In Hong Kong, we build a global business empire

Chapter 726 This era is indeed difficult!
December 9, morning.

This is Lin Haoran's third day in Shenzhen.

Before dawn, Lin Haoran heard the sound of bicycle bells ringing downstairs.

He yawned, got up and checked the time; it was only around six in the morning.

I got up, opened the window, and saw that the main street outside was already bustling with activity.

These people's destination was the Wanqing-Shekou Industrial Park, just two kilometers away.

On the wide cement road, bicycles flowed like a tide.

Hundreds and thousands of workers rode old-fashioned bicycles with aluminum lunch boxes hanging from the handlebars. Every now and then, someone would ring the bicycle bell, creating a spectacular tidal wave of clanging sounds.

Many people were wearing brand-new work clothes, their faces beaming with anticipation and hope, although many workers still looked a little sleepy.

Although the factory provides accommodation, many people actually choose to live outside.

Most of these people have families to support, or are in the throes of new love. Living in the factory might be more convenient, but being able to go home and reunite with their families or partners after work is the greatest comfort for them after a hard day's work.

Life is often very different between being married and not married.

Lin Haoran stood by the window, the cool morning breeze blowing on his face, instantly dispelling his drowsiness.

Looking at this vibrant scene, he couldn't help but feel a surge of emotions.

This is the mainland in the early days of reform and opening up, and this is the Chinese people full of energy and hope.

They may not be wealthy yet, but they have a strong desire to change their fate and are willing to work hard and sweat for a better life.

At this moment, he was wide awake and not annoyed at being woken up by the migrant workers.

After all, given the current conditions in Pengcheng, he won't be staying here for long this time.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he will be taking a ferry from Shenzhen back to Hong Kong this afternoon.

After all, the day after tomorrow, September 6th, is his engagement day with Guo Xiaohan.

He couldn't possibly delay going back until the day itself for something so important.

Although it's not an official wedding yet, it's still an important moment in his life, and he needs to go back and prepare in advance.

I looked out the window for a long time, and the distant horizon grew brighter and brighter; the sun had risen.

The golden-red sunrise gradually painted the eastern sky, casting a warm glow over this emerging city.

Lin Haoran took a deep breath of the fresh morning air, turned away from the window, and began to wash up and change.

After having breakfast at the hotel, Li Weidong and the others were all ready to go out with him at any time.

"Let's go to the Wanqing Shekou Industrial Park," Lin Haoran said.

"Yes, boss!" Three Mercedes-Benzes, a police car leading the way, and a number of military vehicles followed behind, left the hotel where the government was hosting Lin Haoran.

As the convoy entered the Wanqing-Shekou Industrial Park, the sun had already risen fully, gilding the brand-new factory buildings with a golden edge.

At the entrance, a huge banner that read "Time is money, efficiency is life" gleamed in the sunlight.

Led by Yang Mingyi, Lin Haoran inspected the factories. The employees had finished breakfast and were handing over shifts in an orderly manner.

I went to look at the southernmost part of the industrial park, which is their own dock, and next to the dock are warehouses.

The produced goods are first stored in the warehouse, and then transported away by cargo ship once enough batches are produced.

However, the dock is not yet completed, and at their current construction pace, it will take at least another three months.

In other words, for the next three months, we can only use the Shekou Port of the Shenzhen Municipal Government.

However, although the first phase of the Shekou Port project has been officially opened to the public, the terminal facilities are relatively simple, with only 4 berths, each designed to berth 3000-ton vessels.

Therefore, there are now two more processes involved in freight transportation.

The produced goods are first piled up in the warehouse, then transported to Shekou Port by transfer vehicles, and then transported to Kwai Chung Wharf in Xiangjiang by 3,000-ton cargo ships, and then transferred to tens of thousands of tons of cargo ships from Kwai Chung Wharf.

It was a bit troublesome, but the complicated process didn't cause Lin Haoran too much trouble.

He naturally knew that in the early days of reform and opening up, everything was in the process of exploration and construction, and the inconveniences were only temporary, with the future still full of infinite possibilities.

The first phase of the self-invested and constructed wharf in Wanqing Industrial Park aims to have two 10,000-ton berths and two 5,000-ton berths.

This level is sufficient for the next few years. After all, although industrial parks are developing rapidly, their business scale and cargo throughput have not yet reached the point where a larger-scale terminal is needed.

After the port's functions are expanded, which is the second phase of the project, the first breakwater deep-water wharf will be built, adding one 50,000-ton berth and two 10,000-ton berths. Once these subsequent projects are completed, the port's throughput capacity in the industrial park will be significantly improved.

Of course, this project is expected to be completed in three years. After all, it is a 50,000-ton berth. Even with the technology and funding, it is not a problem that it can be completed in a short period of time.

Fortunately, Hong Kong has no shortage of experience in building deep-water ports, so the technology is not a problem at all.

There are also long-term plans, namely the third phase of wharf construction, which will build 10-ton berths. This will require more funding, such as through the construction of breakwater wharves and channel dredging. These are long-term plans, and it will take at least five to ten years to complete.

Currently, 10,000-ton berths are actually sufficient.

After all, even international freight is not all about cargo ships of tens of thousands of tons or more; it is mostly about small and medium-sized cargo ships of several thousand to ten thousand tons that flexibly shuttle between various ports.

Even a wharf with a capacity of tens of thousands of tons is rare in the world today.

It's not like if you drive such a big ship, there will be a place for you to dock.

For the Wanqing-Shekou Industrial Park at present, the existing planning and the gradual pace of construction are already a prudent approach that fits the pace of development, and there is no need to rush.

In addition, he also controls his own terminal at the Kwai Chung Container Terminal in Hong Kong, so even if he transships through Hong Kong, it's not as difficult as one might imagine.

Lin Haoran stood in front of the dock planning map, his gaze slowly moving across the drawing, sketching out a prosperous future for the port in his mind.

The entire park, covering over a million square meters, or about one square kilometer, now belongs entirely to him.

And in twenty or thirty years, how much will this one square kilometer of land be worth? I can't believe it.

Although his land is mainly located in Shekou, it actually extends into the future Yuehai Subdistrict.

In the future Yuehai Street area, Hongkong Land Group and Hong Kong Electric Group have also acquired a considerable amount of land.

Now that they have invested, Pengcheng is eager to give Lin Haoran's companies even more land.

After all, whether it's Hongkong Land, HK Electric, or Wanqing Group, they all actually develop the land they acquire, rather than hoarding it.

What Shenzhen, and indeed the entire mainland, needs most is an investor like Lin Haoran.

He is a genuine investor, unlike those speculators who only make empty promises and try to hoard land at low prices and sell it at higher prices.

How could the mainland government not like such an investor!
After a long while, Lin Haoran left the dock construction site and took the shuttle bus in the industrial park back to the office building in the industrial park.

This office building stands in the center of Phase I of the park. It is not tall, only 8 stories high, but it is the office of Wanqing Group in mainland China, as well as the office of mainland managers of Hongkong Land Group, Langwei Group and other companies.

"Boss, you've come at just the right time. I'm planning to inspect some of the other investment projects of the Landmark Group in Pengcheng later. A vice mayor of Pengcheng will accompany us on the inspection. Would you like to come along?" Just as Lin Haoran got out of the car, Ma Shimin, along with several senior executives of the Landmark Group, came out of the Vitasoy production base. He smiled and asked.

The Vitasoy production plant is right next to the office building.

This trip to the mainland is short, so Ma Shimin doesn't plan to inspect projects in Guangzhou or other places.

However, there is still time available for inspecting investment projects in Shenzhen.

For example, the project that has already started construction and will be the tallest building in mainland China is located in Futian Commune, Luohu District, which is nearly 20 kilometers away from Shekou.

Lin Haoran raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes. After a moment's thought, he said, "Alright, let's go take a look together. I'm also quite curious about the other projects that Zhidi Group has in Pengcheng."

Seeing this, Yang Mingyi, who had been following Lin Haoran, smiled and said, "Boss, I also have some things to arrange, so I won't keep you company any longer."

Lin Haoran nodded, and under his gaze, Yang Mingyi quickly left.

He then got into the Mercedes-Benz with Ma Shimin and others.

The convoy slowly drove out of the industrial park and turned towards the city center.

As Lin Haoran gazed at the scenery rushing past the window, a complex mix of emotions welled up within him.

Along the road, low farmhouses and newly built factories appear interspersed, and rice paddies and construction sites are only one street apart.

Occasionally, you can see bulldozers leveling the land, with workers shirtless, sweating profusely under the scorching sun.

In the distance, several high-rise buildings under construction are beginning to take shape, and workers on the scaffolding are as busy as ants.

Lin Haoran also spent a few years in Shenzhen, where he was just an ordinary worker, working late into the night in an office building for a meager salary, squeezing onto crowded subways, and worrying about making a living in a cramped rented room.

At that time, Shenzhen was already an international metropolis full of endless possibilities, with skyscrapers standing side by side, a constant flow of traffic, and a large and vibrant population.

Even its regional GDP surpassed that of neighboring Hong Kong. However, that was forty years later.

But now, he has returned to this land as a Hong Kong investor, controlling capital and resources that are enough to change the entire city's landscape.

This change in identity made him feel both the wonder of fate and a heavy sense of responsibility.

“I came here just four months ago to inspect the project’s progress. When I passed by, this was still a rice paddy. I never imagined it would be leveled into a construction site now. The changes are really fast,” Ma Shimin said with emotion, pointing to a construction site outside the window.

Lin Haoran nodded slightly.

This construction site does not belong to any of his companies; it is likely a government project or a project by another Hong Kong businessman.

Under Lin Haoran's influence, the number of Hong Kong businessmen investing in Shenzhen in this lifetime has indeed increased significantly compared to the same period. Although these Hong Kong businessmen do not dare to invest on a large scale, it can still be considered progress.

The speed at which Shenzhen is changing has exceeded many people's expectations.

Just two or three years ago, this was just a small fishing village, but now there is a lot of construction going on.

Hongkong Land Group has many investment projects in Shenzhen. As one of the largest investment companies, the Shenzhen government has approved many prime plots of land for Hongkong Land Group in good locations.

For example, in the city center of Shenzhen, such as Futian Commune, Renmin Road, and Heping Road in Luohu District, a number of prime locations have been allocated to the Landmark Group.

Of course, it was only 1981 after all, and the so-called city center still had a strong rural and emerging atmosphere.

Although the Futian Commune area in Luohu has been designated as a key development area, what can be seen are mostly low, dilapidated tile-roofed houses and simple scaffolding under construction.

The road is narrow and uneven, and every time a vehicle passes by, it raises a cloud of dust. The drainage ditches by the roadside emit a faint odor, and occasionally you can see a few rats scurrying among the piles of debris.

Although there are several newly built buildings around Renmin Road and Heping Road, the overall style is still very simple, with the exterior walls simply painted with a layer of white lime and without too many fancy decorations.

There were very few shops on the street, and most of the signs were handwritten, swaying gently in the breeze and making a creaking sound.

Even so, the place is full of vitality. Pedestrians' faces are filled with anticipation for the future, and the cries of vendors can be heard from time to time in the streets and alleys, adding a touch of life to this emerging city.

Ma Shimin had obviously been here several times and was quite familiar with the area.

Led by him and a representative from the Shenzhen Land Group, Lin Haoran and the vice mayor inspected several projects under the Shenzhen Land Group in one morning.

These projects include commercial building projects, industrial park projects, hotel projects, and so on.

At noon, led by the deputy mayor of Pengcheng, the group had lunch at a well-known local restaurant in Luohu.

The taste is indeed good, no wonder it's so famous in this area, and the price is reasonable.

In the afternoon, the inspection tour continued.

According to the itinerary, they will return to Shekou Port at around 4 p.m., and then take the same hydrofoil they came on to return to the Central Ferry Pier in Hong Kong.

So, we still have a few places to visit this afternoon.

The Landmark Group currently has more than a dozen projects underway in Shenzhen. Visiting them all in one day was indeed a bit rushed.

In the afternoon, the weather in Shenzhen suddenly changed, the air became gloomy, and the temperature became increasingly muggy.

This is an industrial park project located at the foot of Bijia Mountain in Luohu District. In the future, it will also undertake the production of some fast-moving consumer goods under the Langwei Group. The entire park is under construction and covers an area of ​​nearly 500,000 square meters, which is equivalent to half of the Wanqing Shekou Industrial Park.

This place is not far from the municipal government, and it is precisely for this reason that the land allocated to the land development group by Pengcheng is not very large. After all, there will definitely be many plans for the surrounding area in the future, and some land needs to be reserved.

As the convoy slowly drove into the area surrounding the project, Lin Haoran inadvertently glanced through the car window and saw a dilapidated village primary school next to the project.

The school gate was dilapidated, and many bricks on the wall had fallen off, making it look like it was about to collapse. The sound of students reading aloud could be faintly heard from inside.

In front of the gate, there are several towering old trees.

Lin Haoran withdrew his gaze, and led by the person in charge of the Land Group in Pengcheng, the group entered the industrial park under construction.

Inside the park, the wide cement roads have been completed, and more than twenty three-story factory buildings are under construction, creating a bustling scene.

This construction site alone can create a number of jobs for Shenzhen.

And there are many such construction sites under the Land Group in Shenzhen alone, not to mention in Guangzhou, Dongguan, Chancheng and even Zhuhai.

The same applies to Hong Kong Electric Holdings Limited and Wanqing Group.

Lin Haoran followed Ma Shimin and the senior executives of the Land Group, including the deputy mayor, as they moved between various project sites, carefully listening to the reports from the person in charge on project planning, construction progress, and estimated completion dates.

The vice mayor accompanied the inspection to see what difficulties they were facing, and the government would do its best to help solve them. It can be said that Pengcheng is indeed very sincere towards Lin Haoran's companies.

After inspecting the last industrial park project located at the foot of Bijia Mountain in Luohu District, the group walked out of the construction site.

As soon as I stepped out of the construction site gate, large raindrops began to pelt down, instantly splashing a layer of water mist onto the ground.

The rain came suddenly and violently, and before anyone could react, it was too late to return to the construction site. They could only hurriedly look for a place to take shelter from the rain.

Lin Haoran looked around and found that the nearest one was the dilapidated village primary school he had seen before.

Without hesitation, he said, "Let's go to that elementary school to take shelter from the rain."

So, a group of people hurriedly ran towards the primary school in the rain.

When they rushed into the elementary school gate, their clothes were already mostly soaked by the rain.

Lin Haoran stood in the school corridor, shaking the rain off his head, and only then did he have a chance to take a closer look at the primary school.

The school's facilities were extremely rudimentary. Many of the classroom windows were broken and haphazardly blocked with plastic sheeting and wooden boards, making a creaking sound when the wind blew.

There were several holes in the classroom roof, and rainwater was dripping down into the ground, forming small puddles.

It was recess, and the children were laughing and playing in the small classroom.

They wore simple, even somewhat worn, clothes, but their faces were filled with innocent smiles.

Upon seeing a group of strangers enter the school, the children curiously gathered around, looking at them with timid yet inquisitive eyes.

Lin Haoran squatted down and chatted with the children with a smile.

"Children, are you happy going to school here?"

A little girl with a ponytail answered cheerfully, "I'm so happy! The teacher is so nice; she teaches us so much!"

Another little boy pointed to the classroom roof and said, "It's a bit of a hassle when it rains, because the classroom leaks."

Lin Haoran looked in the direction the little boy was pointing and saw several metal buckets for collecting water in the corner of the classroom. Rainwater was rhythmically hitting the bottom of the buckets, making a crisp echo.

His gaze slowly swept over the classroom's mottled walls and broken window frames, finally settling on the children's innocent and bright eyes.

The vice mayor sighed, his tone heavy: "Mr. Lin, to be honest, there are at least a hundred primary schools like this in the whole of Pengcheng. With the reform and opening up just beginning, our limited funds have been invested in infrastructure construction, and we really can't do enough in education."

Lin Haoran nodded, stood up, and looked at the dilapidated classroom and the innocent and lovely children facing a difficult learning environment. He was deeply moved.

He recalled that although he had an ordinary life in his previous life, he had received a complete education, while these children in front of him could not even guarantee a good learning environment.

These are indeed difficult times.

At this moment, the school's former principal rushed over.

After all, Lin Haoran's group looked extraordinary, and there were government officials among them.

The principal was an elderly man with gray hair and a kind face. He wiped the rain off his face and said apologetically, "I am the principal of this school. I am really sorry to have you all taking shelter from the rain in such an environment. Our school has limited resources, and we are truly sorry to have troubled you."

Lin Haoran quickly said, "Principal, please don't say that. We were the ones who suddenly barged in and disturbed you. However, I would like to ask, how did the school become so dilapidated?"

The principal sighed and said slowly, "This primary school has been built for many years and has always lacked funds for repairs. Although the government is willing to improve it, its funds are limited, so it can only take care of the more urgent areas first."

The deputy mayor standing to the side looked somewhat embarrassed.

Pengcheng City was established only two years ago, and after its establishment, it began the process of reform and opening up, with everything in need of development.

Therefore, every penny is weighed on a precision scale, and limited funds must be carefully allocated to the most critical areas that can drive the city's rapid development.

Education, though a long-term endeavor, must be temporarily put on hold during this urgent construction phase.

Lin Haoran then asked, "How many students does the school have? What is the quality of its teaching staff like?"

The principal replied, "Currently, the school has six grades with a total of more than two hundred students. Including myself, there are only six teachers, all of whom are local and not highly educated, but they are all very dedicated to teaching the children."

Lin Haoran nodded. The village is only a few kilometers away from the municipal government, but because the entire city of Pengcheng is still in its early stages of development, even though the village's location is quite good, it will definitely become part of the city center in the future.

In reality, this place is just an ordinary rural village at this moment.

He could even see the mud-brick houses not far away, which showed that the villagers' living standards were very low.

(End of this chapter)