Chapter 135 Discovery Bay

On April 4, Liu Zhicheng arrived at Xiangjiangzai Pier and boarded the Peak yacht.

Before leaving get off work yesterday, I checked my boss’s call and invited him to visit the construction site in Discovery Bay today.

Ever since Shanfeng Investment acquired a stake in Xiangjiang Xingye, Liu Zhicheng had not had time to consult, and happened to be invited by Mr. Cha.

Today I can finally spend a day to get a comprehensive and on-site understanding of the Discovery Bay project.

Normally, the employees of Xiangjiang Xingye travel between Hong Kong Island and Lantau Island using a small barge, which, to put it bluntly, can be overturned by a single wave.

At present, traffic issues have become the top priority for the development of the Discovery Bay project, otherwise, it may affect its sales.

As they approached Discovery Bay, Liu Zhicheng stood at the bow and looked into the distance, and saw some projects underway.

"Hello, Mr. Liu." Tang Yinhui, a vice president sent by China Dyeing to Xingye Company, stood at the dock to greet Liu Zhicheng and Cherie Chung.

Cherie Chung was wearing a pair of high heels today, and Liu Zhiben originally didn't want her to get off the boat.

Today's outing to Discovery Bay Country Park will be something she will remember for the rest of her life.

At a glance, Liu Zhicheng saw that the entire Discovery Bay Pier was just a small temporary cargo pier. There was a yard next to the pier where some construction materials were placed.

There is also a row of simple houses, which is the project department of Discovery Bay. I don’t know if it’s because Liu Zhicheng and others are coming to inspect, but it looks clean and tidy.

Liu Zhicheng also saw several generators, which should be the current power problem that has not been resolved.

Standing in the yard, Liu Zhicheng looked around. It was like a country park and the air was quite fresh.

"Where is Mr. Cha?" Liu Zhicheng asked when he didn't see Mr. Cha at the first sight.

"Mr. Liu, Mr. Cha has something urgent to do and will need to arrive a little later." Tang Yinhui explained.

"Okay, then please tell me about the construction site first." Liu Zhicheng said.

"Mr. Liu, the main projects currently under construction are the construction of a fixed freight terminal, the road from the material yard to the first phase of the project, and the construction of a mountaintop reservoir."

Tang Yinhui introduced to Liu Zhicheng the infrastructure projects currently under construction.

Liu Zhicheng didn't ask any more questions and said, "Let's go to the pond construction site first."

It is still a construction site and the only means of transportation is construction vehicles. Tang Yinhui invited Liu Zhicheng to take the construction vehicle to the pond.

Liu Zhicheng did not put on airs and just sat on it, but ordered Cherie Chung to stay in the material yard and wait, so as to avoid tiring his assistant Cherie Chung and affecting his time to drive.

Since it was a construction access road and we were using a construction vehicle, it took about half an hour to reach the reservoir.

In just half an hour, Liu Zhicheng seemed to have died once. He was shaking all the way and his body almost fell apart.

But when Liu Zhicheng stood on the top of the mountain and looked towards Hong Kong Island, he suddenly felt much better.

Looking from afar, the blue sea and the sky seem to be connected together, and there are a few seagulls flying in the sky. It is really a beautiful picture.

No wonder Discovery Bay was so successful in its previous life. No matter how expensive the housing prices were, the sea view was worth it.

Liu Zhicheng did not go down to the construction site, but just stood on a high hill looking down.

"Mr. Liu, after the pond is built, it can solve the drinking water problem for 2 people," Tang Yinhui introduced.

"Yes. The embankment of this pond must be strong and there must be no quality problems. If there is a heavy rain in the future, there must be no danger and endanger the safety of the residents living at the foot of the mountain. Also, it must be well waterproofed to prevent the water from being unable to be stored."

"Don't worry, Mr. Liu. The quality is guaranteed." Tang Yinhui replied.

Liu Zhicheng took another look at the wasteland around the pond and asked, "How is the area around this pond planned?"

"Mr. Liu, this area is currently planned to be a water source protection area and a prohibited construction area. Do you have any good suggestions?"

In the past, this area seemed to have been built into a country park and hiking trails. After thinking for a while, he said, "Let's transform it into a country park so that the residents here can have a place to hike."

"Okay, let's make a plan when we get back."

"Well, we have water. What about transportation? The wharf is being built. As for electricity, what does China Power think?" Liu Zhicheng asked again.

"Mr. Liu, China Power thinks the investment cost is too high and it is not cost-effective. So far, they have refused to build the transmission line. We even pay for them to build it ourselves, saying that the later maintenance cost is too high."

"This electricity problem must be solved. Before it is solved, we must find a way to overcome it," said Liu Zhicheng.

When Liu Zhicheng acquires CLP, these problems will be solved. Therefore, in Hong Kong, basic livelihood projects will affect the development of a real estate project.

In later generations, major livelihood companies were basically acquired by real estate developers, or invested in to increase their influence. After going down the mountain, he went to inspect the dock construction site. Then, he listened to the progress report of the entire project.

After a while, Mr. Cha and his group arrived, and Cherie Chung came over to invite Liu Zhicheng to the conference room for a meeting.

Liu Zhicheng sat next to Mr. Cha, and before the meeting started, the two men whispered and communicated.

There were already about twenty people sitting in the conference room, including two foremen of the ongoing construction projects.

First, Mr. Zha made a speech, the theme of which was to carry forward the style, overcome difficulties, and strive to complete the first phase of the project as soon as possible.

Then, Mr. Cha invited Liu Zhicheng to speak, and he did not hesitate to speak. He smiled and said.

“I would like to thank you all for your contribution to the Discovery Bay project. I hope you will work hard in the future to contribute new strength to the Discovery Bay project and to the development of Hong Kong Xingye. I will provide you with logistical support.”

“I believe that the future of Discovery Bay is very bright and will bring unlimited profits to Hong Kong. I will not ask you to be as confident as I am. I only ask you to do your job well. I believe that everyone here has good workplace qualities and will do their job well with all their heart and soul!”

This time, Mr. Cha took the lead in applauding. Liu Zhicheng did not expect that his speech would be so popular.

At this time, a board was erected at one end of the conference table, on which was pasted a project planning sketch with densely packed buildings drawn on it.

Liu Zhicheng felt that it seemed different from what he heard in his previous life, but he did not question it.

First, the senior project development manager gave a brief introduction to the project planning.

"Mr. Cha, Mr. Liu, the entire Discovery Bay project covers an area of ​​650 hectares (5850 million square feet). We plan to build a community for people in ten phases."

When Liu Zhicheng heard this, he felt that after it was completed, wouldn't it be the second Tin Shui Wai? In terms of transportation, it was even worse than Tin Shui Wai. He couldn't help but ask.

“What will the volume ratio be after development is complete?”

"Mr. Liu, it's about 1:1."

Hearing the one-to-one floor area ratio, Liu Zhicheng turned around and spoke to Mr. Cha.

"Mr. Cha, this floor area ratio is much better than other buildings in Hong Kong, but how can so many people live here?"

"If the first few phases of owners live uncomfortably, it will make it difficult for us to sell the properties later? Have you ever thought about this problem?"

Liu Zhicheng looked at the people in the conference room again and continued, "It's a very simple question. If we plan a community of 100,000 people, how do we get fresh water? How can we live without water?"

This question stumped them all. Their faces, which had shown some joy just now, suddenly became expressionless.

But it was impossible for everyone to remain silent, so Tang Yinhui stood up and spoke.

"Mr. Liu, our plan is to build a few more ponds on our own to solve the water problem."

"Well, building ponds, how many ponds do you plan to build? How big should the ponds be? Don't forget the history of water shortage in Hong Kong. What should we do if there is a drought? So, I am not very satisfied with this plan and suggest that you revise it." Liu Zhicheng said.

"Mr. Liu has considered it very comprehensively. Please tell us your opinion!" Mr. Cha nodded.

Liu Zhicheng took a sip of water, organized his words, and spoke.

“This project is different from other large-scale developments in Hong Kong. Discovery Bay is a deserted place with no roads, water or electricity. It can only be reached by sea, but there is no pier. The only thing is the sea view, so I have to create a unique community on a small island that is like a dream.”

The audience in the conference room were all amazed. Mr. Liu wanted to create a high-end community, reduce the scale of construction of ancillary projects, and save development costs.

Everyone nodded and gave a thumbs up in their hearts. This solved many of the pain points that Discovery Bay was currently facing.

"The project plan is to develop Discovery Bay into a 'green and environmentally friendly city'. Green building elements will be added to the project. Large areas of gardens and green areas will be planned, including a central park, mangrove wetland natural ecology, artificial beaches and hiking trails, etc., to create a high-quality environmentally friendly residential area that is rare in Hong Kong. It will be built into a weekend resort community for Hong Kong citizens, so our volume must be controlled below 0.2."

The more Liu Zhicheng talked, the more surprised the people below were. Sometimes they smiled, sometimes they were expressionless, because if they followed the boss's plan, it would be even more difficult.

Liu Zhicheng knew that the infrastructure in the community had to start from scratch. These development projects required huge capital investment, at least HK$600 million, and there were definitely many engineering and technical challenges.

In addition, it is necessary to build a fire station and police station under the government, a local primary school funded by the government, and private reservoirs, all of which are built by the developer. The government is mainly responsible for the approval of the agency, and the entire development plan must be promoted under a planning master plan.

After Liu Zhicheng finished speaking, he did not say anything else until the end of the meeting, because he had already said everything he knew.

The entire meeting lasted from morning to afternoon. It was the longest meeting Liu Zhicheng had held since his rebirth.

On the return cruise, Liu Zhicheng was most concerned about transportation. The Discovery Bay barge could only sail to Xiangjiangzai, and in the future at least routes from Discovery Bay to Central and Tsim Sha Tsui should be opened.

At present, the ferry routes in Hong Kong are all monopolized by different companies. You cannot open a route just because you want to. You must obtain the consent of other shipping companies.

(End of this chapter)