The Time Was Not Yet Ripe, and It Was Still Early
Since Du Zhaojian joined forces with various Hong Kong Chinese businessmen to establish the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals at the age of 27 and began his philanthropic endeavors, he has donated a total of approximately Hong Kong dollars 5.45 million, making him undoubtedly the number one Philanthropist in Hong Kong.
As for wealth, the Kowloon Motor Bus Company, Hang Seng Bank, Yau Ma Tei Ferry Company, and some hospitals bring Du Zhaojian several times more wealth each year than Chu Yaozong's grain, oil, and textile businesses.
Du Zhaojian had many eccentricities. For example, he never wore Western clothes, only traditional China clothing. Whether it was for awarding medals or at the Governor's banquet, he always wore Tang suit or a long robe. He also never wore a watch, not even a pocket watch. Both Chu Yaozong and other prominent Chinese businessmen had the experience of being asked the time by Du Zhaojian in public. He never carried a wallet, keeping his change in a paper envelope in the pocket of his long robe. When buying vegetables and food, he had to make sure the amount was auspicious, such as 18, 28, or 188 dollars.
During meals, two glasses of water must be kept at hand. One glass is for rinsing the mouth; Du Zhaojian would rinse his mouth three to five times per meal. The other glass is for rinsing greasy food. For example, when eating char siu, the meat must be soaked in the water glass to wash it and remove the surface grease before eating. When meeting Britain, there are designated coffee shops for coffee, designated Western restaurants for Western food, and when drinking tea with others, one must go to Tsui Hang Village Tea House. When entertaining guests with Chinese food, it must be held at Pearl City Restaurant.
So now, when he occasionally goes out to visit friends, they always prepare a serving of black tea from the Tsui Hang Village Tea House beforehand.
Du Zhaojian took a paper envelope from his pocket and slowly placed it on the coffee table between the two of them. "Seven million Hong Kong dollars in principal from Hang Seng Bank, plus six years' worth of interest. I'll have someone deliver it tomorrow."
"Forget it, I'll donate the interest to your Po Leung Kuk for you. If you wanted to pay the interest, you would have done so already," Chu Yaozong said, handing a teacup to Du Zhaojian.
Du Zhaojian said somewhat slowly, "Without the money you borrowed after the war, I wouldn't have been able to catch my breath so quickly."
"You already expressed your gratitude many times back when you brought those seven dilapidated cars left to you by the Japan. Although you always wear a long gown, you're educated in Western culture and don't understand the subtle techniques of China business dealings. Let's get straight to the point. In short, even if you curse me today, I won't lose my temper." Chu Yaozong picked up his teacup and said to Du Zhaojian, "Here, have some tea."
"These old friends here pushed me to step forward and sound out the three of you. Everyone agrees that we can't let those businessmen from Shanghai cause trouble anymore." Having his thoughts exposed by Chu Yaozong, Du Zhaojian no longer concealed himself, decisively picking up his teacup and downing it in one gulp. "Good tea."
Chapter 84 The time is not yet ripe, there is still plenty of time.
The businessmen from Shanghai that Du Zhaojian mentioned were those who moved to Shanghai Hong Kong in large numbers after the Kuomintang's defeat in 1949. The word "businessmen" is not quite accurate. Indeed, there were many wealthy Shanghai merchants and industrialists among them, but there were also many former Kuomintang officials who had embezzled huge sums of money and fled to Hong Kong for refuge, as well as some underworld tycoons like Du Yuesheng.
These Shanghai visitors were all wealthy and influential figures who had spent years navigating the bustling metropolis of Shanghai. Their arrival in a small place like Hong Kong was like a powerful force sweeping across the land. Banking, jewelry stores, factories, logistics, shipping—if they saw a profitable industry, four or five Shanghai businessmen would partner up, pour money into it, and quickly seize market share that originally belonged to these local Chinese merchants.
Frankly speaking, whether it's Chu Yaozong from Chiu Chow, Zhou Xiyu from Five Counties, or even Cai Wenbai from Dongguan, these top local Chinese business Big Brother have been doing business in Hong Kong for at least two or three decades, and some have even had two generations of their families doing business Hong Kong. They've seen their share of ups and downs, and their vision, experience, and shrewdness are enough to make them leaders of the three major Cantonese business associations. How could they be anything less than capable? But this is the first time they've ever seen so many wealthy and powerful businessmen appear in the small city of Hong Kong at the same time.
Most importantly, this was the first time they had ever seen such unruly outsiders.
Hong Kong is a small place, but it does not exclude any outsiders from making money and establishing themselves here. These Shanghai merchants have large capital and like to do big business. Even if the local Cantonese merchants complain that the other party is taking away their business share, they will not resort to underhanded tactics or engage in any dirty tricks of vicious competition.
Traditional China businessmen like Chu Yaozong may not be able to use more technical Western economic terms like financial markets and capital operations, but their years of experience in the business world have taught them that the more money these Shanghai businessmen bring to Hong Kong, the bigger Hong Kong businesses can become.
Therefore, starting in 1949 when Shanghai merchants entered Hong Kong, the local Cantonese merchants unanimously believed that since they were all China person and doing business under Britain colonial rule, they should not embarrass these fellow Shanghai people outsiders who had left their Hong Kong. Thus, they did not specifically unite against these powerful and wealthy Shanghai merchants. Instead, they always held the idea of healthy competition between Cantonese and Shanghai merchants, with everyone making money based on their own abilities and achieving prosperity in harmony.
However, these Shanghai visitors had no intention of making money peacefully. Although Shanghai was a major metropolis in the Far East with numerous concessions, it was still under the supervision of the Nationalist Government. Hong Kong, on the other hand, was a Britain colony in the Far East, and its supervision and policies were far less stringent than those in Shanghai. This made the Shanghai merchants, who discovered various business loopholes, restless. In just two years, from the end of 1949 to 1951, they had forced the local Cantonese merchants to make repeated concessions.
The banking and shipping industries, which have always been dominated by Guangdong merchants, have been divided and plundered by Shanghai merchants, with a significant portion now occupied. The Chinese Gold and Silver Exchange Society, where most Guangdong merchants have established themselves, is now divided between Guangdong and Shanghai merchants, with half operating inside the market and the other half outside.
"We're all China person, and no one's saying they can't do business in Hong Kong. But business must follow the rules. These Shanghai merchants are all speculators, unlike you and me. Since after the Spring Festival this year, four banks, five money shops, and three cash shops have closed down, a total of twelve. All of them were businesses run by Guangdong people, and all of them were orchestrated by those Shanghai merchants to deliberately run on the banks. If Hang Seng Bank hadn't intervened and saved a few, even more would have closed." Du Zhaojian finished his tea and looked at Chu Yaozong with a gleam in his eyes. "Even the bus and ferry businesses are being targeted by more than just one or two Shanghai merchants. Luckily, I still have some reputation among the Britain and have received medals, so I can still talk to Britain. Otherwise, I'm afraid half of my business would have been taken away by the Shanghai people."