Chapter 267 Inspection
After two months of steady operation, Liu Zhicheng was pleasantly surprised to find that China Merchants Bank (Hong Kong) had already attracted deposits of over HK$10 billion.

Although more than 200 million Hong Kong dollars of this came from support from friends and partners, it was enough to shock the entire industry.

The reason is simple. The credibility of China Merchants Bank (Hong Kong) itself was damaged more than two months ago.

The monthly deposits of nearly HK$4 million are almost at the level of Bank of East Asia.

A careful analysis reveals that there are three reasons for this success:
First, Liu Zhicheng’s own celebrity effect. He is the richest Chinese in the world. In the eyes of Hong Kong people, he is the head of a large conglomerate with strong financial strength and a very good reputation.

Second, Liu Zhicheng's performance in the "Guo Shang Incident" won the admiration of the citizens and made them feel that his credibility was guaranteed.

Thirdly, the savings plan of 'save money and get cooking oil for free' has been very successful.

If you deposit 20,000 Hong Kong dollars, you can get a barrel of cooking oil after a regular deposit for one year, which is a disguised way of increasing the interest rate.

In this way, you can avoid offending your peers and still attract deposits.

Liu Zhicheng did not intend to let China Merchants Bank (Hong Kong) develop too fast, but required the word "stability".

In the conference room.

Liu Zhicheng continued to emphasize: "At present, stability is still paramount for us, and we need to maintain sufficient cash flow to deal with possible emergencies!

Personally, I can still provide 20 billion Hong Kong dollars in cash as a backup at any time."

The senior executives were really surprised at how much cash this boss had!

Everyone in Hong Kong knows that in addition to owning shares in several listed companies, Mr. Liu Zhicheng also owns a private investment company. Some people estimate that the private investment assets of this company are worth tens of billions of Hong Kong dollars.

What really shocked the people of Hong Kong was that Liu Zhicheng took out 50 billion Hong Kong dollars in cash, which is quite impressive!
After all, the personal investments of other wealthy people such as Li Chaoren, Li Zhaoji and Cheng Yutong are almost all completed with a large amount of loans.

He Changhong said seriously: “The original 5000-plus depositors all had strong confidence in us.

After their deposits matured, some people took the initiative to deposit them again in our bank, and we also publicized this through the media.”

Liu Zhicheng nodded with satisfaction. This trick was indeed good!
"How is the recovery of bad debts?" Liu Zhicheng asked.

MD, it makes me angry just thinking about this. When we were collecting some overseas loans, we encountered a lot of deadbeats.

This made Liu Zhicheng indignant. He reached a friendly agreement with the creditors and paid the creditors' debts in batches, which was quite straightforward.

On the contrary, borrowers who owe money to Guoshang Bank always encounter deadbeats.

"There were several bad debts. When the borrowers saw that we were preparing to sue them, they offered to repay them in installments, but asked for interest reduction!" said He Changhong.

"Promise them, but make them sign a formal repayment agreement!"

This is no big deal. It is time-consuming and laborious to sue those overseas borrowers. It is better not to do it unless it is absolutely necessary!

After discussing with senior management, Liu Zhicheng felt that everything was on the right track at China Merchants Bank (Hong Kong):
Deposits are stable and continue to increase. Original depositors choose to trust. The recovery of bad debts is optimistic. Bondholders are not making trouble.

In addition, the issuance of loans has also begun to proceed in an orderly manner.

With Liu Zhicheng's financial guarantee, Guoshang Bank could make "extraordinary loans" according to the amount of the guarantee to make a profit.

During this meeting, Liu Zhicheng did not talk much about development, but rather talked about stability.

His fundamental purpose in working in the bank is to facilitate his development of "investment banking" so that he can have more sensitive information and more trading channels in international financial products in the future.

…………

The next day, Liu Zhicheng flew to London to inspect the European branch of Crocodile Garments Group.

The company currently has a lot of business in Europe, including Harrods department store, and Giordano, Jeanswest, and Crocodile all have several stores here.

"BOSS!"

"Hello, everyone!"

When I walked into the conference room, I saw many foreigners, and the only Chinese were Chen Shiwen and Lu Aijia.

After sitting down, Liu Zhicheng said to Joseph, the president of Harrods, "I heard that Harrods has turned a profit?"

Joseph showed admiration and joy on his face, and then said: "It's like this, it took us less than five months to turn losses into profits.

All this is due to the company's change in business strategy. Clothing is indeed better sold than other luxury goods. The increase in catering and beauty businesses also made a great contribution."

Liu Zhicheng nodded. The current management of Crocodile Shirt Group has great operational and management capabilities and can support and dispatch a certain brand at any time.

“Very good! Harrods will continue to strengthen its business, mainly in Europe.

As for our operations in Asia, we have to be cautious and in principle only consider properties under our umbrella.”

He made this arrangement based on the advice of Crocodile Group management to be cautious in opening Harrods department stores in Asia.

In Hong Kong, the department store industry has always lagged behind, not to mention that the RB department store industry has dominated the market in recent years.

Therefore, when Harrods enters Asia, it can only consider opening a store in the properties of the Whampoa Group.

"Okay, BOSS!" Joseph said seriously.

He himself is not familiar with the business in Asia, and his current focus is to continue to do a good job in European business.

"Well, when the time is right, I will prepare for the listing of Haros!" Liu Zhicheng added.

Everyone nodded and approved of Liu Zhicheng's arrangement!
As far as Liu Zhicheng knows, before 1992, Europe and the United States were experiencing economic crises, especially the United States, which was known as the eighth financial crisis. The reason was naturally the war that consumed a lot of money.

Starting around 1992, the economies of the United States and Europe will experience explosive growth, so Harrods still has a bright future.

Of course, no matter how promising it is, it is still a sunset industry - the department store industry. If Crocodile Garment Group wants to avoid losses, the best way is to go public while its performance is good and then cash out some funds.

Then, Liu Zhicheng met with Ian, vice president of Crocodile Shirt Group, who joined the company this year and is currently in charge of Crocodile Shirt Group’s European affairs.

“How is the acquisition of the Kenzo brand going?”

KENZO is a brand founded in France by Kenzo Takada (French), a French-born Japanese designer. It combines the calm artistic conception of Eastern culture with the passion and liveliness of the Latin people.

The bold and innovative combination of colorful colors and flowers creates lively, bright, elegant and unique works.

KENZO has been making its mark in the fashion industry since 1970, and is one of the few high-end fashion brands in Paris that is led by Asians. Its products include clothing, accessories, tableware, and perfumes.

Crocodile Group intends to acquire the Kenzo brand through Harrods department store.

If we can acquire this brand, the entire Crocodile Group will be greatly improved.

Of course, the business of Crocodile Garment Group is mainly in Asia, as well as mid- and low-end clothing brands, which are mainly developed based on the cheap labor force in the mainland.

Ian smiled bitterly and said, “That Kenzo Takada seems to look down on us and is unwilling to join our group.

Even when we promised that he could focus on design and that we could provide him with management suggestions at any time, he remained unmoved.

I am not confident in handing over the brand to a group company that has never made high-end brands!"

Europeans and Americans speak directly. You can just say that others are unwilling to sell. There is no need to repeat it again in front of your boss.

Liu Zhicheng thought for a while and said, "Let's put it aside for now. High-end clothing may not be very profitable, but mid- and low-end clothing may not be impossible to make a lot of money.

Therefore, it is most important that you focus on the 'fast-moving consumer goods brand' Jeanswest and build an agile supply chain system!"

As early as when Crocodile Garment Group acquired the "Jeanswest" brand, Liu Zhicheng told the management about his concept of "fast-moving consumer goods brands".

A flexible supply chain system is particularly important, and may even be the key to success.

Of course, the Jeanswest brand mainly competes with Uniqlo, and its business is mainly in Asia.

The European management team is actually responsible for managing the "design system". Crocodile Group used to have design studios in Europe and the United States, but they were not large in scale.

This studio quickly "copied" popular styles from Europe and America, and then took them to the Hong Kong Design Center. The Hong Kong Design Center quickly designed similar styles, and then placed orders with its own factories. After the factories produced them, they were quickly transported by plane to overseas stores.

Because every link has been optimized, the same clothes as those at the Paris Fashion Show and the Milan Fashion Show can be seen in the entire Jeanswest store for more than a month.

Now, Liu Zhicheng is planning to set up a "design center" in London to quickly bring popular European and American styles to Hong Kong for production after secondary design, and then transport them to various overseas stores by plane.

Ian nodded and said, "Okay, Boss, we currently have 30 fashion designers in London. They are all relatively young and have a better grasp of young people's fashion."

Since it is just plagiarism, there is definitely no need for experienced designers. Only young people are more suitable for doing this.

In fact, all of Crocodile Group's brands are positioned in Asia, and they are just trying to enter Europe and the United States.

But although the focus is on Asia, it must be acknowledged that Europe is the largest origin of world fashion, especially France and Italy.

So, learn from their fashion!

…………

In early September, I went to Shanghai.

Aurora University welcomed a distinguished guest, Mr. Liu Zhicheng, who is the "pride of the Chinese people". The teachers and students of the entire school welcomed his arrival in the most grand manner.

Liu Zhicheng's motorcade stopped on the road before reaching the school gate.

Liu Zhicheng got out of the car in formal attire, with a straight posture and a dignified appearance, exuding an elegant and resolute temperament.

In recent years, he has been studying ancient culture, which is both for the purpose of cultivating his character and his body.

Liu Zhicheng, accompanied by Hao Qingwen and his party, walked to the gate of Aurora University. They looked up at the very ordinary and simple school gate. The height of the gate was not very high, about the same height as an ordinary bungalow.

It was not surprising. I knew in my previous life that the gate of Aurora University was so "ordinary" and others focused on development within the school.

"Mr. Liu, welcome to Aurora University!" Principal Hua enthusiastically led the school teachers and quickly came forward to greet him.

The flood in East China in July made many people in the mainland know Liu Zhicheng, the richest Chinese. His personal and company donations account for one-third of Hong Kong and nearly one-eighth of the world's donations (only for the time being, and they are still accepting donations).

Not to mention, Liu Zhiben himself has become the "pride of the Chinese people" and has a great influence in the world.

Even if the people in the mainland at this time are still very simple and do not realize the importance of wealth, they will realize it. When disaster strikes, having money can really reduce the suffering of the people.

What's more, the mainland is actually currently developing its economy and needs the participation of overseas Chinese.

Liu Zhicheng shook the president's hand and said, "It is my honor to come to Aurora University, President Hua!"

"You're welcome. Mr. Liu, let me introduce you."

After a brief introduction, Liu Zhicheng discovered that there were city-level officials present. It seemed that the Shanghai Municipal Government attached great importance to Liu Zhicheng and was afraid that the reception would be poor.

Then, the president took Liu Zhicheng to visit the campus of Aurora University and invited him to attend the "opening ceremony" and give a speech.

This time Liu Zhicheng did not refuse because "the momentum is too great". Shanghai is not the capital, so there is no need to be too cautious. Shanghai is economically important, and he is the God of Wealth.

On the road, Liu Zhicheng always saw girls wearing beautiful and fashionable skirts and high heels. He immediately sighed in his heart that Shanghai was indeed a place where old foreigners gathered, and the atmosphere here was much more open than that in Beijing.

Those beautiful girls are really fashionable!
At the opening ceremony, Liu Zhicheng stole the show. He first frequently quoted the Analects of Confucius in his speech, talking about how to be a good person and how to do business, which fully ignited the admiration of a group of students for him.

When it comes to the question-and-answer session, if there are questions from international students, Liu Zhicheng will first ask them to introduce their country.

If it is a language he has learned, let him ask questions in his native language, and Liu Zhicheng will answer in both languages.

As a result, I don’t know whether it was the school’s cooperation or something else that allowed him to fully demonstrate his Japanese, Korean, English, and Russian, which aroused rounds of applause.

For a time, Liu Zhicheng, a "nouveau riche" who had not even graduated from university, was actually given the reputation of "Confucian businessman" and "genius businessman".

Finally, Liu Zhicheng said: "I would like to thank Aurora University for giving me this opportunity to give a speech and interact with students. I originally planned to donate 5000 million RMB to improve the teaching environment.

However, when I saw many poor students coming to this institution of higher learning, their fighting spirit touched me deeply.

I hope to donate another 5000 million Hong Kong dollars to set up a 'scholarship' at Aurora University. All students who need help can apply for the 'scholarship' to cope with the current difficulties. "

Suddenly, thunderous applause broke out.

Beforehand, everyone knew that Liu Zhicheng donated 1 million yuan to Huaqing University and Peking University, but when it came to Aurora University, it became 5000 million yuan, which was more or less unfair.

Things are different now, and Aurora University also enjoys this honor.

Principal Hua and his entourage were also very shocked. 5000 million RMB was donated without any hesitation. The character of this richest Chinese man really has the characteristics of a young person - casual and free.

Liu Zhicheng actually doesn't feel heartbroken. It's too easy for him to make money. In addition, he has an inextricable connection with the mainland in both his past and present lives, so he is willing to contribute to education.

Principal Hua walked up to the podium and gave a speech, fully affirming Liu Zhicheng's spirit of "willingness to help students".

This is not about currying favor with money-hungry businessmen, but about the attitude that teachers and students should have.

What's more, Liu Zhicheng's erudition and talent set a good example for students today!

On that day, Liu Zhicheng had a very pleasant time at Shanghai University and had lunch with teachers and students in the cafeteria.

In the afternoon, I listened to the professor's lecture with the students. In the evening, a group of students took the lead, accompanied by Principal Hua and his entourage, and watched Liu Zhicheng leave.

What a meaningful day!
It's great to be rich, as it can help Liu Zhicheng realize his dream of going to college. Next month, BJ University will award Liu Zhicheng an "honorary doctorate". Of course, this is not that important, after all, it is not a real academic degree.

However, this is the second time this year that he will be received by senior officials, which is a good honor.

Only after the relationship is established can we invest heavily in the mainland market!

Of course, it is the mainland that is begging Hong Kong capital to invest, which is called supporting the motherland's economic construction.

As for making money, that is as it should be, and the returns in the mainland will almost have to wait until the 21st century.

Starting from the next day, Liu Zhicheng visited Tongji University, Jiaotong University, University of Finance and Economics, University of Chinese Medicine, and Shanghai University in two days, donating 1000 million to each of the five universities.

For a time, everyone in Shanghai knew that there was a wealthy man from Hong Kong who was spending money lavishly in Shanglu City.

Next, Liu Zhicheng formally began his inspection of the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

His first stop was the JA District, where he inspected along Metro Line 1 to select a site for "Huangpu Plaza".

Construction of Shanghai Metro Line 1 began in 1990 and was expected to be fully operational in 1995.

Liu Zhicheng's goal was very clear, which was to seize the opportunity of the previous life's 'Henglong Plaza' and take the lead in building the large-scale 'Huangpu Plaza' in Shanghai, creating the most profitable 'shopping mall' in Shanghai.

Based on some memories, he quickly arrived at Jinling West Road. After repeated inspections, he finally decided to stop near the intersection of Jinling West Road and Shaanxi North Road.

"Qingwen, what do you think of this position?"

After a careful inspection, Hao Qingwen said, "It is very suitable for Huangpu Plaza. It is close to Metro Line 1 and is located above the subway. It is also a traditional commercial district. How much investment do you plan to make?"

Liu Zhicheng smiled and said: "We can take as much land as we can, but I think it should be at least 50 square feet (5.55 square meters).

However, we are discussing it privately now so that we can invest at any time!"

Seeing that Liu Zhicheng was full of confidence but not in a hurry to invest, Hao Qingwen wondered if his boss was waiting for some signal?
After all, with the boss's connections in the mainland, there would be no problem in taking over this land now.

After all, Robert Kuok was able to acquire land in Beijing and build the China World Trade Center in 1985.

"Okay, I'll make a note of that!"

Liu Zhicheng nodded and continued, "Let's go, we need to look for more high-quality land and be ready to invest heavily in Shanghai again!"

Then, Liu Zhicheng brought a group of people to Lujiazui and found the land of the former IFC Building, Shanghai World Financial Center and Shanghai World Financial Center.

He didn't say much this time, because once the IFC building was approved in 1992, he could come to the land of the previous World Financial Center and take it over.

(End of this chapter)