Chapter 205: Meeting the Governor and Investment Conditions
"The Governor?" Yang Wendong's eyes lit up slightly—he had already anticipated that this might happen.
On the other end of the phone, Elena said, "Yes, the Governor's secretary has scheduled a meeting for March 9 at 10 a.m. at Government House. You're also invited to stay for lunch afterward. I don't know the full details, but since the Governor's office didn't know you personally and was concerned you might not trust their intentions, they contacted you again through me—since you reached them via my department."
"Alright, I'll be there on time," Yang replied.
If he was going to operate under the colonial government's jurisdiction, he didn't need to curry favor with them, but maintaining a good relationship certainly aligned with his interests.
Even if British colonial officials weren't exactly noble, post-WWII geopolitics meant the British administration in Hong Kong genuinely wanted to turn the city into the "Pearl of the Orient." In this respect, at least, their goals aligned with the interests of most Hongkongers.
After hanging up, his pregnant wife Su Yiyi, now visibly showing, asked, "The Governor asked to see you?"
"Not 'the Governor,'" Yang corrected with a chuckle. "His name is Blackie—Sir Robert Black, in English."
The current governor of Hong Kong was Sir Robert Black, though many locals had a habit of giving Westerners Chinese nicknames. "Bak" sounded like a surname, so it had become common to call him "Governor Bak."
"Isn't that what most people call him?" Su Yiyi laughed, then added, "I guess this meeting is about the Ten-Thousand-Person Industrial Park plan?"
"Of course. What could be more important right now than solving the employment of tens of thousands?" Yang nodded.
While colonial powers like Britain often cared little for the people of their colonies, even they knew that maintaining social stability was essential to preserving their grip. The British remained in Hong Kong not because they had the power to continue colonizing, but due to international compromises after WWII.
So stabilizing the local labor market was a priority. If things got out of hand, not even the British could clean up the mess. And if it reached that point, the U.S. would likely seize the opportunity to break Britain's trade monopoly in its colonies—something they had wanted to do for years.
"Then you'd better wear something nice," Su Yiyi said playfully.
"Yeah, good idea." Yang thought for a moment. "Let's go to Lane Crawford. You need some new clothes anyway—your belly's getting bigger."
"And we can look at baby clothes while we're at it," Su Yiyi nodded.
Soon, the couple arrived at the Lane Crawford department store on Queen's Road Central.
It was the most upscale shopping destination in Hong Kong at the time, part of the Wheelock Group.
After picking out a few outfits, Su Yiyi commented, "Dong-ge, most of these clothes are made for Westerners, aren't they?"
"That's normal. Most rich people here are still foreigners," Yang replied.
Although wealth was slowly shifting into the hands of Chinese business families, the city's financial elite was still largely British.
The Chinese business class was just beginning to rise, and their wealth was concentrated among a few families. The rest of the population was still just getting by.
"If only there were clothing stores just for Chinese people," Su Yiyi mused.
Yang laughed, "Well, if you get bored, you could always open a few shops like that."
"Me? Start a business?" she blinked. "But I don't know anything about it."
Yang shrugged. "Do you think I knew anything about glue or construction when I started? Yet here I am.
If it's just a fun side project, find someone reliable to manage it. You don't need to handle every detail."
In his past life, many rich wives and celebrities in Hong Kong had their own fashion labels or boutique stores.
It was a low-barrier industry—anyone with money could try. Most of them failed, usually due to sky-high rent.
But Yang's situation was different. He owned property. Even if the stores weren't profitable, he wouldn't lose money.
"That could be fun," Su Yiyi smiled. "And it'd be easier to shop for ourselves."
"Exactly," Yang replied.
Whether it was hotels, fashion, supermarkets, or any consumer-facing business, rent was always the biggest problem.
But if you already owned the building, success was practically guaranteed.
Still, if he wanted to build something big, even he would need to invest heavily in the beginning. There was no rush—his current priority was expanding his real estate holdings. Once he had enough properties, renting or launching his own ventures would be easy.
After finishing their shopping, the couple headed home.
March 9
Yang Wendong arrived at Government House.
He was accompanied by a convoy of five cars, but only his vehicle was allowed inside. Even then, it had to undergo a brief security inspection.
Once cleared, the car proceeded through the gates. A white man in black-framed glasses greeted him.
"Mr. Yang, welcome," the man said in English, extending his hand. "I'm Siegel, the Governor's secretary. I'll take you to meet Sir Robert Black."
"Thank you," Yang replied, returning the handshake politely.
Siegel led him through the stately colonial architecture of Government House.
At the inner doors, they were greeted by a blonde woman in her early thirties. She picked up the phone to confirm Yang's arrival and then ushered the two men inside.
Inside the Governor's office stood a tall, lean man who immediately smiled and stood to greet him.
"You must be Mr. Yang, the 'Post-it King.' I've heard quite a bit about you," he said in fluent English. "In Chinese, I suppose the saying would be: a young man with the talents of a hero."
"Governor, it's an honor," Yang said. "I've heard many call you the best governor in Hong Kong's history."
It wasn't exactly flattery—adding "one of" made it vague enough.
And Sir Robert Black wasn't undeserving. Before arriving in Hong Kong, he had been the governor of Singapore, where he had helped ease constitutional crises and led negotiations for autonomy—upholding British authority while preventing military conflict.
Since 1958, he'd governed Hong Kong, and while he lacked the sweeping reforms of his successor, Murray MacLehose, Black had made notable contributions: launching public housing, building hospitals and schools, and negotiating water supply agreements with the mainland to solve Hong Kong's long-standing water shortages.
"Haha, you're too kind," Sir Robert said, clearly pleased. "Please, have a seat."
"Thank you," Yang replied.
After a few pleasantries, they got down to business.
"Mr. Yang, you're aware of the unemployment issue in Hong Kong," Sir Robert began. "It's become a pressing concern for both the government and society at large. We're spending over a million dollars each month to assist the jobless.
Now, since your company is planning to develop a large industrial park, I'd like to help expedite its progress."
"A million?" Yang raised an eyebrow. "I didn't realize the government was spending that much in Kwun Tong alone."
"That's just one part of the problem," Governor Sir Robert Black shook his head. "Mr. Yang, perhaps you haven't noticed, but over the past few years, the number of refugees arriving in Hong Kong has skyrocketed—tens of thousands each month. Combined with the already high number of unemployed locals, the government's monthly expenditure in this area is enormous."
"Refugees?" Yang Wendong nodded. Indeed, the influx of people into Hong Kong over the past few years had been massive.
But in truth, these very people would later become the driving force behind Hong Kong's economic miracle. Many were educated, and their arrival would help ensure that Hong Kong's labor costs wouldn't rise as sharply as they did in other countries—thus fueling the city's industrial growth.
Of course, in the short term, it was a huge challenge. With hundreds of thousands of young people out of work, the British colonial officials likely weren't sleeping well at night.
"You understand, then," Black said. "I won't go into more detail."
"Understood," Yang nodded. "Then I'll speak frankly. As a Hongkonger, if I'm going to significantly expand my factory operations, of course my first choice is to do it right here in Hong Kong.
But there are many problems with doing so, the most basic of which is land. Hong Kong lacks large, flat parcels. And even when such land exists, it's already been claimed—this severely restricts the development of large-scale industry."
"You're right," Black said in agreement. "But that's mainly true for Hong Kong Island and the southern part of Kowloon. In the northern New Territories, we still have plenty of land."
Yang shook his head. "True, but the New Territories have no infrastructure—no people, no roads. It's impossible to build a factory there right now."
Maybe in a few decades, when property prices soared and some of his industrial operations were still in Hong Kong, he'd consider moving to the northern New Territories—like Tin Shui Wai, which was close to deep-water ports and Shenzhen's industrial chain.
But right now, you'd have to be crazy to even consider it.
"Agreed," Black said. "We do plan to develop those areas, but that's a long-term vision. For now, Kwun Tong and Tseung Kwan O are the areas that best suit your requirements."
"Yes. Since Kwun Tong urgently needs help, I'm willing to invest," Yang said. He paused, then continued, "But the issue of land must be resolved. Last month, I inquired with the Taiwan authorities, and they told me that if I invested there, they'd offer the land for free—and it would be located near central Taipei."
Of course, Yang had no intention of investing in Taiwan in this timeline. But he had still asked, so he could use that as leverage.
For places with ample land, attracting a major industrial project meant more than just offering free land. In Yang's previous life, when Foxconn was at its peak, any region it considered would offer land, subsidies, and even cash.
Sir Robert didn't respond directly. Instead, he asked, "Where in Kwun Tong are you planning to build this industrial park?"
"Just a moment." Yang reached into his leather folder and pulled out a map of Kwun Tong. He pointed to a specific location. "Here."
Black studied the map and said, "That area would involve quite a lot of demolition, wouldn't it?"
Yang nodded. "Yes. That's why I also plan to acquire a nearby residential plot and build a housing complex to relocate the displaced residents. We'll compensate them proportionally based on square footage.
And if they don't want to move into the new apartments, we'll offer cash compensation at market value."
The site Yang had chosen was the best one—close to both the coast and the center of Kwun Tong.
The downside, of course, was that many people already lived there. But most of them had built their homes themselves; there were no commercial developments, which made things simpler.
Even within Kwun Tong, this was extremely valuable land. With enough scale, once low-end industries moved to the mainland, he could apply to rezone the area for commercial use. That land could be worth billions.
"That's actually a good approach," Black nodded.
Yang continued, "As for the demolition process, I'd prefer if the government could step in and handle it. That would greatly speed things up. Once it's done, I can immediately start construction. The demand for construction workers alone will create a lot of jobs."
Commercial demolition could get messy—residents refusing to move, asking for exorbitant payouts. If the government handled it, things would go much smoother.
"Alright, no problem," Black said without hesitation. Right now, his priority was jobs—jobs that would keep all those idle, desperate young people from stirring up unrest.
"I also request that the government build a road connecting the industrial park to the Kowloon Wharf," Yang added. "At least a four-lane road—two lanes in each direction."
"Sure," Black agreed after a brief thought. The government built new roads every year. Redirecting one of them to Kwun Tong wouldn't be hard.
"And now, the last issue: land pricing. Right now, the price is far too high. We simply can't afford it at full market value," Yang said.
Black asked, "How much land are you requesting?"
"Ten million square feet," Yang said boldly.
In reality, 600,000 to 800,000 square feet would be more than enough—especially since large injection molding machines couldn't be placed on upper floors and needed ground-level space.
But for assembly work, multi-story buildings were fine and could save a lot of space.
Still, in this era, Yang intended to ask for as much as he could. Land on this scale wasn't something money could usually buy, unless you had a compelling reason.
Sir Robert paused for a moment. "Mr. Yang, giving you land for free is out of the question. Even as Governor, I don't have the authority to do that.
But I'll discuss it with the Colonial Secretary and others. Once we agree on how much land we can provide, and at what price, we'll reach out to negotiate."
"Sounds good," Yang smiled. "The sooner this project breaks ground, the better it is for all three parties."
Hong Kong's rapid industrial rise in the years after WWII was driven not only by capital fleeing the mainland but also by the British government's decision to keep taxes low.
They wanted to attract capitalists to build factories, create jobs, and prevent unrest among the growing population of jobless youth.
But the government still needed revenue, which made land sales one of its primary income sources.
That principle couldn't be ignored. Giving away land for free was almost impossible.
However, selling land at a steep discount? That was negotiable—and long-term, even a cheap plot in Kwun Tong would eventually be worth far more than free land in Taiwan.
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