domestic construction projects, so steelmaking was actually somewhat of a dead end at this time. Fortunately, there was some demand for copper and aluminum alloys, so they were able to maintain operations.

Rongchang General Manager Sun Dehe said, "It's just that the workers are facing unemployment, which is difficult to explain to everyone!"

Administrators from the mainland who come to Hong Kong often possess a strong sense of national pride and patriotism.

In other management positions, they would simply fire them; they wouldn't cause any trouble in this era.

Chen Guangliang said, "If we need to dismiss someone due to business reasons, we will compensate them with 1 to 2 months' salary to give them a period of time to look for a job. On the other hand, we will also try our best to maintain operations, reduce staff, and get through this difficult time together. I have always been very humane in terms of finances."

"With the boss saying that, we can rest assured!"

Chen Guangliang laughed and scolded, "You, Mr. Sun, are you making it sound like I'm some kind of unscrupulous capitalist from the old society? But speaking of which, it seems like things are going on in the mainland. I'm afraid if I stay there, I won't be able to explain myself no matter how hard I try."

Everyone laughed, but then started discussing sensitive topics.

Soon, with a donation of HK$200 million from the Hong Kong Chinese Manufacturers' Association and HK$100 million from Chan Kwong-leung, and finally with government funding and land allocation, the construction project of the 'Hong Kong Technical College' Hung Hom campus began to be discussed.

As for upgrading to a polytechnic, that takes time; at the very least, the school needs to have sufficient qualifications to pass the acceptance process.

Chan Kwong-leung will push this forward, and it is expected that in five years, he will transform the 'Hong Kong Technical College' into the 'Hong Kong Polytechnic'.

A little over a month later, Audrey Hepburn gave birth to a son for Chen Guangliang in London. The son was named Chen Wenou, and his English name was Vidocy Hepburn.

Chen Guangliang happened to be with Audrey Hepburn, so he was by her side when their son was born.

To date, he has seven sons and one daughter.

In addition, Yan Renmei did not get pregnant in the first half of the year, but she did get pregnant in September; at the same time, Jiang Meiying also decided to have another child.

Goodness, after nearly ten years, Chen Guangliang is having another wave of children.

He wasn't really keen on it, since children born at this age are unlikely to establish a good relationship with their previous seven children. But sometimes, it wasn't up to him anymore; Yan Renmei and Jiang Meiying both decided to have another child.

The meaning is simple: you want your family to prosper, so we'll have more children for you; at the same time, since foreigners can have children, they want to have children too.

In this case, Chen Guangliang thought that he could strengthen the relationship between this group of children.

Of course, unity is essential; it is fundamental to all family members. (End of Chapter)