A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

It was spring again (1960).

Chen Guangliang and Jiang Meiying came to the United States to attend the opening ceremony of the 'San Francisco Amazon Shopping Center,' the largest shopping center in California, which was spearheaded by Chen Wenjin.

Among those attending the event were even future president John F. Kennedy, as well as California Senator John Carson and other political figures.

Of course, Chen Wenjin's cleverness lies in the fact that he is the chairman of 'Amazon Real Estate', while the general manager is Jack Wilson, a longtime friend of Chen Guangliang.

Jack Wilson was a young victim of the Great Depression in the 1930s. With the support of Chen Guangliang, he rose through the ranks to become a real estate developer in New York, with a net worth exceeding ten million US dollars.

When Chen Wenjin established Amazon Realty, Chen Guangliang persuaded Jack to join, albeit only as the general manager of the Amazon Shopping Center in San Francisco.

In reality, although he is called the general manager, Chen Wenjin is the one who mainly manages things.

The first 'Amazon Shopping Center' has a very unique exterior, featuring a circular design with a distinctive automotive theme and innovative design. It was a suggestion given by Chen Guangliang based on his memory of the 'previous Queens Square in New York'.

Therefore, all the guests who arrived today, as well as the large number of customers, were amazed.

Kennedy remarked, "If this were in New York, it would be one of the city's most beautiful sights."

Chen Wenjin's future father-in-law, Kaseng, said tactfully, "In San Francisco, there are also many, many people who know how to appreciate it."

“Haha,” Kennedy laughed, “Of course. Allen, you’ll be investing in New York, won’t you?”

Allen is Chen Wenjin's English name.

Chen Wenjin replied, "Of course. We will be building more Amazon shopping malls in the future. This is a completely new business model and an inevitable trend in socio-economic development."

He spoke at length about the development of Amazon Shopping Center in front of everyone, showing no signs of naivety at only 26 years old, making people marvel at how worthy he was of being the son of the 'World Shipping Magnate'.

Of course, Chen Wenjin's demonstrated financial resources are also a crucial factor.

Building a shopping mall requires an investment of tens of millions of US dollars, which is no small sum. Take the first Amazon shopping mall as an example; the total investment exceeded US$2000 million, of which 'Amazon Realty,' wholly owned by Chen Wenjin, held a 70% stake, with several other shareholders.

As the opening ceremony of the Amazon Shopping Center was completed, a large number of cars drove in from all directions.

Because this shopping center is themed around 'cars', some cars can access the building's rooftop parking garage via a circular walkway.

At the same time, there are also open-air parking lots.

Currently, the United States has 60% of the world's car ownership rate, and its housing situation is also relatively dispersed; therefore, the essence of a shopping mall is a 'radiating business district' effect.

During the meeting, Chen Guangliang advised Chen Wenjin: "The shopping center is doing quite well so far, but the surrounding land should be fully utilized, whether it is to develop residential apartments or other facilities, so as to make the most of the resources."

Chen Wenjin nodded quickly and said, "We are already preparing to develop the surrounding area."

"Yes. If this project is successful, we can try to accelerate expansion, but we can't overexpand. Commercial real estate is a business that requires long-term investment and continuous improvement. Even shopping malls are subject to rapid updates and iterations."

"Thank you for your guidance, Father."

The portion of the funding Chen Wenjin used to develop this project came from the initial capital given to him by Jiang Meiying. Subsequent expansion would naturally have to be achieved through loans and equity offerings.

After all, Chen Wenjin taking away nearly 1500 million US dollars was already a privilege he enjoyed as the eldest son.

Fortunately, Chen Wenjin's next goal is not ambitious; he plans to develop small and medium-sized shopping centers and strive to develop four more by the mid-1960s.

That day, the Amazon Shopping Center in San Francisco, California's largest shopping mall, became the subject of reports by The New York Times and The Washington Post. The news described it as "large investment, good ideas, successful leasing, and huge customer traffic," summarizing it as a "success."

After five years of work, Chen Wenjin finally gained a foothold in the American business world.

In a villa in San Francisco, Chen Guangliang and his wife Jiang Meiying hosted Chen Wenjin's future in-laws, Carson and Alice, as well as his girlfriend Kelly, Kelly's brother and younger brother.

Carson is a California senator whose family has been involved in politics since his father's generation.

This family was initially opposed to their daughter marrying a Chinese man; they were more receptive when they heard he was the son of a shipping magnate, but then they found out he was only the son of a second wife and looked down on him again.

In the end, Chen Wenjin won over the Carson family with her abilities and charm.

To put it bluntly, Chen Wenjin was already considered Kaseng's 'proud son-in-law' at this point.

After achieving success at the Amazon Shopping Center in San Francisco, Chen Wenjin was considered a first-generation entrepreneur in the United States, possessing exceptional abilities and networking skills.

"What I mean is, on the wedding day, only invite a small number of relatives and friends; there's no need for a big celebration. This will actually help the child's career!"

Upon hearing Chen Guangliang's words, Carson immediately agreed, saying, "Yes, Mr. Chen is absolutely right! Allen is in the real estate industry, so there's no need for him to be too high-profile. Of course, I hope it will be held at the Christian church. What do you think, Mr. Chen?"

This is a test!
Given that Chen Guangliang could have married several wives and children, it's impossible that he was religious. In Carson's view, Chen Guangliang was a traditional Chinese man.

However, since Chen Wenjin has already become a U.S. citizen and is working in the U.S. business world, it is better to follow the U.S. policy.

"certainly"

Carson was overjoyed; he had been genuinely worried that Chen Guangliang might want to have a traditional Chinese wedding.

Then, everyone started talking happily.

When discussing the US election, Chen Guangliang even boldly revealed and predicted that Kennedy would become the US president next year.

Carson immediately perked up; after all, who wouldn't want to be a loyal subject of the emperor?

Back in New York, Chen Guangliang was in an office building, reviewing the asset information of Jiang Meiying's investment company.

At this moment, Jiang Meiying had changed into a lady's formal dress and was serving Chen Guangliang.

“Actually, I can still support Wenjin in continuing to develop shopping centers!” Jiang Meiying said softly.

The eldest son always has special privileges.

Moreover, since Chen Wenjin joined the company, Jiang Meiying has felt much less pressure, and Chen Wenjin has been able to help with some of the investment company's affairs.

Chen Guangliang shook his head and said, "No need! He didn't take out a loan for his first project at all; he easily secured a loan of tens of millions of US dollars. Furthermore, shopping malls are cash flow businesses, and their annual revenue is an advantage for loans. Therefore, he doesn't need any more support. Developing too quickly isn't good either!"

Jiang Meiying then nodded.

Her investment company has total assets exceeding US$8000 million, with US$6000 million in securities and over US$2000 million in real estate alone.

Their assets have already exceeded 100 million US dollars.

Chen Guangliang reviewed the securities investment information and found that they were all long-term value investments. He mentioned that the 1962 Kennedy crash could be used for day trading, and that the period from late 1968 to 1969 could be used for buying low and selling high, but these were all partial operations. "IBM and Texas Instruments, we need to invest $1000 million in those two stocks immediately. We'll use a mortgage loan!"

Jiang Meiying said in surprise, "You're investing that much in just two stocks?"

Chen Guangliang laughed and said, "What's so great about it? Just one IBM is enough to buy almost everything!"

He knew that in 1967, IBM's market value was as high as $1900 billion, while now it was less than $200 billion!

"Okay, I'll have Wenjin assist me with the loan application right away!"

Her assets were largely unsecured, so getting a loan was no problem.

Chen Guangliang has long since stopped providing cash flow to Jiang Meiying's branch of the family. Firstly, there is already enough cash; secondly, Chen Guangliang still needs to take care of the third and fourth branches of the family; and thirdly, there is the preparation for the family office and family trust.

"No rush, let's try something different today!"

Jiang Meiying's pencil skirt and black stockings, combined with the fact that this was an office, aroused Chen Guangliang's desire.

"Oh my god, this is an office!"

Chen Guangliang grinned mischievously, "That's exactly what I wanted—an office!"

As people get older, they also need some different experiences.

of course.

If a woman were as beautiful as Jiang Meiying, it would at least slow down Chen Guangliang's pace of finding new women.

Jiang Meiying gave a light snort, then said more openly, "Are you really tempted by this outfit and this environment?"

"Of course, you come here and lie down, let's take a look at your asset statements!"

Jiang Meiying put on a seductive expression, pretending to be looking at documents on her desk, while her buttocks swayed back and forth.

A voluptuous woman is certainly a good fit for the office, and Chen Guangliang was already excited just looking at her.

Of course, beautiful things should be savored little by little. He first ran his palm over the long legs covered in stockings.
Afterwards, Chen Guangliang looked at the voluptuous beauty lying on the sofa and felt very satisfied.

"We'll buy a large apartment in Manhattan later, renovate it, set up an office, and then invite Renmei and Audrey over!"

Jiang Meiying said weakly, "Why should I handle this? You're the one who wanted to play this game!"

Even so, she was just being polite and would naturally do as she was told.

Later in New York, Chen Guangliang met with Greek shipowner Onassis at the Waldorf Hotel.

Over the years, Chen Guangliang's fame has spread throughout the world. As for Onassis, he is just one of the major Greek shipowners, somewhat famous, but far less famous than in his previous life.

This meeting was facilitated by Onassis's initiative to visit Chen Guangliang, who then contacted him through Chen's friends in New York.

Upon meeting, Onassis humbly said, "Mr. Chen, our connection dates back 30 years!"

Chen Guangliang feigned ignorance and said, "Oh? Could it be that Mr. Onassis has been to Shanghai?"

Onassis shook his head, a hint of regret on his face, and said, "Back then, the Canadian Railway Company auctioned off six 5000-ton second-hand ships with a starting price of only $2. I also participated in that auction. Later, I learned that your rise to prominence in the shipping industry was due to your commissioning of Warren & Co. to auction those six ships."

This kind of thing, after all, was written into Chen Guangliang's rise to power, so it wasn't hard to find out.

Chen Guangliang laughed and said, "I see. It was inconvenient for me to leave at the time, so I did entrust the Warren & Co. to auction six ships. But to say that I made a fortune would be an exaggeration."

Then, he changed the subject and continued, "How many ships does Mr. Onassis own now, and how many tons?"

Onassis, forcing a smile, said, "Not many, just a 50-ton ship, and it's a new one."

The implication is that Chen Guangliang owns most of the second-hand ships.

Chen Guangliang laughed and said, "That's not much. The ships I built in Japan last year totaled exactly 50 tons."

The boat you build in a year is all your possessions.

Onassis was surprised, but then he finally came up with a reason: "Japanese-made ships are never as good as those made in Europe and America."

"Haha," Chen Guangliang said, "Perhaps."

Without further ado, the two fell into an awkward silence upon their first meeting.

In Chen Guangliang's opinion, this generation of Onassis is no longer a concern. Its current production capacity is only 500,000 tons. Even if it had worked hard to develop in the 1960s, it would have been a miracle to reach 2 million tons by 1969.

In contrast, Chen Guangliang's total tonnage this year is already close to 200 million tons, and in another ten years, it will probably be in the tens of millions of tons.

Back in Hong Kong.

Chan Kwong-leung inspected the 'commercial complex' in Causeway Bay, accompanied by his eldest son, Chan Man-kit.

"When developing commercial complexes and shopping malls, the most important thing is not how beautiful the buildings are, but how well they attract tenants. Wenjie, the Causeway Bay commercial complex is huge, and attracting tenants in the coming year is of paramount importance. We can't just bring in a few nobodies; we need to bring in some high-quality brands, especially international brands."

Chen Wenjie nodded and said, "Father, I have already transferred some elite talent from Lane Crawford Department Store. Combined with the recruited personnel, we are confident that we can successfully complete our mission in the coming year. We have also reached a preliminary agreement with Daimaru Department Store; the two sides will each hold a 50/50 stake."

The commercial complex on Baidexin Street has:
One hotel – Furama Hotel, one office building – Walden Tower, one department store – Daimaru Department Store, one shopping mall – Causeway Bay Shopping Centre, and four residential apartment buildings – 'Hai Zi Tou'.

Once it opens, this place will define Causeway Bay's 'business center'.

As for why Japanese department stores were introduced?

It's very simple: Japan has a wider selection of goods, and they're cheaper. More importantly, Japan's service industry is excellent.

At the same time, Chan Kwong-leung also opened a shopping mall called "Causeway Bay" to create a shopping paradise.

Chen Guangliang said to his son, "There's also the Cheung Kong Center in Central. We can start leasing there in the second half of this year. We need to bring in top-tier global brands; they need to be high-end. So, leasing these two commercial complexes will actually be Hong Kong's first time bringing in a large number of top international brands. Whether these brands have confidence in Hong Kong and in our Cheung Kong Group is something you need to do your best to achieve. By the way, I've also asked Wenjin to find you two talents in this field, Americans. Go and communicate with them more!"

"Yes, Father. Actually, I've been seeking his advice all along!"

Chen Wenjie's words were very honest. He did not lose face because he was the eldest brother. From the very beginning of the Amazon Shopping Center's business development, he humbly sought advice from his younger brother.

"Hmm" (End of Chapter)