Hong Kong Movies: You Hongxingzi, what the hell is the charity king?

Chapter 774 "773" The curtain rises on Hong Kong Island property speculation, Guan Zu's response!

By noon,
Company canteens, tea restaurants, and every household turned on their televisions.

Citizens, taking advantage of their rare lunch break, ate their meals while watching the news.

"Good afternoon, everyone..."

"Since the arrival of the national treasure giant pandas 'Jia Jia' and 'An An' on Hong Kong Island yesterday, they have quickly become the focus of the entire city, and their popularity continues to soar."

"At 10 a.m. today, as soon as Ocean Park opened, the scene instantly became chaotic, with countless citizens flocking to the park just to be the first to see the adorable pandas."

The camera panned to the entrance of Ocean Park, where a large number of tourists were gathered.

Subsequently,

The camera switched to the panda enclosure, where a very, very long queue had formed.

"Because there were so many visitors to the panda enclosure, queuing barriers were set up, and visitors had to wait more than 20 minutes to get in and watch..."

"Next, we have a clip from inside the panda enclosure..."

The camera then switches back to the pandas.
An'an rolled up and down...

Jiajia clung tightly to her owner's leg, acting spoiled and refusing to let go...

In front of the television,

Many young people couldn't help but scream with excitement:
"Ahhh, An'an is so cute! How can she be so lively!"

"And Jiajia is so cute, her pitiful pose of hugging my leg is just melting my heart."

"The two pandas are so cute."

At this moment, the entire city of Hong Kong was charmed by these two pandas.

in the afternoon,

Ocean Park has seen a surge in visitors.

……

……

A new day,
This time, the Hong Kong newspapers once again gave the pandas their headlines.

In the large photos, Jiajia looks adorable clinging to her owner's leg, while An'an's lively energy as she climbs and rolls down the slope is vividly portrayed.

The panda's charm continues; Hong Kong goes crazy for it.

Panda craze sweeps Hong Kong Island, with popularity remaining high.

On the streets and alleys, the newsstands were bustling with people, who were all taking out their money...

……

Soros Fund Management
"Another day, the headlines have been stolen!"

Rodney Jones sat in his spacious, bright office. On his desk, newspapers were crumpled and crumpled. The morning news on television was about pandas, and the cheerful reporting sounded extremely jarring to his ears.

"Look at the pandas! Look at the pandas!"

"Are pandas really that cute?!"

You don't look well!
He finally managed to connect these real estate developers to create momentum for the real estate market.

He also spent money on media coverage, continuously releasing positive news related to real estate as planned, touting from various angles that housing prices were about to rise sharply, and stimulating citizens to invest in real estate.

But now, all the attention and interest of the public has been drawn to those two pandas from Sichuan.

"I just don't believe it..."

……

the next day,
"Why is it still a panda!"

……

On the third day,
"Another panda?"

……

On the fourth day,
"Bang!"

"Are they succubi?!"

A week has passed, and the pandas' popularity on Hong Kong Island has not diminished at all, attracting even more citizens to go see them. Many students went back to their classes and bragged about it, causing other students to clamor to their parents to go see the pandas too.

With their various quirky, cute, and adorable behaviors, the two pandas have become the most dazzling "stars" on Hong Kong Island, deeply integrated into the lives of citizens and bringing endless joy and warmth to this bustling metropolis.

Panda plush toys from mainland China sold out completely.

……

Soros Fund Management.

Rodney Jones lay limply on the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling.

"Tired, destroy!"

……

Before we knew it, it was late May. The temperature on Hong Kong Island was getting hotter and hotter, but the occasional rain brought the temperature down to a comfortable 28-32 degrees Celsius.

After nearly two weeks of hype, the popularity of the two pandas has finally returned to normal.

At this time,
Soros Fund Management finally 'seized the opportunity' and officially launched a major push for a housing price bubble plan.

"Finally, no more pandas!"

"rush!!"

……

5 month 21 day,
The South China Daily featured a front-page headline article titled "Land Resources in Hong Kong Island Depleted: New Home Supply to Plunge by 50% in the Next 10 Years!"

The headlines used sensational headlines to portray Hong Kong as having exhausted its land resources and facing a desperate situation regarding the future supply of new homes.

The article is filled with seemingly professional data and analysis, claiming that due to the overexpansion of urban development and the increasing scarcity of available land, the number of newly built houses will be reduced by half in the next ten years, creating an atmosphere of extreme tight housing supply.

……

5 month 22 day,
Another newspaper reported: "After 97, a large number of wealthy mainlanders will flock to Hong Kong Island to buy houses, and luxury home prices may double within the year!"

The article analyzes that after 97, Hong Kong Island and the mainland will be interconnected. With Hong Kong Island's high-quality financial resources and international window resources, it will inevitably attract a large number of wealthy mainlanders to Hong Kong Island to frantically buy luxury homes. It even predicts that the price of luxury homes will double within the year.

It aims to induce readers to fear that the Hong Kong property market is about to be driven up by mainland capital, thereby stimulating public anxiety that "if we don't buy now, we'll never be able to afford it," and thus prompting them to eagerly join the ranks of homebuyers.

……

May 24-28,
HSBC, Standard Chartered, and several asset management companies have issued data reports.

HSBC report: "Hong Kong Island residential vacancy rate is only 8%, indicating a severe imbalance between supply and demand!"

The report deliberately and drastically lowered the vacancy rate of Hong Kong residential properties, misleading the public into believing that there was an extreme shortage of housing on the market and that the supply-demand imbalance had reached a critical point.

Meanwhile, Standard Chartered released a report stating: "The average living space per person on Hong Kong Island is only 5 square meters (actually 15 square meters). With the economy improving, housing demand is about to explode!"

They added, "Prices are about to skyrocket; if you don't buy now, it'll be too late..."

These reports use a lot of technical terms, such as "vacancy rate statistical model" and "per capita living area assessment system," making it difficult for ordinary citizens without professional knowledge to distinguish between true and false reports.

These false figures further reinforced the public's perception of a housing shortage, as if Hong Kong were already facing a severe lack of living space.

……

Before we knew it, it was June.

In order to further influence public opinion, Soros Fund Management bribed some so-called economic experts.

They originally wanted to air their programs on TVB and ATV, but were rejected.

Finally, Soros Fund Management focused on reporting the experts' predictions in newspapers and on radio.

Experts make bold predictions:
"Hong Kong Island property prices will surpass Tokyo's within the next 5 years!"

"If you don't buy a house now, your full payment will become a down payment in 5 years!"

"Buying it means you'll earn for years; not buying it means you'll lose for years!"

The speeches by economic experts attracted the attention of many fans and viewers, causing many people to panic. Many citizens who were originally hesitant began to waver under the influence of these celebrities' remarks and consider whether or not to buy a house as soon as possible.

……

All of the above is not enough.

When Soros Fund Management does act, it goes all out.

They colluded with real estate developers, HSBC, Standard Chartered, and others to conduct fraudulent transactions in the real estate market, essentially "shifting funds from one hand to the other."

For example, a property located on Hong Kong Island was purchased for HK$1000 million under someone's instructions. Subsequently, a second person "took over" the property for HK$1200 million within a short period of time.

This seemingly normal transaction process actually artificially inflates housing prices, creating the illusion of a sustained surge in prices in the area. Homeowners, seeing recent news of soaring prices and noticing nearby properties selling for high prices, naturally raise their asking prices as well.

Some buyers had even agreed on a price and were ready to buy, only to have the owner suddenly raise the price by 50 or 100 million.

Such incidents are happening more and more frequently.

Unaware of the true situation, homebuyers, seeing prices constantly rising, worried about missing the opportunity and became anxious. As a result, more people came to view the properties, which in turn led sellers to believe that prices would surely soar and prompt them to raise their prices...

And so, housing prices were driven up step by step.

……

With the real estate market booming

Several foreign banks, including HSBC and Standard Chartered, launched highly attractive "ultra-low down payment plans" in the Hong Kong market, driven by the Soros Fund.

Homebuyers only needed to pay a 5% down payment to start their home-buying journey, and for the first 3 years, the loan interest rate was as low as 0.3%, which was far lower than the average loan interest rate in the Hong Kong market at that time.

"This is the best deal you'll ever get in your life!"

"What are you waiting for? Charge! Charge! Charge!"

"To make money, you have to go crazy!"

This initiative attracted many citizens who, despite limited funds, longed to own property to take out loans to buy homes.

Of course, this part of the loan is a high-risk thing, and banks such as HSBC and Standard Chartered are well aware of this. So they package these loans into financial derivatives, such as mortgage-backed securities (MBS), and resell them to international investors.

This operational model allows for the transfer of risk layer by layer. If the real estate market fluctuates and homebuyers are unable to repay their loans on time, these international investors will suffer huge losses, and Hong Kong's financial system will face severe challenges. (Similar to the approach taken during the 2008 US subprime mortgage crisis.)
……

Do you think this is the end?

And that’s not all!
Soros Fund Management organized real estate speculation groups through various banks and channels, providing them with highly leveraged funds.

After obtaining highly leveraged funds, real estate speculators buy up large quantities of properties in a short period. They then use a quick-in-quick-out strategy, rapidly selling off properties whenever prices rise slightly, artificially creating the illusion of skyrocketing prices in these areas.

……

……

"What a calculated scheme!"

"I never thought I'd be the one targeted by a calculated scheme..."

Central Plaza, top floor, Kwan Cho's office.

Guan Zu stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, his gaze deep as he looked out at the buildings, Victoria Harbour, and Kowloon...

I've been thinking about how to break this deadlock. Recently, news about housing prices has been on the front page of newspapers for fourteen consecutive days.

Hong Kong stock market news pales in comparison to it.

For the first time, Guan Zu felt an overwhelming sense of pressure coming from all directions.

Does he have any way to defuse this real estate bubble crisis?
Five Star Group has held several meetings, but has not found a good solution.

The demand for housing is there.

Everyone wants to buy a house.

Everyone is afraid that housing prices will rise even higher in the future, turning a full payment into a down payment, or even making it unaffordable.

Should we use our approval ratings to urge citizens not to buy houses?
At least for now, homebuyers are the ones who benefit. If I were to call for action, I would be going against the people, and every time I did it, I would hurt them.

Not cost-effective.

"If we can't find a solution in the office, let's go out among the people..."

"Perhaps we can find a solution among the masses."

Thinking of this,
Guan Zu called Wu Lianqian, Ding Hu, and A Xing, and they went downstairs.

in the car,

Ah Xing: "Brother Zu, where are we going?"

Guan Zu: "No destination, just wandering around... Never mind, let's go to Wong Tai Sin Temple."

Believe in science!
As the car drove along, passing through bustling streets and throngs of pedestrians, it was clear to Guan Zu that Hong Kong was now a vibrant metropolis, a far cry from the desolate scene of 2025.

Before I knew it, I had arrived at the Causeway Bay MTR station.

Guan Zu looked towards the subway entrance and saw many salespeople handing out flyers.

There were also salespeople holding up signs that read:

"Buy a house now, prices will be even higher tomorrow!"

"If you don't buy it today, you'll regret it later!"

"House prices are rising every day, so buying early is the best deal!"

"Owning a property means your wealth will follow!"

"Buy now, and your money will double by the end of the year!"

"Don't hesitate, buy now and you're guaranteed to make money!"

Every single sentence was extremely inflammatory!
Guan Zu made a phone call to Da Tou.

"Hey, Brother Zu~~"

"Are there a lot of real estate agents promoting their products near subway entrances and on the street lately?"

"Yes, they've appeared in large numbers recently."

Guan Zu nodded: "Okay..."

After hanging up the phone,

The black Chevrolet continued driving towards Wong Tai Sin Temple.

after an hour,

Guan Zu walked out of the Wong Tai Sin temple, having gained nothing.

Wong Tai Sin didn't give any hints; we really should rely on science.

"Walk……"

Guan Zu left Wong Tai Sin and got into his car.

Ah Xing: "Brother Zu, where are we going now? Back?"

Guan Zu: "No destination, just drive around, maybe take a detour around the New Territories..."

Ah Xing: "Okay~~~"

The car continued on its way.
Guan Zu's gaze swept along the streets on both sides.

As they passed a building, Guan Zu paused for a moment.

"Huaxia Men's Apartment"

Memory recovery.

This is a subdivided flat building, and also the place that helped Guanzu establish a sunny community.

This subdivided flat is now uninhabited. More than a year of wind and rain has made it a bit dilapidated, and the "Huaxia Men's Apartment" sign is even a bit shaky.

This building is dilapidated.

It's rotting... wait!
Guan Zu had a sudden inspiration, and a look of joy appeared on his face.

That's right, a dilapidated building!
What is the underlying logic behind the Soros Fund's strategy of driving up real estate prices? — There aren't enough houses to live in!

How to break this deadlock? — Provide enough houses!
The difficulty lies in the fact that land supply is severely restricted, and new houses are not being built quickly or in large quantities.
Therefore, the solution lies in this dilapidated building.

The dilapidated building is only dilapidated on the surface, not in its main structure.

As long as the main structure is maintained, the exterior and interior walls are repaired, and the water supply, elevators, fire protection systems, water supply systems, gas pipeline systems, and electrical systems are replaced...

It can be quickly and completely renewed.

It's much faster than building a house.

If things go smoothly, it can be done in six months.

Are there many old buildings on Hong Kong Island? Absolutely, because Hong Kong Island was developed early and has a lot of old buildings.

However, that's not enough.

In addition, there is policy support for land!

The sum of its parts is enough to restore citizens' confidence that housing prices will not skyrocket.

(End of this chapter)