Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 621 The Prince's Mansion
August 23, Wednesday, the Beginning of Autumn.

It's still very hot.

However, thanks to the air conditioner that was expedited to be installed yesterday, Zhou Yali slept soundly and refreshed. She wouldn't have gotten up if Jiang Lili hadn't gone to wake her.

After quickly washing up and having breakfast, I checked the time and realized it was almost time, so I took the bus to the Housing Management Bureau again.

Deputy Director Li had already prepared the materials, and a Deputy Director surnamed Pan also appeared at the same time.

After exchanging pleasantries, Deputy Director Li took out several blueprints and spread them out in front of Chen Fan and Zhou Yali, saying, "After you came yesterday, our bureau leaders took it very seriously, immediately convened a meeting, and learned about the practices of other cities in terms of foreigners purchasing real estate."

After careful discussion, this house can be sold.

He pointed to the blueprints on the coffee table, "This is a courtyard house that my colleagues found by searching through materials overnight. Take a look at this..."

Seeing that Chen Fan and the others were looking at the blueprints, he continued, "This courtyard house covers an area of ​​over 3000 square meters, with a building area of ​​nearly 2000 square meters. The building is basically well-preserved..."

Before he could finish speaking, Chen Fan looked up at Deputy Director Pan, then at him, and said, “Wait, Director Li, I may not have made myself clear yesterday. My sister doesn’t need one that big. A regular three-courtyard house would be fine, or even a two-courtyard or one-courtyard house would be okay. Anything too big would be too much for her.”

Deputy Director Li chuckled dryly, glanced at the deputy director sitting next to him, and turned back to say with a smile, “Look at you, you bought such a big house in Shanghai, but you bought a small courtyard here. What if you’re not satisfied over there and want to move the company and dormitory to Beijing? You’ll have to find a place to live temporarily, which is really inappropriate.”

Many things are simply a matter of whether or not to investigate; with just a telegram, nothing can be hidden.

This is also why Chen Fan spoke so frankly to him yesterday.

Yesterday, Deputy Director Li made a long-distance call over there and got all the inside information clearly. He even knew how many houses they had sold to overseas Chinese in the past two years. When he heard that they were all settled in US dollars, he was so envious that he almost drooled.

That's why, after the bureau reported to the city, the city approved it without hesitation, and that's why things went so smoothly.

Hearing what Deputy Director Li said, Chen Fan smiled and said, "You know what, if they want to set up their company in Beijing, they really won't be short of housing."

During the summer vacation, starting from July 6th, Xiyuan held a two-month brainstorming session. The meeting reiterated the need to make full use of foreign investment and introduce a large number of advanced foreign technologies and equipment in order to accelerate the construction of the four modernizations.

Although the meeting announcement has not yet been released, given the long period of time and the fact that it was not a confidential meeting, everyone who needed to know must have known by now. That's why Chen Fan dared to openly say that the Zhou family was going to invest in the mainland.

At this point, there are probably two outcomes when it comes to foreign companies wanting to open businesses in mainland China: either they get criticized or they get the green light. However, after a debate in May, many organizations have changed their attitudes and, except for those who don't want foreign exchange, they generally try their best to cooperate.

The Urban Construction Commission is one of the most expensive units, and the Housing Administration Bureau is facing a housing shortage for a large number of staff. Now, even many large units are experiencing a shortage of dormitories to allocate. It seems that money is needed everywhere.

Since it's rare to find someone with enough money who wants to buy a house, they naturally rush to sell the larger ones.

Unexpectedly, Chen Fan said that he didn't lack houses?

Upon hearing Chen Fan's words, both Deputy Director Li and Deputy Director Pan were taken aback.

Deputy Director Pan couldn't help but ask, "What do you mean by that?"

Chen Fan laughed and said, "The yard I bought last time was too big, so I divided it in half and built a four-story building. The front is for offices and the back is for dormitories."

It was originally intended for Yunhu Automobile Factory, but they thought it was too far from the Ministry of Machinery Industry, so they didn't want it. Instead, they bought a courtyard house in Xicheng next to the Ministry of Machinery Industry and renovated it, leaving my place empty.

If my uncle still wants to keep the company in Beijing, then it's good to keep the profits within the family; he can use mine.

Upon hearing this, both Deputy Director Li and Deputy Director Pan were speechless.

Deputy Director Li, in particular, couldn't help but scratch his head. "What a mess this is! I even sold the wrong thing last time!"

Zhou Yali and the two Jiang sisters sat silently to the side, watching Chen Fan play mind games with them.

The two sisters were fine; they both knew that Chen Fan was very shrewd and insightful, and that every word and action he spoke when talking to outsiders had its reasons. So they never interrupted, and even if they had questions, they would wait until they got back to ask.

For example, yesterday I mentioned that I would find them bodyguards, which almost scared them to death. Are bodyguards something they can afford?!
Zhou Yali, having followed Chen Fan's instructions beforehand, remained obediently seated to the side without saying a word unless it was an important decision.

Then she heard a very important sentence.

Deputy Director Li, still unwilling to give up, looked at the blueprints and tried to persuade her again. "Writer Chen, didn't you say yesterday that your cousin is interested in traditional architecture? This courtyard used to be a prince's mansion, and the buildings are basically well preserved, which is very rare!"

Prince's Mansion?
Chen Fan was taken aback and turned to look at Zhou Yali.

Zhou Yali was about to nod when she suddenly remembered Chen Fan's instructions not to express opinions casually, so she blinked repeatedly with her big eyes wide open.

This means you want it.

Chen Fan struggled to maintain his composure, turned to look at the blueprints, and after several seconds, finally looked up and asked, "A complete Prince's mansion, yet no one lives inside?"

Upon hearing this, Deputy Director Pan and Deputy Director Li were overjoyed.

Since you asked, it means you're interested!
Deputy Director Li immediately said, "Such a large courtyard must be inhabited, and there are several units inside, including a drama theater. The other side halls have also been converted into dormitories and divided into several areas."

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan frowned slightly. "Then why did you show it to me?"

To be honest, he was also very interested in this palace.

Whether it was in the 8s and 90s when courtyard houses were sold like dirt, or later in the very popular new millennium, there has never been any talk of royal mansions being traded.

These large courtyard houses are all owned by the government without exception and are managed by the Housing Management Bureau. They are used as offices or dormitories for units that have nowhere else to live.

The subsequent vacating of the site was also based on considerations of protecting ancient buildings. After restoration, it was used as a tourist attraction, and there was basically no sale of the property.

Before Deputy Director Li said those words, Chen Fan had indeed made up his mind to only buy a courtyard house with no more than three courtyards.

But when he said it was a prince's mansion, he was immediately tempted.

Not only him, but Zhou Yali was also watching eagerly from the side, her heart fluttering with excitement.

The Prince's Mansion!
Although it's just a county prince's mansion, not the highest-ranking prince's mansion, it's still quite attractive.

When I get back to America, I'll tell my parents that I bought a mansion, and they'll be so envious!

Deputy Director Li looked at Chen Fan and quickly said, "Although people live inside, they can be relocated." Deputy Director Pan, who was standing to the side, finally began to lend a helping hand, "Writer Chen, let me explain. This Prince's Mansion is owned by the municipal government, and is currently managed by the Dongcheng Housing Management Bureau. Back when some units applied for office land and dormitories, they allocated this courtyard."

But that doesn't matter. As long as we can rearrange the space for the units and residents inside, they can move out.

So our plan is that if you like this Prince's Mansion and agree to an advance payment, we can find a new place to build houses and settle them all in. Then we'll hand the house over to you. What do you think?

Hearing this, Chen Fan couldn't help but grin, "Director Pan, you guys are trying to get something for nothing."

Deputy Director Pan waved his hands repeatedly, "No, no, we also have a lot of work to do. This includes negotiating with various units, arranging relocation, and assisting with moving."

Then he put on a helpless look, "In the end, there's no other way. Housing is too scarce right now, and there's a serious shortage of funds for repairs and new construction. We can only use this method in the hope of squeezing out some funds to repair a few more houses and arrange for people to live in them."

Chen Fan's gaze fell on the blueprints again, and he remained silent for a long time.

After a long while, he looked up at Deputy Director Li and said, "Director Li, could you please continue with your introduction?"

"Good good."

Deputy Director Li realized what was happening and quickly pointed to the blueprints to explain, "This Prince's Mansion is located in Beijige Third Street in the East District. It's not too far from your current home, and it's not even outside the inner city."

Originally, it was built by Emperor Yongzheng for Aisin-Gioro Hongjiao, the fourth son of Prince Yi, Yinxiang, the grandson of Emperor Kangxi. Later, Aisin-Gioro Zaidun, the fourth-generation descendant of Aisin-Gioro Hongjiao, was rewarded for his meritorious service in suppressing the Taiping Rebellion. He was granted the title of Prince Yi, which was hereditary and could not be replaced. The mansion was then renamed Prince Yi Mansion.

Although the scale and size of the palace are not as large as those of a real prince's palace, the basic structure is still that of a prince's palace, and what is most remarkable is that it is well preserved. The palace faces south and is divided into three sections: central, east, and west. The central section is mainly for the main halls, while the east and west sections are for living quarters, offices, kitchens, and storerooms.

In the 50s, the front section was used by the National Theatre of China, the rear section by factories and businesses, and the eastern section was residential.

(The current layout of the Ningjun Prince's Mansion is gone, but the western section was still there at the time.)
After he finished speaking, he looked at Chen Fan, and seeing that he didn't say anything, he put away the blueprint and continued to introduce the other things.

The remaining few are not princely residences, but they are still quite large. Some were built by wealthy merchants during the Republic of China era who purchased multiple private residences and then combined them together. They are all over 1,000 square meters in size, not much smaller than the Ningjun Prince's Mansion, and one of them is even larger.

However, just like the Prince's Mansion, these courtyards are all occupied by people, and they are a mix of work units and dormitories, so buying one is also very troublesome.

After he finished his introduction, Chen Fan hesitated for two seconds and asked, "Director Li, you haven't mentioned the price yet."

Deputy Director Li took out a handkerchief to wipe his sweat, took a sip of water, and secretly glanced at Chen Fan a few times before chuckling dryly and saying, "These courtyards are all similar. Although the land area varies, considering the location and the building conditions, our unit has carefully evaluated them and decided that the prices are comparable. So no matter which one you choose, it will be the same price."

Chen Fan raised an eyebrow and looked at him with a smile, "What's the price?"

Deputy Director Li gestured, "25 US dollars."

Chen Fan gasped, his eyes widening as he exclaimed, "Are you kidding me?"

That large garden villa in Shanghai cost 50 yuan, but it occupies nearly 20 acres of land and has a building area of ​​nearly 3000 square meters, so the 50 yuan was well worth it.

And what about this Prince's Mansion?
It occupies less than 4000 square meters of land, and even including all the houses on the three sides, the building area is less than 2000 square meters, yet they dare to ask for $25?!

The current exchange rate is slightly more than 1:1.6, so $25 is equivalent to a little over 40 RMB. Moreover, housing prices in Shanghai are already higher than in Beijing.

If you factor in the price difference between the two locations, it's almost equivalent to a large garden villa.

Deputy Director Li probably knew the price was going to be high, so he rubbed his hands together and chuckled, "If you think it's too expensive, we can discuss it."

After a pause, he quickly added, "But there's not much room for adjustment, because if the price is too low, after deducting the relocation and resettlement costs, there won't be much money left to repair the dilapidated houses."

In that case, there's no need for us to go through all that trouble, right?

That's really direct.

Chen Fan clicked his tongue, muttered a complaint in his mind, and then pondered silently.

Is $25 too expensive to buy a prince's mansion?
Based on current housing prices in Beijing, it is definitely expensive, and the premium is at least 30% to 40%.

But looking back, are current housing prices in Beijing necessarily reasonable?
If things were reasonable, even after price controls were lifted, housing prices wouldn't have risen from around 100 yuan in the late 70s to around 2000 yuan in the late 80s in just ten years.

From this perspective, current housing prices in Beijing can be considered to be at a historical low, and are far from reaching market value.

Moreover, there is no precedent for buying such a large house. Luxury houses are already much more expensive than ordinary houses, so a price increase of only 30% to 40% is considered very reasonable.

Not to mention the historical value of this prince's mansion, which is incomparable to that of an ordinary house.

And... Chen Fan glanced at Zhou Yali beside him, noticing her hesitant manner several times, clearly unable to contain herself.

This emotional value is also considerable!

He took a deep breath, glanced at Deputy Director Pan and Deputy Director Li, and said with a smile, "Okay, you give us your lowest price. If you can accept it, we'll make the deal."

The two leaders had just seen Zhou Yali's eagerness, and now that they heard Chen Fan say this, they couldn't help but exchange a smile. It's all settled!

Deputy Director Li immediately coughed, hesitated for a few seconds, and ultimately decided not to go too far, quoting a price only slightly higher than the reserve price: "24 US dollars."

The starting price is 23. They have calculated that if they find a piece of land nearby to build a building, this price can accommodate twice the number of people and units, which means they will make double the profit.

Chen Fan nodded slightly, then turned to look at Zhou Yali, "Send a telegram to your dad later and have him wire the money."

He then said to Deputy Director Li, "Don't pay in installments. The government's credibility is definitely trustworthy. Give me an account number, and if all goes well, I should receive the payment within a week at the latest."

The telegram will be sent today, and the US will receive it tomorrow. Then, a wire transfer will be arranged, and the money will arrive in Hong Kong the day after tomorrow.

Once the money arrives in Hong Kong, it's practically the same as receiving it in mainland China. You only need to spend another day confirming the payment with the mainland bank, and the money will be directly credited to the Housing Authority's account.

It's impossible for the funds to arrive in the mainland, because the foreign exchange is held by the Bank of China in Hong Kong. The mainland only has the ledger, and when the funds are needed, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange will make unified arrangements.

Overseas remittances are that fast.

(End of this chapter)