Chapter 483: Building the World's Tallest Tower in Central!
In the blink of an eye, a night had passed.
The next morning, after sharing a warm breakfast with his parents at home, Lin Haoran bid them farewell and left the Deep Water Bay villa.
Arriving at Concordia Building, he entered Ma Shimin's office and saw that Ma was busy on a call.
Without interrupting, Lin Haoran casually sat down on a chair and waited quietly.
A few minutes later, Ma Shimin put down the phone.
"Boss, I just received news: Jardines Matheson's management has decided to move out of Hong Kong today. Also, Simon Keswick seems to have been ousted by a coalition of Rothschilds, Hui Fung Bank, and other shareholders. Henry Keswick will temporarily serve as the acting taipan, but his position isn't stable. Once they return to the UK, there will likely be another intense power struggle!" Ma Shimin said, a bit emotionally.
Clearly, Simon Keswick had become the scapegoat for this whole debacle.
Of course, the main responsibility did fall on him, given that it all happened under his watch.
In just half a month, Jardines Matheson had suffered losses amounting to at least over ten billion Hong Kong dollars, including the five billion-dollar fine from the Governor's Office and the collapse of Jardines Matheson Securities.
Having once served many years in Jardines Matheson and even reached senior management, Ma Shimin naturally felt a complex mix of emotions.
"Without Jardines Matheson Securities, they hardly have any business left in Hong Kong. Staying would be pointless; they can't survive here anymore," Lin Haoran said with a smile, unsurprised at their hasty retreat.
In Hong Kong, Jardines Matheson had not only offended the Governor's Office but had also lost nearly all their major businesses.
They had no reason to linger.
"They still have a little left," Ma Shimin nodded.
"For example, they still own several commercial buildings here. At current market prices, they're worth maybe twenty to thirty billion Hong Kong dollars. Also, Jardine Motors is doing decently, handling brands like Mercedes-Benz and Rolls-Royce in Hong Kong.
But compared to their former glory, it's almost nothing now."
Jardine Motors was the largest auto dealer in Hong Kong, but Hong Kong's small population and limited vehicle ownership meant that even the biggest dealer's annual sales and profits were modest — hardly impressive in Lin Haoran's eyes.
"The once-glorious king of trading houses, fallen into decline. It's really something to reflect on," Lin Haoran sighed.
"By the way, Boss, the Finance Department will send out last year's year-end report this afternoon," Ma Shimin added.
"Good, I'll take a look later," Lin Haoran nodded. "Also, Mr. Ma, I have something I want to discuss with you."
"Please go ahead, Boss."
"Mr. Ma, what's your view on the future of the Japanese market?" Lin Haoran asked with a smile.
"The Japanese market is indeed massive — second only to the American market. It's a high-quality, large-scale market," Ma replied.
"Back when I was at Jardines Matheson, the company had plans for large-scale investments in Japan to develop it into a major product sales market.
Unfortunately, the Japanese have a strong preference for domestic products.
They love buying homegrown brands, so Jardines Matheson struggled to gain traction.
The investments never matched the returns, and eventually, Jardines Matheson had to withdraw many of its operations from Japan to minimize losses."
"As for Land Corporation, once a subsidiary of Jardines Matheson, it's similar.
Right now, our presence in Japan is limited to a small business under Dairy Farm International.
Boss, are you perhaps considering entering the Japanese market?"
"Exactly," Lin Haoran smiled.
"I plan to venture into Japanese real estate. Unlike consumer goods, real estate is a basic necessity — less likely to face nationalistic resistance.
As long as we acquire land successfully and develop projects, profits should come naturally."
"Boss, it won't be easy," Ma Shimin said, furrowing his brow.
"Even if Land Corporation enters, it might face joint resistance from local developers.
The Japanese market is promising, but it's a very tough nut to crack."
"It's fine," Lin Haoran said confidently.
"Prepare a team for me.
I plan to visit Japan soon and will bring them along.
Last night, I unexpectedly met the Japanese Foreign Minister.
He invited me, on behalf of the Japanese government, to visit and invest.
This could be an excellent opportunity."
Ma Shimin suddenly understood why the Boss was so keen on the Japanese market.
Land Corporation, despite being Hong Kong's largest real estate developer, had rarely invested overseas before Lin Haoran took over — aside from some ventures in Macau.
Now, with Lin Haoran at the helm, Land Corporation had begun expanding into Southeast Asia, notably Singapore.
Lin Haoran clearly recognized Singapore's future potential —
a place that, surprisingly to many, would one day surpass Hong Kong in GDP, financial center status, industrial diversification, and technological innovation.
Back in the early 1980s, however, Hong Kong still held a significant lead over Singapore.
"Alright, Boss, no problem," Ma Shimin nodded.
"I'll handpick some of our best managers to form a team.
If you have support from the Japanese government, penetrating their business sector will be much easier."
This aligned well with Land Corporation's internal planning.
The Hong Kong real estate market was likely heading toward a crisis — the exact timing was uncertain — but reducing exposure now was wise.
Thus, Land Corporation had already halted major new real estate investments in Hong Kong, keeping only a few high-quality projects.
"Perfect," Lin Haoran said.
"I plan to leave later this month.
I'm very optimistic about Japan.
If things go well, it wouldn't be impossible to build another Land Corporation there."
After all, Land Corporation had risen to such heights on Hong Kong's tiny market alone.
If they could replicate that success in a massive economy like Japan's, their potential would be limitless.
"By the way, Boss, regarding the new land parcel we acquired in Central, I've contacted the famous American architectural firm Gensler.
I plan to have them design a building for that plot — aiming to construct the tallest skyscraper in the world.
I've already consulted with the Governor's Office, and they support the idea of building the world's tallest skyscraper in Hong Kong.
The estimated total investment might be between 3 and 4 billion Hong Kong dollars.
Do you have any concerns?" Ma Shimin asked.
Currently, Land Corporation was flush with cash.
Building the world's tallest building wouldn't strain them financially.
"Oh? The Governor's Office is that agreeable?" Lin Haoran said, surprised.
After all, the Governor's Office had suffered considerable losses with Land Corporation during the recent financial battles.
Lin Haoran had fully expected them to make things difficult for his companies.
"Boss, the Governor's Office is desperate to prevent a real estate crisis in Hong Kong," Ma explained with a smile.
"Building the world's tallest skyscraper will enhance Hong Kong's global reputation and help boost the property market.
Besides, it's not their money being spent, so why would they object?"
"Fair point," Lin Haoran chuckled.
"I have no objections. Go ahead with it."
At that time, the world's tallest building was Chicago's Sears Tower, completed in 1974, standing 442.3 meters tall — or 527.3 meters if you included the antenna.
Lin Haoran had stayed at the hotel atop the Sears Tower during his last trip to Chicago and recalled the experience vividly.
In the history he remembered, the Sears Tower would remain the tallest building until 1998.
But now, if Hong Kong constructed a skyscraper surpassing Sears Tower's height, history itself would be rewritten.
Although Hong Kong was a coastal city, building a 400–500-meter skyscraper was feasible.
In his previous life, Hong Kong's tallest tower was 484 meters — and unlike Sears Tower, it didn't rely on antenna height; it was a solid structural height.
"Good, Boss. With your approval, I feel much more confident," Ma Shimin said with a smile.
Originally, they had only planned to build Hong Kong's tallest building — something just higher than Hopewell Centre in Wan Chai.
But Ma Shimin believed that if they were going to build, they might as well aim for the world's tallest.
He was optimistic about Hong Kong's long-term prospects, even if a short-term real estate crisis loomed.
Moreover, holding the title of the world's tallest building would catapult Land Corporation's global reputation.
Ma Shimin now had grand ambitions:
He wanted Land Corporation to become one of the world's top companies —
and himself to be recognized as one of the world's top professional managers.
Though Land Corporation was already powerful, it remained relatively regional —
strong in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, but little-known elsewhere.
Strength aside, compared to international giants, they still had a long way to go.
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Albino1