Chapter 275: The Legal Way to "Win Over" the Governor
"Alright," Yang Wendong said as he took the notebook and carefully reviewed its contents. He hadn't been particularly knowledgeable about antiques before, but since he was about to acquire some, he'd crammed quite a bit of information in a short time.
Inside the notebook were listings of many artifacts from various dynasties — bronze cauldrons, incense burners, jade ornaments, ceramics, and scroll paintings. After browsing through it, Yang said, "Mr. Ding, there's quite a variety here. I'd like to select some calligraphy and paintings by famous figures — perhaps Guo Moruo, Qi Baishi, or even ancient poets like Li Bai or Du Fu."
Huo Yingdong's expression changed instantly upon hearing this, while Ding Kejian replied helplessly, "Mr. Yang, while works by Guo Moruo and Qi Baishi are modern and still available, Li Bai and Du Fu lived over a thousand years ago — their original works are basically nonexistent. And even if they did exist, such pieces are national treasures and not available for sale."
"Oh, I see. Then Guo Moruo and Qi Baishi would be fine too," Yang said casually. "I'm particularly interested in calligraphy and painting. I think many in Hong Kong and even overseas Chinese communities are the same.
If there are private collections of works by well-known figures in the mainland, and they can be located, I'd be happy to receive them in Hong Kong — whether for sale or lease, either is fine."
Compared to anonymous jade pieces or bronzes, calligraphy and paintings by recognizable figures had far greater appeal — simply because of the fame attached to their creators. Names like Li Bai and Du Fu had been passed down for over a millennium and were practically household names.
In fact, apart from a few founding emperors, even royalty often couldn't match such literary legends in lasting renown.
If a museum were filled with ancient bronze cauldrons or jade artifacts, most people wouldn't care much. But a single scroll by a famous poet would be a crowd-puller.
And in Hong Kong, many wealthy individuals — not just collectors like Zhao Congyan — had a deep interest in traditional Chinese calligraphy and painting. Economically, these items were also high-value, hard assets.
Ding Kejian thought for a moment and said, "I'll report this suggestion. If we can secure such works, it'll also make transportation easier."
"Great. I'll have someone verify the listed prices, and once we confirm the selection, we can discuss the rest in more detail," Yang smiled. "Also, several ships under Changxing Shipping have already departed for the United States. On their return voyage, they'll bring grain back to Hong Kong.
Your side should be prepared over there — don't miss the shipping window."
Yang wasn't involved in the trade itself; he was simply providing the logistics.
"No problem," Ding replied. "Ms. Zheng from your company has already briefed us."
Yang continued, "There's one more thing. Hong Kong is facing a more serious water shortage lately. I've reached an agreement with the government — I'll send several cargo ships inland to transport water from the mainland.
So I was thinking, since the ships are heading to the interior anyway, why not also use them to deliver the grain directly inland? Otherwise, your team would have to unload it in Hong Kong and then move it by land. I can handle both legs of the journey and save everyone time and money."
"That's an excellent idea!" Ding was thrilled. "However, unloading grain still requires the proper port facilities. I'll need to coordinate with the relevant departments to see if it's possible."
"Sure," Yang nodded.
At the moment, there weren't many active ports in the mainland. The economy was still struggling, and the demand wasn't high enough to justify building more.
Huo Yingdong laughed heartily. "Haha! So many different forms of cooperation, all wrapped into one — Mr. Yang, Mr. Ding, we'll definitely need to collaborate more in the future."
"Absolutely," Yang agreed. "And when my team needs light industrial products, we'll give priority to China Resources."
Hong Kong's import-export business had always been one of its economic pillars.
Changxing Trading Company was currently only importing plastic pellets from Taiwan and reselling them to local manufacturers, but that wouldn't be the end of it.
"Thank you for your support," Ding said.
Huo added, "Mr. Yang, since we've discussed almost everything, isn't it time to apply to the colonial government? A public project like this — you shouldn't be the only one footing the bill, right?"
"Of course I'll inform the government. I plan to meet with Governor Blackie in the coming days to discuss this," Yang said. "The museum's location and size can't be compromised, so I'll need to negotiate with the government. I can't afford to purchase commercial land for it — the cost would be too high."
If it were a short-term or purely commercial project, buying commercial land would make sense. But the museum was meant to be a long-term cultural institution — anywhere savings could be made, they should be.
"Then we'll await good news," Huo replied.
After treating them to a simple meal at the Changxing Mall downstairs, the two guests took their leave.
Yang, in no rush, dropped by the Carrefour supermarket downstairs. Liu Huayu personally accompanied him.
"Mr. Yang, our supermarket has officially turned a profit," Liu reported. "That includes rent for the space at Changxing Plaza, which we calculated based on comparable commercial properties in the area."
"That's pretty fast," Yang said with a smile.
Liu explained, "That's thanks to your heavy investment in advertising. Of course, those marketing costs aren't included here. We'll need more stores before we can average that out."
Changxing Group had mobilized a massive amount of media resources to support Carrefour. Newspapers and radio were just the basics. Even the entrances to Changxing Real Estate's movie theaters across Hong Kong Island featured large Carrefour billboards.
Hong Kong's China Motor Bus (CMB) group had also joined the campaign — all their seat backs were now covered with printed Carrefour ads. That idea, it was said, came straight from Yang himself and gave CMB a brand-new revenue stream.
Although the advertising blitz had calmed down recently, it was still more than any of the current competitors could afford.
"That's fine," Yang said. "To build a business properly, the early investment is always heavy. But we'll start easing off on the media push — too much becomes ineffective.
Your next focus should be summarizing best practices and expanding to new locations. The more stores you open, the lower the average cost — I don't need to explain that to you."
"Understood, Mr. Yang," Liu nodded. "Changxing Real Estate has just acquired three new properties on Hong Kong Island suitable for supermarkets. We're also in negotiations for four more on the Kowloon Peninsula.
However, those areas aren't as prime as our initial locations. Population density and income levels are lower, so we expect lower per-store performance."
"That's normal. You can't expect every location to be like Central or Causeway Bay," Yang replied. "Just open them. I believe Hong Kong's economy will only keep growing."
Even if the real estate crisis of 1966–67 was taken into account, from 1963 to 1973, Hong Kong's economy would continue its rapid rise.
So as long as funding was available, Yang had no reason to wait. Other than acquiring mid-tier properties, all other projects should proceed as planned.
"Alright." Liu paused, then added, "There's a rumor going around. It seems that, due to Carrefour's success, other major conglomerates are planning to enter the supermarket game."
"Oh? Which ones? British firms?" Yang asked.
He wasn't surprised. In Hong Kong, business followed one rule: imitate.
Whenever someone made money in a particular industry, others would rush in.
Even in Changxing Industrial's early days, many of their export products had been copied. But most of the copycats lacked capability and couldn't build proper distribution channels. Only a few managed to scale — and even then, profit margins were slim because the channels were dominated by Changxing.
The service industry, especially with innovative business models, was different — it wasn't protected by patents. So anyone could legally and reasonably jump in.
Liu replied, "The buzz says Swire and Jardine are preparing to get involved."
"Let them come," Yang said calmly. "We'll respond as needed. Just focus on doing our job right."
His presence had already started to reshape Hong Kong's business history. Maybe the big players of the future wouldn't be ParknShop and Wellcome — maybe they'd be something entirely new.
And maybe the financial groups behind those new giants would also look very different.
"Got it," Liu nodded.
Yang added, "I'll ask Zheng Zhijie to speed up property acquisitions. Let's lock down the best locations while we can."
Supermarkets were a semi-exclusive business. Once a successful store opened in an area, it naturally captured the local consumer base. Any competitor trying to open nearby would likely take a loss.
In mainland China in his past life, this wasn't much of an issue — the cities were vast, with more than enough room. No single chain could dominate.
But Hong Kong was different. With millions of people packed into just a few dozen square kilometers, whoever claimed the ground first would win the market.
"That's ideal," Liu said with a grin.
Looking around at the shoppers, Yang asked, "So what's the result of your product placement experiments?"
"We've seen some improvement," Liu said. "We placed instant noodles next to sausage, and both started selling faster. And your idea to pair beer with snacks — that's been a hit with the British customers."
"Good. Keep refining it. Even small increases in sales matter — the profit margin there is the highest," Yang replied.
Every industry had its fixed costs. Out of 100% in sales, profit might only be 10%. But if you boosted sales by another 10%, your net profit might grow by 5% or more.
Supermarkets were a textbook example. How and where you placed your goods could be the key to winning the next phase of the retail war.
April 18
Yang submitted a request to meet with the Governor. Governor Blackie naturally agreed. Their meeting would take place at Government House.
"Good afternoon, Governor," Yang said with a polite smile when they met.
"Mr. Yang, good to see you," Governor Blackie replied, rising from his seat like a true gentleman. "Please, have a seat."
"Thank you," Yang said, taking his place.
After a bit of casual conversation, Governor Blackie said, "Mr. Yang, thank you for sending your ships to the mainland to bring in fresh water. Without that, Hong Kong's water shortage might have gotten much worse."
"I consider it my duty as a Hong Kong citizen," Yang said with a smile. "I just want everyone in Hong Kong to live without the anxiety of not having water."
In late March and early April, 19 second-hand cargo ships purchased by Changxing Shipping from various countries had returned to Hong Kong, completed registration, and passed safety inspections.
Six of them were assigned to handle Changxing Industrial's export business, six more were doing short-haul trade in Southeast Asia, and the remaining seven were sent inland to bring water back to Hong Kong.
Thanks to his early preparations — and the fact that the drought hadn't yet peaked — Hong Kong was still managing. The worst that had happened so far were localized water outages and low pressure in certain districts.
That affected daily life and some business operations, but it wasn't yet catastrophic.
"Let's hope this damned weather improves soon," Blackie sighed. "Once the reservoirs are finished in a couple of years, water shortages will be a thing of the past."
"Let's hope so," Yang replied with a chuckle.
The colonial government was building several reservoirs, hoping to store rainwater.
But Yang considered that a fantasy. In 1962–63, South China had seen almost no rainfall. And even if rainfall returned to normal, Hong Kong's growing population and economy meant the planned reservoir capacity would soon fall short.
Still, the reservoirs wouldn't be entirely useless. After 1965, water from the Dongjiang River would start flowing into Hong Kong, and the reservoirs could be used to store it.
Blackie then asked, "So, Mr. Yang, what brings you to me today?"
"There is indeed something important," Yang Wendong said seriously. "I want to build a museum in Hong Kong."
"A museum?" Governor Blackie raised his eyebrows, puzzled. "Doesn't Hong Kong already have one? For a city this size, is a second museum really necessary?"
Yang shook his head. "The Hong Kong Museum mostly documents local history — but what I want to build is a large-scale museum that can house a wide range of ancient Chinese artifacts, along with select Western historical pieces."
Given that Hong Kong was still under British colonial rule, Yang couldn't outright declare that it would be a museum of purely Chinese heritage. Still, he had no problem with including a few Western artifacts — whether there would be many or not was a different story.
"A large-scale museum?" Blackie frowned slightly. He sensed this might involve more than a simple cultural project.
Yang leaned forward slightly. "Governor, didn't the British Empire once envision turning Hong Kong into the Pearl of the Orient, the crown jewel of Asia?
Well, if Hong Kong is to be the crown of the empire, how can it not have a world-class museum? Every major global city has one."
"You make a valid point," Blackie admitted after a brief pause. "But tell me, are you planning to fund all the exhibits yourself?"
"Only a small portion," Yang replied. "Most of the collection would be obtained through long-term leasing arrangements — that's standard practice in the museum industry worldwide."
Private museums overseas certainly weren't wealthy enough to own all the antiques, jewels, and famous paintings on display. Most owned only a small portion of their collections. The rest were typically on loan from other institutions or government bodies.
Even for the wealthiest of collectors, if a museum's collection never changed, people would visit once and never return. That wasn't viable from a commercial standpoint.
Thus, cultural relics frequently traveled around the globe — it was common practice. Of course, it was also why so many pieces went missing or were stolen. If everything were simply locked away in vaults, who would have the opportunity to steal them?
"And this leasing — have you already secured agreements with your partners?" Blackie asked.
"I've already come to an agreement with the mainland," Yang said, smiling. "Let me explain."
A cooperation of this scale couldn't be kept under wraps for long. Experts from the mainland would be coming to Hong Kong soon anyway, so there was no point hiding it from the Governor. It was a purely commercial partnership, and given how dependent the Hong Kong government was on mainland resources, it was unlikely to cause any political trouble. As long as Yang didn't openly act like Huo Yingdong would in a few years, it would be fine.
After hearing the details, Blackie nodded slowly. "It's actually a pretty solid idea. But I do hope you'll include some British antiques and paintings in your museum as well."
Even as Governor, Blackie was bound by the administration's policy of maintaining a "free market" — one of the very principles that allowed the British Empire to keep control of its colonies long after its global dominance had waned.
If Yang was determined to build the museum and the colonial government intervened, it would mean violating its own principles. Worse, it might alienate the powerful Chinese business community. Rather than sabotage the project, it would be more practical to find a way to benefit from it.
"No problem at all," Yang replied without hesitation. "But right now, we don't even have the building yet. British museums or government bodies wouldn't take me seriously — unless, of course, the Governor steps in personally."
"Even if I wanted to, I'm not sure I'd have time," Blackie said with a slight shake of his head. "By the time your museum is finished, I'll probably have returned to the UK."
Yang's eyes lit up. "In that case, why don't we finalize this project quickly? That way, you can attend the opening ceremony before you leave.
I can even promise you this — the museum will include an exhibit detailing its founding history. Your photo will be placed prominently, where everyone will see it."
"Really?" Blackie was clearly tempted.
"Absolutely," Yang replied firmly.
The Governor's term was almost over. In Hong Kong, outgoing Governors were quickly forgotten. Unlike disgraced ex-presidents of other countries, they weren't dragged through the mud, but they rarely left a legacy either.
But a permanent presence in a museum? That meant being remembered for generations.
For politicians and government officials, reputation was paramount. Most of them reached the peak of their careers in middle age. After that, with no new ambitions, they naturally began pursuing legacy.
That's why many wealthy individuals turned to philanthropy in their later years — not just for karma or goodwill, but also to be remembered.
Yang's offer struck right at the heart of that desire. It was, in every sense of the word, a completely legal "bribe."
There was nothing illegal about it. A museum recording the truth of its origins — what could be more reasonable? Hanging a few photos? Perfectly standard.
Blackie sat quietly for a moment, then slowly nodded. "Alright, Mr. Yang. Let's make this museum happen."
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