A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

"Joseph, there are large-scale cash-outs at Hong Kong and China Gas and Bank of East Asia, and the stock prices can no longer be maintained!" The broker called Liu, sounding quite anxious.

Upon hearing this, Joseph Lau was immediately shocked and said to his agent on the phone, "How is that possible! Li Ka-shing and his team are sweeping up these two stocks, and retail investors are rushing to enter the market. Where would they find any selling pressure at this time?"

"I'm not sure! Anyway, there's a lot of selling pressure!"

"Wait a minute, let me find out more about the situation."

After hanging up the phone, Liu Luanxiong called some of the fund companies he knew, and received the same answer.

At this moment, he suddenly panicked and became somewhat indecisive.

"Did Li Ka-shing and his associates deliberately short sell to drive down the stock price and demoralize our troops?"

In his office, Joseph Lau gazed at the bustling Central district outside the window and felt a surge of irritation.

"Hmph, Li Zhaoji's move is just superfluous. I don't believe he's really not afraid!"

Thinking of all this, Joseph Lau was no longer afraid. He even had his agent pretend to buy some more shares of Hong Kong and China Gas and Bank of East Asia from the market to show that he was not afraid at all.

This move caused Joseph Lau to miss the best opportunity to cash out, while his three daughters, Kwan, Lee, and Cheung, were able to sell off their shares in Central Gas and Bank of East Asia, valued at HK$450 million, making a profit of over 70%.

By the time Joseph Lau realized what was happening, Lee Shau-kee had also acquired a certain number of shares and stopped his buying spree. Naturally, the prices of the two stocks could not be maintained, causing Joseph Lau to earn significantly less.

On the other hand, Joseph Lau's strength in this life is actually somewhat less than in his previous life. First, his fan business did not earn as much as in his previous life, after all, Midea Electric Appliances had also entered the North American market and sold very well in the classic fan segment; second, Hongkong Land did not sell Harcourt House in Wan Chai and Windsor House in Causeway Bay in 1985, because Hongkong Land had its Exchange Square acquired by Cheung Kong Holdings, and they naturally would not immediately weaken their own strength, so Joseph Lau did not have any truly high-quality properties at this time.

Unconsciously, everyone's strength has weakened, except for the 'Five Tigers of the Chen Clan' whose strength continues to rise.

Time flies, and it's now 1987.

As the new year began, Asia Television (ATV) became the talk of the town, simply because in the past month or two, ATV had promoted a television program called "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," which sparked citywide discussion.

Register at ATV and answer questions to win a prize of HK$1 million. This initiative attracted more than 20,000 Hong Kong citizens to sign up.

On New Year's Day in 1987, Asia Television's "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" program officially began airing.

This marked the beginning of the 'Hong Kong pop culture', so Chan Kwong-leung rarely stayed up late to watch TV programs with his family.

Why is it considered the beginning of 'Hong Kong pop culture'?

In Chen Guangliang's plan, Hong Kong pop culture is divided into three parts: song performances, Hong Kong pop dramas, and Hong Kong pop variety shows.

The song stage naturally refers to the idol group cultivated by 'Era Entertainment'. In the first half of this year (1987), they will start through the audition program "PRODUCE 101" and will later form the first boy group to debut.

There are currently no plans for Hong Kong-style dramas, but around the late 1980s, preparations were made for ATV to produce idol dramas and other series.

Hong Kong-style variety shows are divided into two parts. The first part consists of world-class variety shows such as "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," "Got Talent," "The Voice," "Big Brother," and "Man vs. Wild." The second part consists of variety shows with great influence in Asia such as "X-MAN," "Family Outing," and "Running Man."

We will develop step by step, while simultaneously establishing a talent development system.

The living room of No. 79 Deep Water Bay has become the residence of four generations of the Chen family.

Chen Guangliang sat on the sofa, with his legal wife Yan Renmei next to him.

Yan Renmei, who is 72 years old this year, is still beautiful, giving people the feeling that a beauty is still beautiful even when she gets old.

Of course, Yan Renmei's beauty still feels real, her physical functions are still at the level of a woman in her forties, she is the epitome of a beautiful mature woman, and she has not even gone through menopause yet.

Of course, in recent years, Chen Guangliang has been surrounded by more young women, and his wives and concubines have wisely refrained from causing trouble. They still have their friendly competition, but the frequency has decreased.

In terms of her state of mind, Yan Renmei still showed the same affection as she did back then in front of Chen Guangliang. She would even snuggle in Chen Guangliang's arms while watching TV, a relationship that her children and grandchildren envied. She also admired her father's skills in love.

"Is this program very important?" Yan Renmei looked up at her husband and asked in confusion.

My husband hardly ever watches TV, never has.

Chen Guangliang laughed and said, "It can be considered the beginning of Hong Kong pop culture. In itself, it is also the 'copyright asset' that I have always hoped for, so it is indeed worth seeing what Mengyi and the others have done!"

Yan Renmei immediately said, "Mengyi is currently focused on her career and has no intention of having a second child, which is worrying!"

Chen Guangliang calmly said, "A daughter is no longer under her mother's control once she grows up. Let her go. Having one son is enough."

There's no way around it; Chen Mengyi was only willing to get married out of consideration for appearances. Even though she chose her husband herself, it wasn't enough to make her compromise too much, and she's devoted everything to her career.

The program started soon.

The eldest son, Chen Wenjie, and his wife, Zhuang Yuanzhen, along with the eldest grandson, Chen Zerui, and his wife, quietly accompanied them. As for the children, they were naturally taken away by the servants.

on the television.

The camera pans to the scene, showing a circular, illuminated stage that looks like alien technology; the audience is all around, but initially there is no lighting; when the entire venue is lit up, the audience around the circular stage applauds. The host is dressed in a gray suit, wearing glasses, and stands very straight, giving the impression of a 'cultured host'.

The hosts of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" must be quick-witted and knowledgeable. Three candidates were selected six months ago, and then they underwent six months of training and selection before the current hosts were chosen.

The selection of the host alone has already taken a lot of effort and money; although Hong Kong has many excellent hosts, they are clearly not suitable for the temperament and style of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire".

The host greeted the audience fluently and explained the rules, which was refreshing and made the whole experience very comfortable.

Soon, the participants began to answer questions, and the camera switched to show that there were now chairs and props in the center of the circular stage.

After the contestants gave brief introductions, the host briefly explained the rules, and the quiz officially began!
Host: "'Will-o'-the-wisps' are the result of phosphorus burning in the air. What color are they? A: Yellow, B: Blue-green, C: Gold, D: Purple. Have you ever seen will-o'-the-wisps? In movies. (The host will provide some tidbits of information.)"

On the other side of the television screen, hundreds of thousands of viewers were watching, and they all began discussing the answer with their families. Those who knew the answer would excitedly showcase their talents, as if they were there in person.

This program is undoubtedly a world-class program, loved by people from all over the world in the past!
"Blue-green"

Such a question was no challenge for Yan Renmei, but after she answered it, her eyes were filled with interest.

"It seems this show will be a great success; even you're interested!" Chen Guangliang said with a smile.

The contestant passed; after all, it was only the first question, and it would be too embarrassing to answer incorrectly! Host: "Which of the following muscle groups is the strongest in the human body? A: Chest (Laughter from the audience) B: Arms, C: Thighs, D: Hands."

On the other side of the television screen, it's inevitable that dirty conversations will ensue!
Actually, this question is very simple, but the key is that simple questions are not necessarily easy to answer!

"The answer is thighs!"

"of course!"

On TV, the hosts were still chatting.

The success of the show is not just about answering questions, but also about creating a feeling, such as tension, excitement, and fun.

The next day.

Hong Kong media and citizens alike were discussing ATV's "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" That night, no one took home the HK$100 million prize, but someone answered 10 questions correctly and won HK$6 in cash.

The dazzling technological background, the exciting and stimulating quiz segments, and the heated discussions among television viewers all point to the show's success.

Although the ratings for the morning paper have not yet been tallied, some say they will exceed 40%, while others say they will exceed 50%. It's worth noting that the highest ratings in Hong Kong television history is 36% for "Justice Bao".

wireless.

?

They were on high alert again, but now they were starting to become numb to it!
"It's over, it seems the father-in-law has started to make his move!"

After seeing the news on TVB, Zhuang Zhujiu immediately made a judgment.

He had worked with Chen Guangliang for decades and was all too familiar with the predictable tactics of his father-in-law.

Under Chow Leung Suk-yee's management, ATV could at most poach talent and produce big-name programs, but innovation was extremely difficult. So at best, its viewership would only be about 40/60 with TVB, and ATV couldn't even expect to make a profit.

But if it really is the father-in-law who takes the lead, then innovation will be constant, and success is almost guaranteed.

Sheng Qi said, "Let's make a move then. We're getting old anyway, let our subordinates compete."

This is absolute trust in that person, because they are truly legendary.

"Um"

Although Zhuang Zhujiu did not want to admit defeat, he knew too well how capable Chen Guangliang was. The reason why Times Film Industry was where it was today was basically due to the planning behind the scenes by his father-in-law.

London.

In a meeting room, Chen Wenxi, CEO of Canary Wharf Group Development Company, looked slightly mature in a suit.

At that moment, he was standing in front of a large model, introducing the 'Canary Wharf' development plan to London's Prime Minister Thatcher.

Shortly after New Year's Day this year, Canary Wharf Group Development Company won the Canary Wharf development project, and the shareholders behind this company are also very large.

The largest shareholder is, of course, the initiator, Chen Wenxi, followed by Mattel Group (a diversified conglomerate), Amazon Group (the world's largest commercial real estate company), and Cheung Kong Holdings (from Hong Kong).

In fact, the shareholders of this development company are basically all members of the Chen family.

However, the British government sees the Canary Wharf Group as a powerful entity. Although its founder, West Hepburn (Chen Wenxi), is only 32 years old, he has already worked in the real estate industry for ten years and represents a huge amount of power.

"Prime Minister Thatcher, look at this 'Canary Wharf Tower' skyscraper. Once completed, it will become the tallest skyscraper in the UK, standing at 235.1 meters." The tall Chen Wenxi patiently introduced it to Mrs. Thatcher.

The Canary Wharf project is also a government achievement of the Thatcher government, and whether it can start on time will be an important factor in Thatcher's next election.

Thatcher, holding a glass of champagne, listened attentively, then asked, "When will construction begin, and when will it be completed?"

With such a huge investment, she was also worried that her best friend's son might be making empty promises to her.

Of course, this project was awarded to the consortium led by West Hepburn not through insider trading, but purely based on merit.

Chen Wenxi said, "Construction will begin at the end of the year and be completed in the early 90s. Not only that, we are building eight buildings at the same time, and the first batch of financial giants are expected to move into the Canary Wharf Group in 1991."

At this moment, Chen Wenxi was also calculating in his mind: his father had told him that he was preparing to immediately cash out his foreign exchange investments, and then cash out his securities investments in the second half of the year. These funds would be used for the Canary Wharf Group. He would also need to cash out his personal securities investments in the second half of the year, and even the securities investments of his mother's investment company were planned to be cashed out in the next three months.

This clearly demonstrates that the father foresaw the stock market disaster, and they were able to cash out, which could then be used for this project. Of course, the funds didn't need to be used up, since the Canary Wharf Group primarily operates through loans.

“Very well, we have great confidence in the strength of the Canary Wharf Group. This project is of great importance, and the London government hopes that you will proceed according to the established timeline.”

"no problem"

Beginning in 1985, SOM (Stein O.M. & O.S.A.) began the master planning work for Canary Wharf, establishing the framework for urban streets, public squares, and green spaces, striving to transform the abandoned industrial area into a thriving financial district. Key design features include:
First, we will create grid plots of appropriate size and high efficiency as the basis for overall development;

Secondly, creating a large number of "iconic buildings and places" is a city marketing strategy;
Third, through "three-dimensional development," a distinctive space integrating various functions is formed;

Fourth, we will introduce the organic integration of water systems and land space to give full play to the advantages of waterfront resources.

The three skyscrapers are arranged in a "品" shape, along with a large number of other office buildings and shopping malls.

The area taken over by the Canary Wharf Group includes 26 buildings.

Of course, according to the established goals, only 8 buildings will be constructed in the first phase, and construction will continue as needed.

At the venue.

Chen Wenxi, a businessman with mixed British and American citizenship, is thriving. He is not only well-connected with British politics and the royal family, but is also one of Britain's top billionaires.

He is a powerful figure in the real estate industry, having acquired the Canary Wharf Group;

He is the owner of a luxury goods empire, holding shares in Harrods, the UK's most luxurious department store, Château Latour in France, and Gucci in Italy, among others.

Compared to his elder brother Chen Wen'ou, Chen Wenxi's career was more concentrated in Europe. (End of Chapter)