Chapter 166: Life's Big Decision and the Launch of the Radio Station
The Spring Festival of 1960 arrived before anyone knew it.
This was Yang Wendong's third Lunar New Year since crossing over into this era.
The first was spent in poverty.
The second saw him modestly established, with the early fruits of entrepreneurship starting to show.
And now, by the third, he had become a well-known Chinese businessman in Hong Kong.
Spring Festival remained much the same as before—better food, family reunions—but for Yang, who had now stepped into the realm of affluence, it carried more symbolic meaning than material comfort.
New Year's Eve Night:
"It's ready!" Su Yiyi came out of the kitchen, holding a dish of braised fish. "Nian nian you yu—may we always have more than enough! I made this especially, Dong-ge, try it!"
"Alright." Yang Wendong set down his newspaper, picked up his chopsticks, and took a bite. He smiled. "Mmm, this is really good. Yiyi, your cooking skills are getting impressive."
"As long as you like it!" Su Yiyi beamed. "I can cook for you often now! I've learned a bunch of dishes already—the chef even said my cooking is better than my mom's!"
"You little rascal, dragging me into this?" Auntie Guo laughed, setting down a serving tray. "Come on, everyone. Let's eat. Let's see whose dishes are really the best!"
After a hearty dinner, Auntie Guo was still cleaning up the table, while Su Yiyi headed off to wash up.
Yang approached and said, "Auntie Guo, I really think we should hire someone to help out around the house. You don't have to do all this yourself."
In truth, they could've hired a housekeeper ages ago. But Auntie Guo had always refused, and Yang didn't want to force her.
"No need," she smiled. "I stay home all day. I'd be bored stiff if I didn't do anything. I can't be like those old ladies nearby, playing mahjong all day. Yiyi's father always hated gambling."
"True." Yang nodded. "I hate gambling—and drugs too. The source of all evil."
Detesting gambling and drugs was a basic moral bottom line.
Speaking of which, Auntie Guo paused in her cleaning, then said, "Dong-zai, Yiyi turns eighteen in May. In the old days, that's when girls would be ready for marriage."
"I'll marry her," Yang said without hesitation. He fully understood what Auntie Guo was implying. "I don't have any other family left. Taking care of you two—that's my responsibility for life."
"Good." Auntie Guo looked truly happy. "Then I'll find the right moment to talk to Yiyi. After she turns eighteen, we'll pick a day and keep the wedding simple."
"No, I should be the one to tell her," Yang said. He knew Auntie Guo was eager, but this was a major life decision—he wanted to say it himself.
Day Two of the New Year:
As the first day of the lunar calendar was traditionally a time for staying in, it wasn't until the second that Yang took Su Yiyi out to stroll near the Wharf Pier area in Kowloon.
Although Kowloon's commercial scene couldn't match Hong Kong Island's, the port area concentrated wealth. The businesses near the Wharf Pier were just as prosperous as most locations on the Island.
Restaurants, hotels, cinemas, even casinos—it had it all. And since this was Wharf Group's territory, they had a vested interest in maintaining order. No gangs dared stir up trouble here, making it a safe place to visit.
After watching a movie, the two strolled hand-in-hand.
"Dong-ge, that love story in the movie was so touching," Su Yiyi said softly.
"Mmm, Great Wall Film Company really knows how to do romance well," Yang replied.
At this point, Shaw Brothers wasn't the only name in town. Several film companies shared the stage. The actress Xia Meng, for example, was one of Great Wall's famed "Three Princesses."
"You rarely praise movies like that, Dong-ge," Su Yiyi giggled.
"I'm not a big fan of kung fu films, but romance like this—sure, I can enjoy it." Yang smiled. It wasn't that he hated martial arts stories, but rather that the action choreography of the era simply couldn't impress him.
"You're funny—most people are the opposite," she teased.
"Everyone has different tastes," Yang replied. Then he suddenly asked, "Did the theater still feel stuffy to you?"
"Yeah, after sitting there for a while, I did feel a bit uncomfortable," Su Yiyi said. "I guess I'll get used to it eventually. It's just… there are too many people."
Yang nodded thoughtfully. "I bought a commercial plot near Changxing Industrial. I'm planning to build a new theater there—smaller, more comfortable. When it's ready, we can go there."
"Huh? Build a theater there? Can it even make money?" she asked in surprise.
"Of course," Yang said with a smile. "Our factory workers are becoming more financially capable. Offering occasional movie nights as a company benefit isn't a bad idea either.
Plus, the local economy is only just beginning to take off. It'll improve steadily from here."
In this era, large factories were rare in Hong Kong. Those that did exist often exploited workers harshly. Few understood the economic vitality a major factory could bring to an area.
In his past life, so many mainland cities had fought to attract factories because of this very reason.
"Ohh, I see." Su Yiyi didn't press further but did ask, "When will it be ready?"
"Before your birthday," Yang replied.
"My birthday? In June? Why rush to finish it by then?"
"It's your birthday gift," Yang said warmly. "Our Yiyi will be turning eighteen."
"That's… too much." Su Yiyi looked flustered. "You could've just treated me to a free movie."
"Don't think about it that way," Yang said. "If it weren't for you and Auntie Guo taking care of me back then, I wouldn't be where I am today. Not just a movie theater—if you wanted, I'd give you everything."
"Wha—?" Su Yiyi was momentarily stunned.
Yang looked her in the eyes and said, "Yiyi, when you turn eighteen… will you marry me?"
No grand gesture. No kneeling. Just sincerity in his gaze.
Getting on one knee? That was a Western gimmick. Yang might kneel to his parents or to Auntie Guo, who raised him—but never to his wife.
Husband and wife should be equals.
Of course, Yang Wendong's previous thoughts about equality were strictly in public. What couples did in private was entirely their own business.
"Dong-ge, you…" Su Yiyi looked flustered, her face completely red, unable to say another word.
Yang Wendong teased her gently, "If you don't say anything, I'll take that as a yes."
After a moment's pause, Su Yiyi gave a light nod. "Mm."
When they returned home, Auntie Guo found out and was overjoyed. She immediately cooked up a big celebratory meal and even invited the Lin and Zhao families over to join the festivities.
February 1st – The Fifth Day of the New Year:
The next day, Yang Wendong visited the Hong Kong Chinese Daily building on Hong Kong Island. For a company owner, it didn't really matter which day he chose to return to work—plus, most companies in Hong Kong had already resumed operations.
Qin Zhiye from the newspaper and Zhang Hui from the soon-to-launch radio station personally came out to greet him.
Stepping out of the car, Yang Wendong looked up at the building and said, "Not bad. Quite standard."
Qin Zhiye smiled. "It's a new building, after all. Sure, it can't compare to those skyscrapers in Central, but it's still better than most offices in the city."
Yang nodded and asked, "Is the upstairs renovation done yet?"
Since everything had been rushed last year, the building's top floors weren't fully renovated when the newspaper and radio station moved in.
Qin responded, "It's mostly done. We went with a very minimal interior design. All that's left is to buy some desks and chairs before those floors can be used for office space.
At the moment, the two companies only occupy three floors. Mr. Yang, would you like to lease out the remaining space? This building is actually in high demand—we've already been approached by two real estate agencies."
Yang shook his head. "No need. I haven't mentioned this to you yet, but I've just established a real estate company. Its headquarters will also be based here."
"A real estate company?" Qin and Zhang exchanged surprised looks, then said, "Understood. Congratulations on expanding your business again, Mr. Yang."
"Mm. In the future, there will be opportunities for cooperation between you," Yang said with a smile.
With the boss giving instructions, Qin nodded immediately. "Got it."
"Let's go inside," Yang said, and the group entered the building.
Inside, he quickly caught up on the latest developments of Hong Kong Chinese Daily.
After a detailed report, Qin said, "Currently, our daily circulation has stabilized at 4,500 copies. Most of our readers are office professionals."
"4,500? So it's still rising? That's good," Yang nodded with satisfaction.
Steady growth in readership was the best sign—it meant loyal, returning readers were increasing.
Qin added, "Yes, the numbers are solid. But there's one thing—other major newspapers in Hong Kong are now preparing to launch color editions too.
They haven't released them yet, but I've heard whispers that some have already gone to Europe and America to purchase the necessary equipment. A few are even joining forces to buy together."
"So it's because of us?" Yang asked.
Qin nodded. "Yes. Once we released a color paper—and our content was just as strong—those big papers couldn't sit still.
They risk losing their premium readers to us. Especially now, with the economy improving, people are more willing to spend a little extra on a better-quality paper."
"That makes sense," Yang agreed. "When price stops being an issue, people naturally start paying for quality."
Qin continued, "We can't control what the competition does, so my plan is to further lock in our high-value readers.
The middle class in Hong Kong is getting more into stock trading. I think we should invite finance experts to write analysis columns for us. That should attract a lot of attention."
"That's a smart move," Yang said, then paused and asked, "But these finance experts—do they invest themselves? If they were making big money from stocks, would they really bother writing newspaper columns?"
Qin laughed. "They usually just analyze trends. It's one thing to see the big picture; another entirely to pick the right stocks.
And they're careful—they speak vaguely and frame everything as suggestions to avoid liability."
"Alright, then let's expand our financial content," Yang said. "And we should also include real estate analysis. A lot of people are speculating in property now."
"Yes, Mr. Yang," Qin said with a smile.
Yang added, "By the way, since you're in the media world—help me ask around. Are there any good mid-level hillside villas for sale around Hong Kong Island?"
"Hillside villas? Got it. I'll ask around," Qin replied.
After that, Yang headed to the commercial radio station's office.
Looking up at the sign above the door, he asked, "Can we change this name? I was thinking that in the future, we might want to broadcast to other regions."
Zhang Hui shook his head. "It's not changeable. This is the name registered with the government.
If you want to broadcast elsewhere in the future, we'd need to set up a new name for that signal. We just have to be careful with branding in the broadcast content."
"Alright, that's fine," Yang nodded. "So, is everything ready for launch?"
Zhang replied, "Yes. The signal tower has already been built on Phoenix Mountain. We've secured a reliable power supply and installed the transmission equipment."
"The signal frequency assigned by the colonial government has already been tested. Its power covers all of Hong Kong—and even reaches into Bao'an County," Zhang Hui reported.
"That far?" Yang Wendong was a bit surprised; he wasn't all that familiar with the technical side of broadcasting.
Zhang smiled. "And that's with power limitations. Back then, Mr. He Zuozhi's station in Macau could be picked up in Hong Kong, though the signal was weak.
His equipment wasn't as powerful as ours, and his antenna wasn't as high either. We're in a much stronger position on all fronts.
If you ever decide to tap into the Macau market, we can set up a signal booster over there."
"Macau? We'll think about that later," Yang said, not wanting to get ahead of himself. Everything had to proceed step by step. "So the equipment is ready. What about the staff?"
Zhang replied, "The station's core announcers are already in place. And as per your instructions, the team reading The Legend of the Condor Heroes includes six people.
They've already recorded a large amount of dialogue—the progress is well ahead of our broadcasting needs."
"Good," Yang nodded. "What about the music library?"
"We've acquired the rights to more than 65 different tracks so far—covering Mandarin, Cantonese, and English songs," Zhang reported. "We've also sent people to Japan to discuss acquiring cover licenses, but there's been no progress yet."
"That's fine. It's not something we can rush. The Japanese companies will need time to consider it," Yang said. "Just stick with the music we've got for now. We'll improve gradually."
"Understood," Zhang continued. "We also have five members on the news team. They'll work in shifts to ensure 24-hour coverage.
As for the actual news content, we'll rely on colleagues from Hong Kong Chinese Daily for now—they're more experienced."
"That's fine for the beginning," Yang said. "But in the long run, both companies need to operate independently. At least for day-to-day roles, each team should handle their own work. Occasional collaboration is okay, but not dependency."
"Got it," Zhang nodded. "Right now, our ad department has three people.
In the early stages, we won't be running standard ads. Instead, we're focusing on sponsor messages, song requests, and other listener-friendly content. Once the audience base grows, we'll gradually roll in traditional ads."
"Of course, advertising is essential," Yang said. "Later on, you should study how to integrate ads in a way that doesn't annoy the listeners. Try to embed them subtly."
Unlike TV commercials—which visually alert viewers when they start—radio depends solely on sound. Abruptly cutting to an ad can be jarring.
Even though people had limited entertainment choices in this era, they still had the option of not tuning in. And competition existed. Even TV stations a decade later would fiercely fight for ratings—radio needed to do the same.
"We'll definitely look into that," Zhang said.
"When's the official launch?" Yang asked.
"The government gave us a deadline of March 1st," Zhang replied. "But thanks to solid preparations and our outsourced contractors working overtime through the holidays, I'm planning for a February 15th launch."
"February 15th?" Yang thought for a moment. "That's less than two weeks away. Alright, I'm looking forward to hearing your broadcast."
Zhang grinned. "You can actually listen now if you want. We've been rehearsing for weeks. It's all part of our prep."
"Sure, let's listen," Yang said. "Also, I'll have Hong Kong Chinese Daily, Ming Pao, and other newspapers report on the launch.
You need to be 100% ready—on the first day, a lot of people will be tuning in. This isn't like print. Radio often delivers real-time news. One slip-up could ruin everything."
"Understood. We'll make sure everything runs smoothly," Zhang said earnestly. "Thank you for your support, Mr. Yang."
"Let's get started then," Yang smiled.
"Right, beginning now," Zhang replied.
February 5th:
Suddenly, major newspapers across Hong Kong began promoting the new Hong Kong Commercial Radio Station.
They announced that the station would officially launch on February 15th, with the frequency set to .HZ. To drum up excitement, it was revealed that listeners on the first day would have a chance to win prizes worth up to 1,000 HKD.
The promotion worked. Within a short period, word had spread across the city.
After all, 1,000 Hong Kong dollars in 1960 was no small amount—it could cover a full year of food and living expenses for an average household.
Everyone became curious: what exactly were these lavish prizes?
Before long, February 15th arrived.
That morning, starting at 8 a.m., countless households and shops tuned their radios to the frequency listed in the paper.
Through the static, the signal soon became clear.
A graceful voice emerged from the speakers:
"Dear listeners of Hong Kong, welcome to the Hong Kong Commercial Radio Station."
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