Chapter 215: I Want to Acquire This Land and Build a Large Industrial Park!
March 6, 1980, morning.
On this day, Lin Haoran got up early.
By a little after nine o'clock, he headed out with his two bodyguards.
Today, they were going to the mainland, and it had already been arranged to meet Bao Yugang before 10 a.m. at the Wharf Building in Tsim Sha Tsui.
At exactly 9:50 a.m., Lin Haoran's Rolls-Royce pulled up in front of the Wharf Building.
At that time, Bao Yugang was already there.
Lin Haoran also noticed a mid-sized bus parked nearby, with a driver sitting in the cabin waiting.
Before long, Guo Henian's car arrived as well, with Guo Xiaohan following behind him. Clearly, Guo Henian intended to bring his niece along for this mainland trip too.
"Since everyone is here, let's get going. You can leave your cars here; I've arranged for one of the company's buses to drive us directly to the Lo Wu Border. Once there, people from the mainland will have vehicles waiting for us," Bao Yugang said with a smile.
Lin Haoran and Guo Henian had no objections. Since they were unfamiliar with the route to the mainland, having Bao Yugang lead the way was certainly more convenient.
Moreover, having designated reception at the border would ensure a smoother and safer process than driving themselves.
Thus, everyone boarded the mid-sized bus.
"Uncle Bao, how many times have you been to Yangcheng?" Lin Haoran asked curiously once everyone was seated.
"Yangcheng? I've only been once. Actually, I only returned to the mainland for the first time a few years ago. After that, I went back a few more times, mostly to Beijing and my hometown in Zhejiang.
Every time I went back, the authorities treated me warmly. As a Chinese person, I naturally hope the mainland can prosper," Bao Yugang answered with deep emotion.
Bao Yugang had officially left the mainland for Hong Kong at the age of 31, so his feelings for the mainland were still very strong.
By contrast, Guo Henian's life experience was quite different.
He had been born and raised in Malaysia, spending almost his entire life in Southeast Asia, making it hard for him to share the same emotional attachment.
However, Guo Henian's father was also a mainland immigrant, so he did harbor some feelings for the homeland.
During the trip, the three of them chatted about the mainland.
Because of his familiarity and deep understanding of the mainland, Bao Yugang naturally spoke the most.
Guo Henian occasionally chimed in, while Lin Haoran mostly listened attentively.
Even though Lin Haoran had grown up in the mainland in his previous life, that was a world decades later.
As for the mainland of this era, he had no firsthand experience — only fragmented impressions from old films or scattered photographs.
Departing from the Wharf Building in Tsim Sha Tsui, they crossed the central part of Kowloon Peninsula, passed through Lion Rock Tunnel, followed Sha Tin Road through Sha Tin town, and then merged onto the Tolo Highway, heading northward, crossing hills.
After taking Fanling Highway and following Lo Wu Road, they finally reached the Hong Kong side of the Lo Wu Border.
The distance wasn't far — just over 40 kilometers — but the trip took more than an hour due to the poor, winding roads.
At the Hong Kong side of the Lo Wu checkpoint, the border officers naturally did not dare to make things difficult for people like Lin Haoran — after all, these were heavyweights.
Thus, after completing the necessary formalities, they were allowed through smoothly.
Once they crossed to the mainland side, representatives from Pengcheng were already waiting to receive them.
"Mr. Bao, Mr. Guo, Mr. Lin, welcome to Pengcheng!" the reception leader greeted them warmly, shaking hands with each of them, clearly having studied their profiles in advance and recognizing them immediately.
After a brief exchange, everyone boarded another mid-sized bus — this time one arranged by the mainland.
Here, it was better to follow the reception arrangements, as Lin Haoran and the others wouldn't have known where to go otherwise.
According to the plan, they would spend a day inspecting Pengcheng and leave for Yangcheng the next morning to meet local leaders for discussions.
Lin Haoran was filled with infinite curiosity about Pengcheng of this era.
In his previous life, he had worked in Pengcheng — by then, it was an international metropolis, its prosperity rivaling Hong Kong, even surpassing it in GDP.
It was a city of miracles.
However, the Pengcheng he saw now left him with a first impression of poverty and backwardness.
Hong Kong's urban landscape was unmistakably modern, whereas Pengcheng's streets weren't even as developed as Hong Kong's most remote new towns.
When the bus slowly entered Pengcheng's city center, the local officials had them disembark for a street walk, allowing them to experience the city's atmosphere firsthand.
Walking through the streets of Pengcheng, they immediately noticed the narrow but lively roads.
The roads were mostly rough stone paths or dirt roads, with potholes that sent up clouds of dust as bicycles bumped past, giving the streets a raw vitality.
On both sides, low brick and wooden houses lined the streets, their weathered walls telling stories of years gone by.
Shops were few but distinctive, with crooked handwritten signs exuding a unique charm.
General stores were packed with daily necessities — pots, bowls, needles, thread — not complete, but enough to meet basic needs.
Small eateries emitted the rich aroma of simple meals. Despite the modest settings, customers ate heartily.
Pedestrians wore simple clothing — mainly blue and gray cloth outfits — their faces radiating hope and spirit.
Children played in the streets with simple toys like elastic ropes and marbles, creating endless joy.
In the distance, construction machinery roared, and busy workers glowed under the sun, contributing to the city's future rise.
The Pengcheng before him stood in stark contrast to the international metropolis Lin Haoran remembered.
It was hard to imagine that this somewhat backward city would one day shine so brightly.
Throughout the journey, Li Weiguo and Li Weidong remained silent, afraid of causing trouble for their boss.
They had smuggled into Hong Kong from the Shekou area of Pengcheng years ago.
Back then, scouting the route meant visiting many of these very places.
Thus, they were quite familiar with Pengcheng.
Now, stepping once more into this familiar yet unfamiliar city, their emotions were complex.
From Luohu to Futian to Shekou, they moved westward, inspecting sites along the way.
Currently, Pengcheng's population was still small — just a few hundred thousand — but Lin Haoran knew it would one day swell to over ten million!
The local leaders emphasized key inspections of industrial areas like Shahe and Shekou, personally accompanying them and enthusiastically promoting favorable policies to attract investment.
"I want to acquire this area and build a large industrial park!" Lin Haoran said with a smile, pointing to a piece of land next to the Shekou Industrial Zone.
Hearing this, the leader was overjoyed. He already knew about Lin Haoran's background — despite his youth, he was the boss of several major companies and a famous figure in Hong Kong's business world.
If Lin Haoran was willing to invest, it would be tremendous news for Pengcheng.
After all, just one of Lin Haoran's companies had a market value higher than Pengcheng's entire GDP last year — less than 200 million RMB!
"Mr. Lin, Pengcheng welcomes your investment wholeheartedly. We will offer the most favorable terms, and you can freely choose your land!" the leader said excitedly.
At this stage, Pengcheng was still in the early stages of development, with all infrastructure like a blank sheet of paper, offering limitless potential.
"Nephew Lin, your industries even cover manufacturing?" Guo Henian asked curiously.
Few people in Hong Kong knew that Lin Haoran was the owner of Aimeigao Company, and Lin Haoran had always kept it low-key. Thus, Guo Henian was unaware, which was understandable.
"Uncle Guo, actually two years ago, I co-founded a large electric fan factory with a friend. Now, the annual output value has reached several hundred million Hong Kong dollars," Lin Haoran replied with a smile.
For these business tycoons, manufacturing wasn't usually the preferred choice — they favored trade, real estate, finance, industries offering faster returns.
Just like Li Jiacheng, who initially ran a plastics factory before shifting entirely to real estate once he saw its potential.
Thus, Lin Haoran saw no need to hide his manufacturing background when responding to Guo Henian.
In fact, by fall this year, Lin Haoran already planned to list Aimeigao Company on the stock exchange in partnership with Liu Luoxiong, cashing out a significant sum.
Though he didn't plan to stay deeply involved in the fan business, he would not easily abandon the manufacturing sector.
To Lin Haoran, manufacturing, despite its lower profit margins, created jobs and contributed significantly to society.
By providing employment opportunities through manufacturing, he could elevate his social status and influence in the mainland.
"Annual output value of several hundred million Hong Kong dollars?" Hearing this, not only Guo Henian but even Bao Yugang looked surprised.
The Pengcheng reception official's eyes lit up, though he kept his thoughts to himself.
For today's Pengcheng, the most needed industry was not finance, real estate, or high technology — it was manufacturing!
Manufacturing would drive the industrial chain, create employment, raise residents' income, and promote overall economic growth.
Manufacturing was the cornerstone for Pengcheng's current development, laying the foundation for future high-end industry.
That evening, Lin Haoran and the others stayed at Pengcheng's best guesthouse.
In reality, the "luxury" was modest, comparable to an ordinary inn in Hong Kong.
Tomorrow at noon, they would head to Yangcheng for inspection and negotiations.
Just as Lin Haoran was about to sleep, a knock came at the door, accompanied by Bao Yugang's voice: "Haoran, still awake?"
It was just after nine o'clock; naturally, Lin Haoran wasn't asleep yet.
He opened the door for Bao Yugang.
"Uncle Bao, is something the matter?" Lin Haoran asked curiously.
"Haoran, let's talk inside," Bao Yugang said mysteriously.
Lin Haoran nodded, invited him in, and pulled over a chair for him.
"Haoran, there's something I must tell you. I forgot to remind you this morning. Now that we're still in Pengcheng, before we head to Yangcheng, I want to talk to you," Bao Yugang said seriously after sitting down.
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