A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

12 month.

In a villa by the sea in Sydney, Chen Guangliang is vacationing with his three wives and concubines.

With his children all grown up, Chen Guangliang could finally fulfill his promise and take his wives and concubines on vacations around the world. Of course, whenever he planned a vacation, he would make some arrangements in advance, such as purchasing prime properties in the area.

For example, this villa in Sydney was purchased a year ago, and it is only today that it has officially welcomed its owner.

Although it was already December, the weather here was still quite mild. The four of them sat down on chairs on the lawn and enjoyed the wonderful time.

Looking at his three beautiful wives and concubines, Chen Guangliang was still very proud. Although many men can have three wives and four concubines, if he could bring them together and they could live in peace and even be intimate, he would probably be the only one in the world who could do so.

Yan Renmei wore a dress with a small jacket draped over her shoulders, exuding an air of nobility. She herself is a symbol of beauty, and even at 42 years old, she is still stunningly beautiful.

Jiang Meiying opted for a cheongsam, as she was in a villa and sought the ultimate in beauty and allure to capture a man's heart. The cheongsam showcased her stunning figure to the fullest, and coupled with her classically elegant and traditionally beautiful face, even Yang Guifei couldn't have surpassed her.

Audrey Hepburn chose a red bodycon dress, still sporting her short hair. Her face looked noble and delicate, her exotic beauty holding her own against Yan Renmei and Jiang Meiying.

The three women each displayed their most beautiful side in front of their men, their faces bearing an expression of 'pleasing the emperor'.

Yan Renmei suddenly said playfully, "Brother Liang, you're really in a good mood this time, inviting the three of us to Australia for a vacation. But I always feel that the vacation is secondary; you're probably here to plan your investments, aren't you?"

Her husband is well-cared for and still has the mentality of a young girl. In addition, she looks like she is only twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, so she doesn't seem pretentious at all. Instead, she adds to her beauty.

Yan Renmei understood her husband's thoughts very well.

Chen Guangliang immediately laughed and said, "Although there is investment, it will definitely come after accompanying you. This is called investing in Australia incidentally. For the past week, I have been accompanying the three of you. I want to play the foolish emperor."

The three women all spat out a word, but they were secretly delighted, after all, who wouldn't want their man to be strong?

Next, Audrey Hepburn asked, "Darling, what is your investment philosophy? It seems like your investments are very casual, yet they are very profitable?"

She is now also a businesswoman, and for the sake of her two sons, she must also strive for a position of wealth.

Chen Guangliang explained very generously:

"First, the countries and regions where investments are made must be politically stable; this is crucial."
Second, the industries to be invested in need to be "foundational" industries, which include real estate, energy, resources, and also securities with a "value investment" nature;
Third, invest for the long term, not for the short term.

The three women listened attentively, and Audrey Hepburn then asked, "It seems like a very simple investment philosophy: just buy, buy, buy!"

Everyone laughed.

Having been involved in business for so many years, Yan Renmei took Audrey Hepburn's hand and said, "You can't just look at the surface. First of all, it has to be based on strength. It's like investing spare money, buying it and then leaving it there. Whether it goes up or down, you won't touch it, mainly relying on dividends. Secondly, mindset is very important. Not everyone can be as steadfast as him. In short, don't take investing too lightly. Listening to him is not wrong."

"Sister, you are so kind!"

Audrey Hepburn suddenly attacked Yan Renmei, kissing her on the cheek.

“Oh, Audrey, I told you, Western etiquette is not allowed. If you marry into our family, you must abide by Chinese traditions.”

"Tch, it's not like we haven't tried it before."

Chen Guangliang was stunned. The three sisters were already this close? He really had too much charm.

Regardless, this is a good thing!

Chen Guangliang achieved a 'triple kill' before turning fifty.

A week later.

Chen Guangliang, accompanied by his second son from his first wife, Chen Wenming, arrived in Perth, the capital of Western Australia, and then drove to a farm in the Pilbara region.

"Dad, this is the place. I'll go down and say hello first."

"Um"

Watching Chen Wenming get out of the car, Chen Guangliang was quite satisfied with his son, who had strong social skills.

A short while later, the farm gate was opened, and Chen Guangliang got out of the car and met a white couple.

"Mr. Hancock, this is my father, Mr. Chen Guangliang."

Hancock extended his hand and said, "I know you, the world's shipping magnate. I just didn't expect you to come to my farm in person."

Chen Guangliang also extended his hand and said with a smile, "Because there is a future Australian billionaire family here, I've come to make friends!"

"Haha, Mr. Chen, you have a great sense of humor. Please come in!"

Before long, the Hancocks treated the father and son to a meal, slaughtered a sheep, and they ate and talked.

Seeing that Chen Guangliang was hesitant to reveal his purpose and only talked about making friends, Hancock couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Chen, where did you get the information that there are iron mines in the Pilbara region? And that they are worth mining?"

It's important to understand that even the Australian government and Australians believed that Australia would become an iron ore importer by 1965, just eight years later. They certainly didn't believe that the Pilbara region possessed abundant iron ore reserves.

Five years ago, the Hancocks were traveling by helicopter when they accidentally entered the Pilbara region due to turbulence, which led them to discover the exposed iron ore mountains.

This discovery greatly excited Hancock, who believed that God had deliberately chosen a special moment to give them a precious gift during the storm.

After discovering the iron ore, Hancock began relentless preliminary work, carefully surveying at least 112 kilometers of the ore vein. The ore samples he extracted, after repeated testing, showed a purity 2% higher than the US smelting standards, meaning the iron ore could be directly fed into a furnace to become steel.

But he was soon disappointed. Politicians in Perth and Canberra simply didn't believe that a farmer with only a high school education could discover high-grade iron ore in impoverished Australia, a country that experts had condemned to ruin. It was widely believed that Australian iron ore could only be mined for another thirty years, and that iron ore would have to be imported by 1965.

Hancock summed it up in one sentence: "Difficult to get in, unpleasant faces, and harsh words"—that's the true face of those politicians.

Chen Guangliang then slowly said, "Businessmen have a keen sense of smell. I have my own team, and of course, I believe even more that Australia is a resource-rich country, it's just that it hasn't been discovered yet."

Although Hancock was suspicious, he still said, "Mr. Chen, I have no plans to cooperate with anyone at the moment. At least I don't need investors until I obtain the franchise."

Chen Wenming, standing to the side, sighed inwardly, thinking that the investment might fall through.

Ultimately, it's because they are Chinese, making it difficult for them to gain people's trust.

Chen Guangliang smiled and said, "Of course, Mr. Hancock makes a lot of sense. According to Australian law, whoever discovers a mineral vein first has the concession. That's why Mr. Hancock hasn't dared to tell any mining professionals until now, because he's worried that the concession might go to someone else." Hancock's expression changed slightly, because he thought of a possibility—this shipping magnate is so confident that he has discovered a large mineral vein, but he hasn't obtained the concession, which is undoubtedly very dangerous.

However, he calmly said, "Perhaps we are all wrong, that is not a vein worth mining at all."

Chen Guangliang then said, “Mr. Hancock, I hope we can be friends. As far as I know, the Australian federal government and the Western Australian government strictly prohibit new iron ore mining in order to maintain tight government control over the ‘soon-to-be-depleted’ iron ore resources. So it’s extremely difficult for you to obtain a concession. But if you get my financial support, you will have enough power to lobby the Australian Parliament and deal with those bureaucracies. As for me, I only need to be a small investor, which won’t affect anything.”

He's not Australian, nor is he white, so even if he finds a cake, he's unlikely to take the lion's share.

He has always believed that "even a small cake is still a cake, at least you get to eat it." By analyzing the cases of China and Japan investing in overseas iron ore in their previous lives, he knows that he should learn from Xiao Rizi's investment approach.

In his past life, Xiao Rizi invested in overseas mineral resources by becoming a minority shareholder, not seeking control. In many large mines, Xiao Rizi had an investment of 5% to 10%. This way, he encountered less resistance.

This small amount of equity allows Japan to offset a significant portion of the cost of purchasing overseas minerals, even if prices rise.

In contrast, when Chinese mining companies go overseas, they often demand controlling stakes, only to be rejected by the West on the grounds of "national security." Furthermore, Western mining companies often raise prices to rip you off.

"Is that really what Mr. Chen thinks?" Hancock still harbored some doubts.

After all, Chen Guangliang was a world shipping magnate with enormous influence. The Jeddah Agreement in 1954 almost prompted the United States to use all its power to exert pressure, and they were just short of explicitly stating the possibility of war.

Today in Monaco, many people only know the 'Shipping King', but not Rainier III and Princess Grace.

Chen Guangliang said, "Of course, I just want to make friends with Mr. Hancock and help him become Australia's richest man sooner."

"Haha, I like friends like Mr. Chen."

After a few seconds of consideration, Hancock's expression changed, and he then proactively extended his hand.

This handshake can be seen as Hancock acknowledging Chen Guangliang as a 'venture capitalist'.

Subsequently, Chen Guangliang and his son became guests at the farm, and Hancock arranged for them to personally inspect the Pilbara iron ore mountains.

At that time, Hancock's daughter was only three years old, but he and Chen Guangliang were born in the same year.

Three days later, in Perth, the capital of Western Australia.

In the presence of lawyers, Chen Guangliang and Hancock officially signed a contract: to establish a company—Hancock Exploration Company, with the Chen Guangliang family investing US$100 million, holding a 20% stake.

The contract stipulates that all of Hancock's mineral investments must be conducted through Hancock Exploration.

In fact, Chen Guangliang was even more interested in the iron ore mining that followed.

In his previous life, after Hancock Prospecting Company obtained the franchise, it searched everywhere for investors, but Hancock was yelled at by thirty or forty mining companies to "get lost, you country bumpkins".

Finally, Rio Tinto of the UK decided to invest, and the agreement signed by the two parties was that Rio Tinto would take most of the mining rights and give 2.5% of its annual sales to Hancock Prospecting. Hancock Prospecting made a lot of money from these concession fees, and later its daughter became Australia's richest woman by virtue of the remaining area.

Therefore, there is a lot of room for maneuver here.

Upon returning to Hong Kong, Chen Guangliang learned that the Hong Kong real estate market had collapsed, with land prices falling by as much as 70%.

In fact, six months ago, Hong Kong properties were already sluggish. Hong Kong developers exaggerated market demand, with at least 1.5 residential units in excess of demand.

On one hand, there are the exorbitant land prices, with residential land costing around HK$170 per square foot. For example, a single plot of land in North Point, measuring 2 square feet, is priced at around HK$350 million.

On the other hand, due to economic reasons, the market price of apartments is only HK$40 to HK$50 per square foot, and an apartment costs only HK$3 to HK$5.

Land prices have skyrocketed, while housing prices have only risen slightly.

For example, if the land price is 350 million, the construction cost, taxes, and interest are 200 million, bringing the total cost to 550 million; the resulting residential property can only be sold for 600 to 700 million. Although there is still a profit, it cannot withstand the slightest risk.

This abnormal development, coupled with developers' blind expansion, led to the real estate crash caused by oversupply.

The first real estate developers to suffer were the "Hong Kong and Macau United" real estate company, led by Li Kangjie, a former Shanghai-based construction company, and He Xian from Macau. During this period, Li Kangjie acquired a lot of land in North Point and was known as the "King of North Point Land".

However, much of the company's capital was secured by loans from various banks, guaranteed by He Xian. Therefore, Li Kangjie's reckless expansion led to He Xian's predicament in Macau, with banks pressuring him to repay his debts.

As for Li Kangjie, everyone knows he went bankrupt and has no money to pay back.

The second to suffer was Chan Tak-tai of Tai Cheong Properties, who also purchased a large amount of land and even went to North Point to compete with Lee Hong-kit for land.

This only applies to real estate companies with assets in the tens of millions; far more than just these two companies have collapsed, and there are quite a few real estate companies going bankrupt in this wave.

That's why new real estate developers have emerged.

In his office, Chen Guangliang summoned Vice Premier Yan Kuan, Real Estate Manager Lu Xiaoqing, and his eldest son Chen Wenjie.

"This wave of property market downturn is just a cyclical development in the property market. CK Asset Holdings needs to purchase some land at low prices in the market to provide raw materials for the next wave of property development."

Cheung Kong Holdings naturally possesses a large amount of 'redevelopable land', but it obviously cannot rely on its past achievements. It must build and buy as needed to ensure sufficient raw materials.

Yan Kuan spoke first: "It just so happens that Cheung Kong Holdings has grown into a comprehensive group with annual revenue from various sources. In addition, Cheung Kong Holdings has a long-term vision, developing commercial real estate and development real estate at the same time. Our ability to resist risks has been greatly strengthened."

Of course, the foundation and background of CK Asset Holdings are also fundamental.

Otherwise, with so much commercial real estate development, the company would have been dragged down long ago.

Lu Xiaoqing said, "We just need to wait for those real estate companies to liquidate so that we can obtain cheap raw materials; at the same time, we can selectively absorb them in the market."

That's like rubbing salt into someone's wound, but it also makes a lot of sense.

Companies like 'Hong Kong and Macau Grand Alliance' and 'Dachang Properties' will inevitably be pursued by banks for debts, so they can only auction off their land at low prices, which is exactly what Cheung Kong Holdings is looking for.

"Alright, you guys go do it!"

He was only responsible for directing the large-scale operation; the specifics of how to do it were naturally left to his subordinates.

By this time, his eldest son, Chen Wenjie, had also risen to a senior management position, which made Chen Guangliang even more at ease. (End of Chapter)