Chapter 330: A New Pillar for Changxing Industries
March 15th, for once, the sky above Hong Kong was overcast—rare for the dry season. But even with the heavy clouds, not a drop of rain fell.
Yang Wendong was in a car headed toward Changxing Industrial Park in Kwun Tong. After crossing the ferry terminal, he noticed a sizable crowd gathered along one section of the road. The congestion nearly brought traffic to a halt. Traffic police were on the scene trying to maintain order.
"What's going on here?" he asked.
The question was directed at Ah Ying, his personal assistant—a British-born Chinese and Oxford Law graduate. She had originally worked in the company's legal department, but was later reassigned to work directly with Yang Wendong.
The position of "personal assistant" might seem beneath someone with a law degree from Oxford, but those in the know understood just how priceless such close proximity to a major corporate boss could be.
Ah Ying replied, "Mr. Yang, this is one of the water distribution points the colonial government set up in Kwun Tong. Judging by the time, it's likely when they open the pipes for residents to collect water. That's why it's so crowded."
"How often do these points open?" Yang Wendong asked.
"Usually every one to two days, but each time they open, only a small amount is released. Many people wait in line for half a day and still leave empty-handed. Some even start fights over water. There've been reports of serious injuries, and even fatalities in some areas."
"What about on Hong Kong Island?" Yang Wendong asked again.
"Hong Kong Island is doing much better," Ah Ying replied. "Many areas still have working tap water systems."
Yang Wendong chuckled. "Looks like the colonial government is prioritizing Hong Kong Island."
When there's enough water, everyone gets their share. But when shortages happen, it's clear where the power and priorities lie. If Hong Kong Island wanted to be protected, then Kowloon and the New Territories would inevitably suffer.
Even with all his ships, Yang Wendong couldn't possibly fill that gap alone.
Ah Ying added, "Yes. Most of Hong Kong's economic infrastructure is still on the island. Large-scale factories like Changxing Industrial Park are exceptions—they receive dedicated allocations. But for regular areas, it's much harder."
"Unequal distribution," Yang Wendong said thoughtfully. "After we reach the plant, notify Zheng Yuhua to coordinate with the Water Supplies Department. See if we can get them to allocate more to Kowloon Peninsula."
Though Changxing was bringing in massive amounts of water by ship, distribution was still controlled by the Water Supplies Department. Without their network of pipelines, there was no way to get water into homes.
Technically, he had no authority over distribution. But as the largest supplier, he had influence, and his team could at least negotiate for better terms. Usually, that was enough to get some cooperation.
"Yes, Mr. Yang," Ah Ying replied.
—
At Changxing Industrial Park, Wei Zetao was already waiting at the entrance. After the customary tour through several production facilities, the group headed to the upstairs office.
Yang Wendong glanced at the glass-door fridge, opened it, and pulled out two cans of UniTea herbal drink.
"There's quite a stock of this herbal tea," he remarked.
Wei Zetao explained, "Yes. Watsons is currently testing their production line, so they've made a lot of product. But since we haven't finalized the sealing process or perfected the flavor, we can't sell it publicly yet.
So they're giving it to us at cost, and we've been distributing it to employees as a welfare benefit. It contains some sugar and nutrients, so it's good for both workers and their kids."
"Not bad. At least it's not going to waste," Yang Wendong said with a smile.
Having so many workers meant you could always find internal demand. By summer, if Changxing Industrial Park handed out one can per employee every three days, that alone could account for a million cans annually.
That would already make UniTea one of the top-selling local brands in Hong Kong.
But in the grand scheme of things, it wasn't that meaningful—just moving money from one pocket to another. No need to focus too much on it.
"We're actually profiting," Wei Zetao added with a grin. "The production cost is really low. And we're saving on shipping—we send empty water barrels to Watsons, and bring the drinks back on the same trucks."
Yang Wendong laughed. "Watsons made quite a bit these last few months just by selling water. Come summer, their profits might even double, maybe even surpass Changxing's adhesive hook business."
"Seriously?" Wei Zetao was surprised, then said, "Well, water during a drought, grain during a famine—that's always where the big money is. No wonder merchants in ancient times thrived during disasters."
"It's the same in every era," Yang Wendong nodded. "People panic over essential goods. Remember the salt panic? People hoarded hundreds of pounds of salt. Imagine if it were water or rice."
Wei Zetao continued, "Our staff really like the herbal tea. Once it hits the shelves—especially in these easy-to-carry cans—I think it'll sell like hotcakes."
"Let's hope so," Yang Wendong replied. "By the way, how's the woven plastic bag project coming along?"
Wei Zetao answered, "We've made progress. The KraussMaffei Group in Germany—one of the pioneers in flat yarn technology—has started selling the necessary equipment. Here are some samples I brought for you to see."
He pulled out several black, flat strips of various sizes from a drawer.
Yang Wendong picked them up and examined them. "These large ones—what are they used for? They seem quite brittle."
Wei Zetao explained, "It's due to the mold specifications. Right now, the flat plastic strands produced in Europe are mainly meant to replace traditional wooden crates, so they're made thicker."
"Replace wood?" Yang Wendong thought for a moment. He recalled that even in his past life, many factories still used wooden packaging. So had this concept failed to catch on?
Wei Zetao said, "Yes. Wood depends entirely on natural growth. Even with fast-growing tree plantations, it still takes time and land. How can that compete with plastic, which can be mass-produced in days?
Plus, it's more expensive. Wood is also prone to pests, and most customs agencies around the world have strict import controls on wooden materials."
"Mm, wood only really makes sense for making paper," Yang Wendong said with a laugh. Then he asked, "Have you managed to produce any woven bag samples using those smaller plastic strands?"
"We have. I've already had some made by hand," Wei Zetao replied. He opened a nearby cardboard box and pulled out a large bag that looked almost like fabric.
Yang Wendong examined it and asked, "Are they all black?"
"Yes. The German samples were all black," Wei Zetao explained. "That's not a big deal though. Once we control the plastic material, we can adjust the color however we like."
"Mm." Yang Wendong took the bag and looked it over closely.
The surface of the bag was a bit rough. It had decent flexibility but was clearly stiffer than the plastic woven sacks (蛇皮袋) he remembered from his past life. The outer layer was composed of several-millimeter-wide plastic flat strands woven together, while the interior was lined with a thin plastic film similar to a regular bag.
He asked, "Have you tested the load capacity?"
"We have," Wei Zetao replied. "We filled one of these bags with rice—about 100 catties (roughly 120 lbs). A few workers repeatedly lifted, dropped, and carried it. The surface held up without damage.
Even when we tried to slice it with a small knife, it wouldn't cut. You'd need heavy-duty tools. But there is a drawback—the bag is rough on the hands. Carrying it for too long gets uncomfortable."
"Hmm, same problem as regular plastic bags," Yang Wendong nodded.
Plastic was much harder than fabric. Under pressure, it narrowed and compressed. Combine that with high stiffness, and it could easily cut into skin when carrying heavy loads.
"Exactly. But these bags are mostly for industrial use, so workers can just wear gloves," Wei Zetao said. "From a cost perspective, even though we haven't mass-produced them yet, the material cost is already lower than cloth, and the strength is superior.
Even more important—it's water-resistant. So for outdoor work, there's no more worrying about rain."
"Hand discomfort isn't a huge issue. As technology improves, that'll get better," Yang Wendong said. "How long did it take to hand-weave this bag?"
"Three days," Wei Zetao admitted. "Initially, the workers were unfamiliar. We're down to a day and a half now."
Yang Wendong chuckled, "Way too slow. We'll have to automate this with machinery. Have you looked into equipment yet?"
He wasn't an expert in manufacturing, so with these technical matters, he had delegated full authority to his team or suppliers. Still, as the boss, he had to keep himself generally informed.
Wei Zetao nodded. "I've contacted a Japanese company that specializes in custom machinery. They believe they can build the necessary equipment, but so far they haven't started. Mainly because we don't have enough sample materials yet."
"Then send more samples from Germany to Japan. Let them study those and design the machines based on the requirements," Yang Wendong instructed.
Developing a new product always required time and effort. Without existing systems and infrastructure, you had to pave your own road. Even if you relied on experienced suppliers, you still needed to collaborate closely.
"Understood," Wei Zetao replied. "Once the Japanese machines are ready, I'll place orders with both them and the Germans. That way, we can start production as soon as possible."
"Good." Yang Wendong nodded. Then he asked, "Have we registered the patent yet?"
Wei Zetao smiled. "Yes. We've filed for global creative patents. Technically, only we can manufacture this design."
"Excellent," Yang Wendong said. "There are plenty of people making regular plastic bags. We don't have a patent on those. But these woven plastic sacks could become a flagship product for Changxing Industries."
Plastic bags might carry some environmental controversy, but plastic woven sacks didn't. They were too durable and rarely discarded casually. Once purchased, most people kept using them for years.
Of course, zero-pollution industrial products didn't exist. But compared to single-use items, woven bags were undeniably better.
Their uses extended across industrial and commercial logistics: cement, rice, flour, fertilizer, animal feed, plastic pellets—everything could be transported in them.
The total market might not be as large as that of regular plastic bags, but because Changxing held the patents, the profit margin would be significantly higher.
Most importantly, this was a genuinely useful invention for both the economy and society—and it was destined to become one of Changxing's core businesses in the future.
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