Chapter 293: Accelerating the Launch of Future TVB
The next day, Yang Wendong arrived at the Changxing Industrial Park in Kwun Tong.
After meeting with Wei Zetao, Yang Wendong explained his latest plans.
After listening, Wei Zetao said, "We can definitely control distribution to prevent our plastic bags from reaching Hongkong Land or Jardine. Even British capital distributors can be restricted. But our bags are everywhere now. If someone from Jardine buys them through another channel, we can't stop that."
Yang Wendong thought for a moment. "That would at least raise their costs significantly."
Wei Zetao nodded. "It will. But considering how cheap plastic bags are to begin with, even if the cost doubles, it won't really matter to Hongkong Land. They can afford it.
Besides, even if Jardine launches a supermarket chain, they can't open dozens of locations right away. They'll have to expand gradually just like Carrefour did. In the beginning, they might open three or four stores at most. They won't have the manpower or the operational know-how to do more. Unless their senior management has completely lost their minds, a large-scale launch is unlikely."
Yang Wendong chuckled. "You never know. Big companies make dumb mistakes all the time."
People often assumed that large corporations were always smart, but in reality, even countries could be incredibly foolish — like that one nation nicknamed the "monkeys" in his past life.
Wei Zetao said, "Alternatively, we could just tell all trading companies not to sell plastic bags to Jardine. But at this point, with so many bags already distributed, it's hard to enforce."
"We'll still be able to trace some of it," Yang Wendong said with a smile. "Our bags come in many sizes and models. If Carrefour uses a specific type, we just track it. If the same model shows up elsewhere in Hong Kong, we'll know."
Wei Zetao nodded. "Alright, I'll let the major distributors know — verbally — that they're not to sell large quantities of bags to the new Jardine supermarkets."
"Yes, just verbal," Yang Wendong agreed.
Some things were better done in the shadows, without a paper trail.
Wei Zetao added, "Or, we could gradually take back trading rights and let Changxing Trading handle it directly. This would give them an opportunity to expand into Hong Kong's existing distribution network."
"That works. Let's take over ourselves," Yang Wendong said with a nod.
Plastic bags were universal — supermarkets, department stores, corner shops, produce vendors — everyone needed them.
When they were first released, the rule was simple: whoever came to pick them up, got them. The distribution network was just too broad.
But in reverse, plastic bags also represented an opportunity to map out Hong Kong's entire retail landscape. Changxing Trading could use this to gather data on nearly every retail point across the city.
Of course, direct deals with individual vendors weren't feasible. There would always be smaller wholesalers acting as intermediaries. Still, cutting out as many middlemen as possible was already an achievement.
Wei Zetao said, "Alright. But we'll still have leaks on the export side. It's impossible to block Jardine completely."
"That's fine. Just because Carrefour has a competitor doesn't mean we should stop promoting plastic bags," Yang Wendong said, shaking his head. "As long as we increase their operational complexity and cost, it's enough. If we want to truly beat them, Carrefour itself has to be better and more appealing."
In the world of business, there were plenty of underhanded tactics. But as long as you didn't use political manipulation or illegal methods, victory ultimately depended on strength.
For supermarkets, it came down to supply chain control, service quality, and financial strength.
Property was also a core advantage — something Hongkong Land had in abundance.
But unless they were prepared to burn cash indefinitely, any weakness in operations would eventually get them crushed by better-run competitors.
The two of them walked over to the plastic bag production area, where two new machines had been installed in the otherwise spacious facility.
Wei Zetao explained, "Back at the beginning of the year, once the first production line passed certification, I ordered four more machines. I knew one line wouldn't be enough once plastic bags took off."
Yang Wendong nodded. "Smart move. Keep ordering more. This market is practically unlimited. Even a hundred Post-it Note industries couldn't match this demand."
In terms of raw volume, plastic bags far exceeded Post-its. But in terms of profit margin, it was the other way around.
Yang Wendong's goal was to leverage Hong Kong's relatively low wage structure to scale up plastic bag production and gain a first-mover advantage.
Shipping costs for plastic bags were also low, and he had his own fleet. Every aspect was optimized.
"Understood. Plastic bags will become one of Changxing Industrial's core products going forward," Wei Zetao said, fully grasping the vision.
Plastic bags weren't about generating huge profits. They were about creating jobs, stimulating local economic activity, and increasing Changxing Group's influence in Hong Kong.
If the industry could create thousands — even tens of thousands — of jobs, the colonial government would inevitably start treating Changxing Group with more respect.
And from that respect, other industries could quietly profit.
More importantly, since everyone involved was Chinese, Yang Wendong genuinely hoped his compatriots could live a little better. And the only way to achieve that was through industrial development.
Back in the office, Yang Wendong asked, "How's the Rubik's Cube competition coming along?"
Wei Zetao replied, "I've coordinated with Mr. Qin Zhiye, and we're in discussions with Rediffusion. They're interested, but the fees aren't cheap. Plus, they want full control of the program."
"How much are they charging?" Yang Wendong asked.
"For a one-hour prime-time slot in the evening, it's HKD 6,000," Wei Zetao answered. "But they're also offering us a studio space for free."
"HKD 6,000? Not bad, especially since our prize pool is already HKD 5,000," Yang Wendong said casually. "But they want to control the whole production — is that manageable?"
"They're very insistent," Wei Zetao replied. "We can share our ideas, but they'll have the final say on how the show is filmed."
"The only TV station in Hong Kong — of course they act high and mighty," Yang Wendong chuckled. "Fine. Let them handle production. We don't have any experience anyway.
But make sure we send a team to observe. They need to learn and build relationships with the internal staff. There could be more collaborations in the future."
"Got it," Wei Zetao said. "This event will be pre-recorded and broadcast later. Once it's done, Mr. Qin Zhiye's team will begin publicity."
"No live broadcast? That's fine," Yang Wendong nodded.
Live programming was rare in this era — even radio stations didn't broadcast live unless it was a major international event or sports match.
Wei Zetao added, "We're keeping the competition fair. Winners will be decided during the recording itself."
"Good. Are many people signing up?" Yang Wendong asked.
"We've got over a hundred so far," Wei Zetao said. "Promotion has started, and most of the registrants are students."
"Students are perfect," Yang Wendong said. "This trial run is just for Hong Kong. If the ratings are decent, our overseas distributors can run the same kind of event."
Back in Hong Kong, the Rubik's Cube wouldn't sell in large volumes. Economically, this event was bound to be a loss — especially with fewer than ten thousand television viewers in the whole city.
But if the concept proved effective, it could be replicated in select overseas markets.
More importantly, Rubik's Cube sales were never the main goal. The competition was meant to build brand awareness and help Changxing Trading get in touch with more toy distributors, paving the way for future toy product launches.
Back at Changxing Tower, an assistant approached Yang Wendong.
"Mr. Yang Wendong, the Hong Kong Museum site has been finalized. The team has unanimously agreed to build it on Hung Kam Road."
"Hung Kam Road?" Yang Wendong thought for a moment and said, "That's actually a pretty decent location."
That area would one day become Hong Kong Park — so of course, the location wasn't bad.
The museum site selection was handled jointly by teams from the mainland, the colonial government, and Yang Wendong's own group. He didn't personally participate in the process, trusting the experts. He just hadn't expected them to choose such a prime spot.
"The transport links there are good, and the soil conditions are stable," the assistant added.
"How much land are we planning to acquire?" Yang Wendong asked.
"Based on recommendations from mainland experts, the first phase would require 50,000 square feet," the assistant replied.
"50,000 square feet? That's going to be expensive for that area, even for a public project," Yang Wendong said.
Hung Kam Road wasn't quite Queen's Road, but it was still a prime location. If this were commercial real estate, 50,000 square feet would easily cost HKD 30 to 40 million.
The assistant added, "They also suggest purchasing an additional 50,000 square feet adjacent to the site for future expansion. Otherwise, if we ever need to expand, we might not be able to."
"Quite the bold suggestion," Yang Wendong chuckled. "Set up a meeting with the Governor. I'll need to discuss this with him directly."
"Understood," the assistant replied.
Three days later, at Government House:
"Mr. Yang Wendong, long time no see," said Governor David Trench with a smile as he shook hands.
Yang Wendong shook back and replied, "Governor Trench, it's good to see you."
"Have a seat," Trench said, gesturing to the sofa. After they sat down, he added, "Mr. Yang Wendong, let me start by thanking you on behalf of the people of Hong Kong for your help with the drought crisis.
Thanks to your thirteen ships, our water shortage has eased significantly. And your water storage stations around the city have helped many citizens with their daily drinking needs."
"I was just doing my part," Yang Wendong replied with a polite smile. "I recently purchased five more second-hand oil tankers, each with a capacity of 50,000 tons. Once they arrive in Hong Kong, we'll deep-clean them and repurpose them to carry fresh water."
Currently, Changxing Shipping was operating with fourteen vessels allocated to logistics for Changxing Industrial and returning with grain shipments. The remaining thirteen vessels were running water shipments from various parts of the mainland to Hong Kong.
The mainland wasn't far away. With loading and unloading time factored in, each trip took about ten days. That meant sixty trips per month, transporting as much as 600,000 tons of water — far from enough to meet the city's full demand, but it did help significantly.
"Excellent," Governor Trench said approvingly. "With those ships, we can rest a bit easier."
"Hopefully," Yang Wendong replied.
In reality, even with five large oil tankers added to the fleet, it still wouldn't be enough to meet Hong Kong's full water demand.
In the original timeline, at the peak of the drought, many factories had to shut down — partly due to insufficient electricity, but more so because water was completely unavailable. Workers abandoned their posts to search for water. You could skip meals for a few days, but go without water, and it was a death sentence.
Food had substitutes. Water did not.
In many areas, tap water only flowed once every four days — and even then, there were often delays. People were so desperate, criminal cases started involving water theft instead of money.
Still, Yang Wendong's investment might at least help the general public survive. That was already good enough. The economic losses — those were unavoidable.
"You came about the museum site, I assume?" Trench asked.
"Yes," Yang Wendong nodded. "The team has selected Hung Kam Road, but the land there is extremely expensive. I'd like to request a special allocation from the government."
Since the colonial government was part of the site selection process, Yang Wendong hoped to obtain favorable terms under the pretext of a public infrastructure project.
Trench replied, "The museum is indeed a beneficial public project. But you must admit, the site chosen is quite expensive."
"We can't choose a remote location, can we?" Yang Wendong reasoned. "If we did, transportation would be a problem, and few citizens would be inclined to visit.
The museum might have some economic value, but it'll never match commercial real estate. Paying full market price would make the whole thing prohibitively expensive."
"I understand," Governor Trench nodded. "Then how about this: I'll have the Lands Department grant you the land as public facilities zoning. That way, the price will be much lower. How does that sound?"
"That works perfectly," Yang Wendong agreed immediately.
Public facility zoning was generally priced similarly to industrial land — or even cheaper — but such land was rarely sold to private parties since it was usually reserved for government use like parks and libraries.
The museum, however, was a unique case. Despite being public-facing, it had far more economic value than your typical public amenity.
Acquiring the land under this classification would drastically reduce his investment cost and make the project easier to execute.
As for not being able to use the land for commercial purposes — that wasn't a problem. Even if the land was classified as industrial or some other non-commercial use, as long as Yang Wendong owned it, there would be opportunities in the future to convert it.
In the original timeline, Li Ka-shing had done exactly this — converting the Whampoa Dock land during a market downturn and raking in a HKD 9 billion profit in the 1980s.
"I'll have the Lands Department base the pricing on surrounding land values," Trench said. "It won't be expensive."
As an outgoing Governor, Trench wanted to finalize this project quickly — especially since, per his agreement with Yang Wendong, his name would be commemorated in the museum's records.
"Thank you, Governor," Yang Wendong said. "Besides the museum, there's another matter I'd like to discuss with you."
"Oh? What's that?" Trench asked.
Yang Wendong said, "Governor, under your leadership, Hong Kong's economy is thriving. But some things still need improvement.
As people grow wealthier, they need spiritual and cultural entertainment. In Western countries, that usually comes from television.
Right now, Hong Kong's biggest issue is that cable TV fees are too high. As a result, even today, fewer than ten thousand households own a TV."
"You want to start a television station?" Trench asked.
"More accurately — a wireless station," Yang Wendong replied.
The timing was right. He wanted to push ahead with the creation of what would one day become TVB.
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