Chapter 91: The Struggles of Hong Kong Industry and the Joining of a Strong Ally
"No problem. Just tell him we'll meet at the hotel," Yang Wendong replied as soon as he heard there was a response.
But the woman from the recruitment agency on the other end of the line said, "Wait, Mr. Yang. Mr. Wei said he'd rather come to your factory directly. He wants to understand more about Changxing Industrial and get a feel for your operations."
"Meet at the factory? That's fine too," Yang Wendong agreed without hesitation.
Truthfully, even if they had met at a hotel first and nothing came of it, it wouldn't matter. If the meeting went well, they'd eventually have to visit the factory anyway. Meeting here just saved time.
The agent added, "Then when would be a good time for you?"
"I'm free anytime. Just let me know in advance once Mr. Wei confirms his schedule," Yang replied.
"Alright, I'll contact you once it's confirmed," the agent said.
Three days later, under the agency's coordination, both parties agreed on a meeting time.
A taxi pulled up to the gate of Changxing Industrial, and the agent stepped out with a middle-aged man in his forties.
When Yang Wendong got word from the gate guard, he came out to greet them personally. They met just outside the factory entrance.
"Mr. Wei, nice to meet you," Yang said with a friendly smile, offering his hand.
Wei Zetao smiled and quickly responded, "Mr. Yang, nice to meet you as well. Ms. Li had told me you were quite young, but now that I've met you in person, I'm honestly surprised."
Yang chuckled. "There are quite a few people like me in Hong Kong. Many well-known Chinese entrepreneurs here started young, didn't they? Your company is no exception, right?"
Wei nodded. "That's true. Mr. Li also started his business when he was very young—around 20, I think, a couple years older than you are now.
But there are still some key differences. Mr. Li, although self-made, had worked for several years beforehand and built up a network of contacts. Plus, his girlfriend's family offered some support."
"Well, that's something he earned with his own abilities," Yang replied with a smile. "Even finding the right partner takes skill."
In the modern world, people often debated whether certain tycoons were truly self-made—especially figures like JD.com's founder and his famous ex-girlfriend.
But Yang's personal view was that those achievements were earned. Coming from a modest background and still managing to win over someone from a wealthy, powerful family was no small feat.
Even in his past life, there was the case of the Korean security guard who married a Samsung heiress. That wasn't luck—it was personal charm. Otherwise, why him and not one of the other dozens of guards?
Wei nodded. "That's a fair point. But speaking strictly in terms of startup difficulty, your circumstances are at least a hundred times harder than most.
When I first reviewed your background, I was honestly shocked—and very impressed."
"Haha, thanks for the compliment," Yang said, smiling. "Shall we head inside?"
"Sure, let's start by looking around the factory," Wei replied.
"Alright." Yang nodded. Since he was looking to bring someone in to manage the factory, it only made sense to let them see it. Even the ugliest bride has to meet the in-laws sooner or later.
Yang then took Wei on a tour of the premises, introducing several of the company's key personnel.
Finally, they arrived at the Post-it production area.
The relatively compact machine was operating smoothly—cutting large yellow sheets into smaller pieces, which were then carried along a conveyor belt to be assembled into neatly stacked Post-it pads.
After observing for a bit, Wei asked, "This equipment looks similar to bookbinding machines, just with different dimensions, right?"
"Yes, exactly," Yang said with a laugh. "Otherwise, having something like this custom-made from scratch would've been a nightmare."
Wei nodded. "Last month—before the headhunter reached out—I came across Post-it notes for the first time. I have to say, they're incredibly convenient.
But I had no idea this was a Hong Kong-born invention. And to think, you also created glue traps and flypaper. Mr. Yang, you really are gifted."
Yang smiled. "Well, I had to find my own angle. Competing with the established players in Hong Kong's manufacturing sector is tough without some form of innovation."
At this point, Hong Kong's manufacturing boom was being driven by several key factors: a wave of young, low-wage laborers from abroad, a relatively low illiteracy rate compared to Southeast Asia, and an influx of experienced factory owners starting over in Hong Kong.
All of these contributed to the success of low-end manufacturing. But being "low-end" also meant the sector was incredibly cutthroat. Competing with long-established players was nearly impossible without something new.
After a while, Yang said, "Let's go talk more in-depth."
"Sounds good," Wei agreed.
"We can go to the office. It's a bit small—hope you don't mind," Yang said with a smile.
"Not at all," Wei replied. "When I first started working, it was in a similar setup. Besides, if I'm not mistaken, your property is self-owned, right?"
"Correct. We own it," Yang said as they walked.
"That alone puts you ahead of most factories in Hong Kong. Even Cheung Kong Industries rented factory space for years.
It wasn't until earlier this year—when business boomed and they couldn't find a suitable rental—that they bought land and built their own facility."
"Haha, that's true," Yang chuckled.
Before the real estate boom, most entrepreneurs preferred to rent because they needed to put every available cent into running the business.
But once the property market took off, it began draining wealth from the industrial and service sectors. Many so-called "industrial tycoons" later realized that most of their hard-earned profits had gone straight into their landlords' pockets.
Only a few, like Li Ka-shing, Lee Shau-kee, Stanley Ho, and Liu Po Shan, had the foresight to invest in real estate early.
The two men soon arrived at the small office inside the factory.
Yang Wendong brewed a cup of tea and said with a smile, "I bought this from the National Goods Store. It's tea from Anhui Province on the mainland—quite a good flavor."
In the 1950s, supermarkets were still rare globally. Most retail came through department stores, and in Hong Kong, the largest ones weren't British-owned but backed by mainland Chinese capital: the National Goods Stores.
These shops offered a wide array of cheap goods from the mainland, which made them extremely popular among Hong Kong's ordinary citizens. They were also an important channel for the mainland to earn foreign exchange. Their continued presence was likely the result of complex negotiations between the mainland authorities and the British colonial government, but for many local Chinese, they were a welcome convenience.
"I like mainland tea too," Wei Zetao replied with a smile.
After a few sips, the two quickly got down to business.
Yang Wendong began, "Mr. Wei, before we get into things, may I ask a personal question?"
"Of course," Wei said.
Yang asked, "I've done some reading on Cheung Kong Industries and on Mr. Li Ka-shing himself. From what I can tell, the company has a very bright future. Why did you choose to leave Cheung Kong?"
This was an important question. In his previous life, nearly every job interview included some variation of it. Having both been interviewed and done interviews himself, Yang understood that the answer—whether true or not—could reveal a lot about a person's emotional intelligence.
Wei replied, "Cheung Kong is an excellent company, and Mr. Li is undoubtedly a great boss.
But we disagreed on the direction of product development. Recently, he's decided to invest all of the company's resources into plastic flowers. The division I was responsible for has been sidelined. From what I can tell, he's preparing to phase it out completely."
"What division were you managing?" Yang asked.
Wei answered, "Household plastic products—things like buckets, bottles, cups, broom handles, clothes hangers…"
"That's quite a lot," Yang said with a chuckle.
Wei nodded. "Yes, it's a bit scattered, but these are high-volume products. In fact, this was once Cheung Kong's biggest business line."
Yang asked, "If it was their biggest division, why abandon it? Even if plastic flowers are booming, that doesn't mean you have to go all-in on just one thing."
Wei explained, "Mr. Li isn't abandoning it just because plastic flowers are doing well. The market itself has reached saturation.
Ten years ago, Hong Kong homes were still using metal basins and hangers. Then plastic rapidly replaced them. That's why there are now hundreds of plastic factories in Hong Kong.
But today, the market is saturated, and competition is brutal. Cheung Kong's products are well-made and affordable, but they barely turn a profit anymore."
"What about exports?" Yang asked. After all, Hong Kong's domestic market was far too small to support so many factories.
Wei shook his head. "Exporting is necessary—about 90% of Hong Kong's 300+ plastic factories rely on exports to survive.
But nearly all of them are just doing contract work for trading companies. Many are so squeezed that they barely break even. Cheung Kong was no exception.
It wasn't until we started making plastic flowers, which were wildly popular overseas, that we bypassed the trading houses and made direct contact with foreign clients. That's when we finally started seeing real profits.
But traditional plastic household goods still rely on the traders. Our plastic flower clients won't touch those other products."
Yang nodded. "Without proprietary technology, you're stuck in the middle. The trading companies control the entire export pipeline."
"Or patents," Wei said with a grin. "And you've got patents, Mr. Yang. That gives you a real advantage."
"Patents aren't always bulletproof," Yang said, wanting to test Wei's views on intellectual property.
Wei replied, "No, they're not. But having one is always better than not having one. At least the law is on your side.
And if you can't fully leverage a patent yourself, you can always partner with someone who can. Share the benefits, and they'll help protect it for you."
"Exactly," Yang said with a smile. "So, you're thinking of leaving Cheung Kong because they've decided to focus solely on plastic flowers?"
Wei shook his head. "They're not giving up on plastics entirely.
In fact, they're investing the profits from plastic flowers into launching a line of plastic toys—water guns, toy cars, action figures… They're just shifting direction.
But I won't be in charge of toys. That's someone else's responsibility. If the household goods division is shut down, I'll be moved into the plastic flower department. For me, that's like starting over."
"Hmm… I see," Yang said. It sounded like internal factional politics might also be at play.
Wei chuckled. "From a business standpoint, it makes sense to chase profits. But I still think we shouldn't abandon entire categories just because one product is doing well."
Yang nodded. "But you yourself pointed out the core issue—traditional plastic goods are completely at the mercy of trading companies. That's an unsolvable problem."
"True," Wei admitted. "That's why I'm more optimistic about the toy business. But that division doesn't fall under me."
Yang asked, "Is Cheung Kong's toy division also relying on trading firms?"
"Yes, mostly. But we did manage to connect directly with a few Japanese toy companies. We're doing OEM manufacturing for them."
"And if you were in charge of the toy business, what would you do?" Yang asked again.
Wei Zetao thought for a moment and said, "If I were in charge, the first thing I'd do is get rid of all the trading companies. Not just because of the profit margins, but because toys are different from other household products. If we can communicate directly with overseas toy retailers, we'll have more chances to get long-term production orders. For years, Mr. Li Ka-shing has been working toward that goal as well."
"That's a solid idea," Yang Wendong said with a smile. "But how exactly would you make it happen?"
Wei paused and then replied, "It would require a large financial investment—to travel overseas, meet with clients, seek opportunities. Whether it works out or not depends on a combination of luck and personal effort.
But if you don't try, you'll never succeed. The resource cost is very high, though."
Yang nodded and smiled. "That's true. Succeeding in something like this is a mix of capability and luck. But there's another way—developing your own patented toy."
"A patent of our own?" Wei thought for a moment and asked, "You mean like a common toy, such as a water gun, but designed with our own features and then patented?"
"You've done that before, right?" Yang asked.
Wei nodded. "We have. But patents like that don't offer much advantage. Other manufacturers can easily make similar products, and in the end, we still get squeezed by the trading companies."
Yang smiled. "Mm. But I'm talking about a toy with a truly unique, proprietary patent—something like the Post-it note. A product that only we can make."
"What kind of toy?" Wei asked, clearly intrigued.
"I can't say yet," Yang replied.
"Fair enough," Wei nodded. It made sense—without officially joining the company, he couldn't expect to be told everything.
Yang said, "Mr. Wei, I've read your resume. It's clear that Cheung Kong Industries was built by Mr. Li and a few key people—including you. Now that your paths are diverging due to differences in business direction, I think you should consider joining us.
In the short term, our products are glue traps, flypaper, and Post-it notes. All of these are about to face pressure for improvements and increased capacity. That's exactly why I need someone like you.
In the long term, I'll be entering the toy industry too—but not just as a contract manufacturer. I want to build a company like the major international toy brands—one with its own core intellectual property and cultural identity.
That would allow you to fully leverage your strengths, and it'd be a win-win."
Wei nodded. "Based on what you've said, Changxing Industrial does seem like a very good match for the direction I want to go in."
Yang smiled. "Good. Now, let's talk about some of the day-to-day operations…"
Although he had never managed a factory in his previous life, Yang had worked in sales and spent plenty of time inside manufacturing plants, so he was familiar with how things worked.
Of course, modern factories were more computerized and automated, which wasn't feasible in this era.
Still, many of the management principles were the same. After all, computers were just tools to help people organize data and streamline communication. Ultimately, management was about people.
They began a back-and-forth discussion. Yang posed a number of real-world management dilemmas he'd read about online in his previous life, and Wei answered them one by one, clearly drawing from years of practical experience.
"Mr. Wei, it's clear you really know your stuff when it comes to factory management," Yang said with a smile after nearly an hour of conversation.
Wei chuckled. "And you, Mr. Yang, have a very sharp way of seeing things. Your insights are sharper than most of the bosses I've worked for."
"Haha, I do okay," Yang laughed. After all, he'd read plenty of workplace anecdotes and management horror stories online. While they were entertaining, many of them were rooted in genuine organizational issues.
"Alright," he continued, "I think we've covered just about everything. So, have you made a decision, or would you like more time to consider it?"
Wei glanced at the Post-it notes on the table and smiled. "I'd be honored to join Changxing Industrial!"
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