A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

In the spring of 1965, the Bauhinia flowers in Hong Kong were in full bloom, and the air was still warm and humid.

In the Peony Hall on the third floor of the Shangri-La Hotel, a mahogany round table is covered with a dark-patterned tablecloth, and the light from the crystal chandelier shines through the celadon teacups, casting dappled light spots on the tabletop.

Chen Guangliang held a Longjing tea leaf between his fingers, watching it slowly unfurl in the hot water.

Across from him, Zhuang Zhujiu was pushing the Hong Kong government's tender notice over, the words "TVB License" on the paper circled repeatedly in red pen.

Although the 65-year-old man from Changzhou has graying temples, his eyes shine brighter than the sunlight outside the window when he talks about the media industry. He is not only a 22% partner in Times Pictures, but also the father-in-law of Chen Guangliang's eldest son, Chen Wenjie. The two of them have always been less formal with each other.

“Mr. Chen, this is a once-in-a-century opportunity!” Zhuang Zhujiu’s fingers tapped rapidly on the edge of the announcement. “Times Pictures now has cinemas and production, all it needs is a television station to complete the loop. If you lead a consortium and bring in British capital like Jardine Matheson and Swire, the license will be yours for the taking—we have the operational experience of Times Pictures, and you have enough financial resources, who can compete with us?”

Chen Guangliang picked up his teacup, the steam blurring his expression. Outside the window, the exterior walls of the Yangtze River Plaza were under construction, the shadow of the crane falling precisely on the table like a silent exclamation mark. "I'm not particularly interested in TVB, but you have to win the bid for the license!"

"Ah...this..." Zhuang Zhujiu was stunned, and almost dropped his pen. He had worked with Chen Guangliang for over twenty years, and they were also in-laws, so he knew that there was always a deeper meaning behind his seemingly casual decision. "Mr. Chen, even if you don't directly intervene, you can still let Times Pictures invest in you."

“No need.” Chen Guangliang put down his teacup, the soft clinking of the bottom against the table instantly silencing the private room. “As far as I know, Li Xiaohe of the Li family in Causeway Bay is sharpening his knives. If you team up with him and you succeed, he can become the chairman and you the general manager—after all, you have extensive media experience, this is your battlefield.”

Zhuang Zhujiu gently rubbed his knees, suddenly realizing something. During the bank run at the beginning of the year, the Chen family's contrarian investment in Hang Seng had already drawn the attention of the Hong Kong government and British capital. If they were to acquire a TVB license now, they would likely be seen as "overstepping their bounds." Their in-laws were deliberately concealing their true intentions.

“You don’t need to worry about funding,” Chen Guangliang added. “Let Times Pictures distribute dividends, and if that’s not enough, you can mortgage your shares for a loan. Times Pictures’ assets are enough for you to leverage funds.” He looked at Zhuang Zhujiu with expectation in his eyes, “You’ve been in the film industry for over thirty years, don’t you want to see if you can create the best television station in Hong Kong?”

“Good!” Zhuang Zhujiu clenched his fist tightly, his knuckles turning white. “Since you are willing to help me, I will definitely fight for this opportunity!” He recalled his days managing Times Pictures when he was young, and the ideals he had cherished in those days seemed to have finally found another place to rest. As a partner holding 22% of the shares, he knew the potential of Times Pictures better than anyone else, and he understood the weight of Chen Guangliang’s promise.

“Your strength lies in business operations, while Lijia’s strength lies in its relationship with the British,” Chen Guangliang advised. “A general manager is not necessarily inferior to a chairman. One is in charge of external affairs, and the other is in charge of internal affairs. Cooperation is the key to a win-win situation.”

Zhuang Zhujiu nodded with a smile, his worries completely dispelled. He knew Chen Guangliang's words carried weight—as long as the Chen family didn't explicitly object, Li Xiaohe had no reason to refuse to cooperate with him.

After all, Times Films owns 23 cinemas in Hong Kong, controlling half of the city's moviegoers—a bargaining chip that anyone aspiring to work in media must consider. Moreover, his in-law relationship with Chan Kwong-leung is itself a silent endorsement.

After seeing Zhuang Zhujiu off, Chen Guangliang sat alone in the private room, gazing at Victoria Harbour through the window. The Times Film Company building was right across the water—in Tsim Sha Tsui—the neon sign for "Times" on the top floor still prominently displayed in the sunlight. It wasn't that he didn't want a television station; the time simply wasn't right.

Although RTV is still an insignificant cable channel, he prefers challenges as long as there are no rules to restrict him.

Rather than directly competing with the Li family and the British company now, it would be better to let this partner and in-law, who holds 22% of the shares, pave the way first, and then enter the game indirectly later.

Therefore, Chan Kwong-leung's plan was to acquire RTV in the 1980s and make it the number one television station in Hong Kong, with programs whose copyrights were purchased worldwide. He even aspired to dominate the development of Hong Kong's cultural industry.

At this moment, in the Li family mansion, Li Xiaohe was spreading the tender notice on the long rosewood table. His younger brother, Li Rongsen, held a cigar with a silver cigar holder, and amidst the swirling smoke, his tone was filled with worry: "Second brother, the three of us brothers may have similar funds combined, but the Hong Kong government may not be willing to give the license to a purely Chinese-owned conglomerate."

“So we need to bring in British capital.” Li Xiaohe pointed to the “shareholder composition” column on the paper. “I have already contacted HSBC and Hutchison Whampoa. They are willing to take a stake, but not participate in management—this is the best outcome.”

Li Rongda suddenly spoke, his voice hesitant: "But we lack people who understand media. Zhuang Zhujiu of Times Film Company and Run Run Shaw of Shaw Brothers are both eyeing this lucrative opportunity. I heard that Zhuang Zhujiu is related to Chen Guangliang by marriage and owns more than 20% of Times Film Company's shares. If the Chen family also gets involved..."

These words silenced the living room instantly. The scene of Ping An Bank overpowering HSBC at the beginning of the year was still fresh in everyone's mind, and no one wanted to confront the Chen family conglomerate head-on.

Li Xiaohe pondered for a moment, then stubbed out his cigar in the crystal ashtray: "I heard that Chen Guangliang intends to avoid the media industry and hand over Era Pictures entirely to Zhuang Zhujiu. Let's contact Zhuang Zhujiu first and sound him out. If he's willing to join, our chances of success will increase by at least 30%—Era Pictures' film and television resources are too important."

“What if he refuses?” Li Rongsen asked.

“Then let’s find Run Run Shaw.” A ruthless glint flashed in Li Xiaohe’s eyes. “But we must win over Zhuang Zhujiu first. Think about it, if we can get Chen Guangliang to tacitly allow us to get the license, the resistance from the Hong Kong government will be much less.” He stood up, walked to the window and looked in the direction of Times Film Studio. “Send someone to deliver an invitation, saying that I, Li Xiaohe, would like to invite Mr. Zhuang for a cup of tea.”

A few days later, when Zhuang Zhujiu's business card appeared in the Li family's reception room, Li Xiaohe breathed a long sigh of relief. When Zhuang Zhujiu proposed the structure of "Chairman Li, General Manager Zhuang," he agreed almost without hesitation. In the instant the two shook hands, they both understood that behind this cooperation stood the unseen Chen Guangliang—the man who was both Zhuang Zhujiu's in-law and the largest shareholder of Times Film Industry.

Meanwhile, Chen Guangliang was in the research and development workshop of Cheung Kong Industries, watching engineers debug a newly developed magnetic tape recorder. The spring sunshine outside the window was perfect, and he knew that the golden age of Hong Kong television was about to begin!
Chen Wensheng, the fourth son of the eldest son's family, was called back to Hong Kong from Wall Street by Chen Guangliang to deal with the expansion of Ping An Bank after the bank run. Of course, Chen Wensheng is only 23 years old this year and has only worked at Chase Bank on Wall Street for two years. He is not considered a talent, so he will start from the bottom management level when he returns.

On this day, at Villa No. 79 in Deep Water Bay, the members of the first family gathered together to welcome Chan Man-sing back to Hong Kong.

The eldest son, Chen Wenjie, and his wife have two sons and a daughter; the second son, Chen Wenming, and his wife have one son and a daughter; the third son, Chen Wenkai, and his wife have one son; the fourth son, Chen Wensheng, also brought home a girlfriend; the youngest daughter, Chen Mengyi, is only 13 years old this year and still clings to Chen Guangliang's side, refusing to leave, for fear that her nephews will take her father away.

"Wensheng, you'll be working at Ping An Bank tomorrow. Your Uncle Ye will arrange a job for you, but it definitely won't be a middle-level position; it will be a low-level management position."

Chen Wensheng immediately said, "Even if it's just an ordinary employee, I can accept it, after all, I don't know much about Hong Kong's finance!"

Chen Wenming, the second son, joked, "You are a top student from a world-renowned university and have worked at Chase Bank for two years. It would be too unreasonable for you to just be an ordinary employee!"

"Third Brother is joking. Even ordinary employees can climb up quickly. In the workplace, ability is the most important thing." "You little rascal, taking the opportunity to lecture me."

Chen Guangliang and Yan Renmei did not interfere with the brothers' playful fights.

Now, all four sons of the eldest son have joined the family business. 32-year-old Chan Man-kit is already the "third-in-command" of Cheung Kong Holdings, and is likely to become general manager within the next year or two. He is Chan Kwong-leung's most trusted and proud eldest son. 30-year-old Chan Man-ming has also become a senior executive at Global Group, primarily responsible for business operations. 27-year-old Chan Man-kai serves as assistant general manager of Cheung Kong Industrial Group, also considered a senior executive. 23-year-old Chan Man-sing, although only recently joined Ping An Bank, possesses a high level of education and experience at Chase Bank, ensuring a rapid promotion.

With the four sons of the eldest son's family finally completing their plans, Chen Guangliang gradually moved behind the scenes, handing over the position of general manager to them step by step.

night.

The Chen Wenming couple and the Chen Wenkai couple, along with their children, returned to their own homes; one lived in Repulse Bay, and the other in The Peak. As for Chen Wensheng, being unmarried, he naturally lived at 79 Deep Water Bay. His sister-in-law, Zhuang Yuanzhen, had grown up with them and naturally had a good relationship with them.

Chen Guangliang lay on his bed in the bedroom, holding a book in his hand. He wasn't really trying to read; he was just passing the time. But his memory was so good that he had accumulated a considerable amount of knowledge over the years.

However, Chen Guangliang soon lost interest in reading. He saw Yan Renmei walk in wearing a sexy nightgown and black stockings.

She was still as beautiful as ever. Standing next to her daughter-in-law, Zhuang Yuanzhen, some people even mistook her for the younger sister, and her beauty far surpassed that of the 'older sister'.

Yan Renmei was born in 1915. She gave birth to Chen Wenjie at the age of 18 and had four sons and one daughter with Chen Guangliang. Now, at the age of fifty, she looks like she is only in her early thirties, exuding the ultimate charm of a young woman.

This youthful appearance is a good thing, as it can slow down Chen Guangliang's pace of "finding wild flowers." Yan Renmei also knows this; if she hadn't become anti-aging thanks to Chen Guangliang's nourishment, then given Chen Guangliang's physical condition, who knows how many young women he would have sought out, after all, physical strength is sometimes a given.

Her husband, while not exactly a party animal every night, only gets two days off a week.

Yan Renmei loosened the belt of her silk nightgown, then deliberately opened it, and laughed, "How about it, Mei Yingsong? My underwear?"

Chen Guangliang immediately sat up and saw that it was sexy lingerie inside, which created a strong sense of contrast on Yan Renmei's body.

"Great! But let's make it a little later tonight for something more exciting!"

Upon hearing this, Yan Renmei immediately felt a bit nervous.

"I'm afraid."

Chen Guangliang stepped forward and put his arm around her, saying, "The last part wasn't handed over to me, and the time is right!"

Yan Renmei said coquettishly, "You make it sound like I'm about to get old. Have you prepared any measures? I used to see you playing with Mei Ying, and I was actually a little tempted!"

The bedroom immediately started to heat up!
At this age, sometimes you need some new things to do.
The top floor of Poly Plaza houses the headquarters of Cheung Kong Holdings.

In his office, Chen Guangliang listened to his eldest son Chen Wenjie's work report: "Father, at present, Cheung Kong Holdings has almost no development projects in Hong Kong. Cheung Kong Holdings needs new investment to absorb our profits."

While CK Asset Holdings appears to have a debt of 200 million, it is actually not high, as the 200 million was mainly invested in the Hung Hom Tunnel. In the past three years, CK Asset Holdings' annual profits have exceeded 50 million, and much of these funds have been used to purchase a 600,000 square meter plot of land on Orchard Road in Singapore held by Chen Guangliang, as well as some land reserves.

What investments do you think we should make?

This is a test.

Chen Wenjie said, “My father has always been optimistic about Singapore’s development. However, there are significant conflicts between Singapore and the Federation of Malaysia, and the political situation is unstable, so we cannot act rashly. In Hong Kong, after the bank run this year, the property market began to decline sharply, and the bank run is still ongoing, so there is no prospect of development in the Hong Kong property market in the short term. As for the several plots of land in Ginza, Japan, which my father personally owns, the leases are already stable, and it would be too early to rebuild them. Considering everything, I wonder if Cheung Kong Holdings could adopt a ‘quick turnover’ approach, purchasing a small number of plots of land in Hong Kong at low prices, and then developing and selling them as soon as possible, even if the profit is lower, so that the company can still operate normally. As for the next step, we can observe the development of the situation in Singapore before making a decision.”

"Yes, your idea is right, let's do it your way!" Chen Guangliang rarely smiled and praised his son.

Chen Wenjie immediately said, "Actually, I learned a lot of information from my father while I was with him."

Chen Guangliang nodded and said, "In short, my analysis is correct. Even if you take power in Cheung Kong in the future, you should still listen to my advice on the big picture."

"Father" Chen Wenjie was a little anxious; he least wanted to hear about taking over.

Chen Guangliang waved his hand and said, "It's too early to talk about those things, but I'm going to hand over the work to you guys eventually. I'll analyze the important matters from behind the scenes, while you guys charge into battle. After all, I've been working for almost forty years."

Hearing his father say this, Chen Wenjie felt relieved and said, "This is what we brothers and sisters should do." (End of Chapter)