Chapter 587: The Heart-beating Governor
Chapter 587: The Heart-beating Governor
Many businessmen care about fame, so they invest billions of dollars into charity, and political figures have a higher demand for this aspect. These are generally a kind of political achievement that can affect their future.
Zheng Zhijie smiled and said: "Yes, if he promotes the development of Hong Kong football during his tenure, if it succeeds one day, his name may also be recorded."
"This can indeed be considered a deal," Yang Wendong agreed. "Compared to the previous schools, gymnasiums or football fields, it can affect more people."
Even though schools can help many children throughout their lives, the number of people they can help is very limited, and most families actually still go to school normally, and only a few receive financial assistance;
Once the sports facilities are built, theoretically everyone in Hong Kong will be able to go. Even those who don't like playing football can go and watch. In addition, some other simple fitness facilities will be built around the football field.
Zheng Zhijie said: "Mr. Yang, if it involves the Governor of Hong Kong, it would be best if you come forward in person."
The level of negotiation must be equal. When negotiating with senior officials of the Hong Kong government, professional managers like them can come forward, but for the Governor of Hong Kong, the boss Yang Wendong needs to come forward.
"Okay, you arrange someone to make an appointment, and the Governor's time will be the basis." Yang Wendong nodded and said.
As one of the top businessmen in Hong Kong, he often needs to meet with officials at the level of the Governor of Hong Kong, the Governor-General, or a few other top businessmen such as HSBC tycoons to discuss some matters.
Zheng Zhijie said: "Okay."
Three days later, Yang Wendong was invited to the Governor's House. In the Governor's office, Yang Wendong met Trench again.
"Mr. Yang, long time no see." Trench said with a smile, "Your school is very well built. I also arranged for someone to take pictures. It's very good. The quality seems to be much better than other schools."
"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Governor." Yang Wendong said, "The school is now enrolling students. When school starts in September, I hope Mr. Governor can come to one of the buildings in person. I will arrange for TVB and many media to participate and report this event extensively."
As a school directly invested by Yang Wendong, and also named after him, he would not be stingy in terms of investment. Both the hardware and software are much better than other primary schools.
Trench nodded and agreed, "No problem, I will go. I am also very happy to be able to promote Hong Kong education before leaving Hong Kong."
Official statements still need to be made, even if there are no other outsiders, but there is no need to be so direct;
This deal was indeed a collaboration between the two, but as a normal person, and having been in power in Hong Kong for nearly a decade, he was naturally willing to do something for the people of Hong Kong as long as it did not affect the interests of the British Empire and his own interests, especially since this kind of thing could help his reputation.
"That's good." Yang Wendong smiled and asked, "Governor, in addition to education, I think you can still leave some other good things for the citizens of Hong Kong, such as sports."
"Sports? What does that mean?" asked Trench curiously.
Yang Wendong said: “It is like this, I have two plans, one is to build a large sports stadium in Hung Hom, the core of which is a football field, but it can also host other sports events and even entertainment activities;
The second is to build some football fields in Hong Kong, as well as some public sports facilities or children's entertainment facilities, to make it convenient for ordinary people to relax, exercise appropriately, or engage in family group activities, etc.
Our Chinese football is still very strong, but Hong Kong has started to lag behind in this area over the years, so I hope to boost it.”
"I've heard about Chinese football in Asia. It was really strong in the past, but we haven't participated in many competitions in recent years, so many people have forgotten about it." Trench Trench nodded and said, "In recent years, the core of Hong Kong has been economic development, and it has indeed not developed sports events."
Yang Wendong continued, “Yes, but what Governor Robert Black and you did before were correct. When you have no money, your only hobby should be to develop the economy. It is relatively impossible to invest a lot in sports.
But now Hong Kong's economy is already very good in Asia. As the economy improves, people's demands for entertainment and sports will become higher, which is one of the reasons why Hong Kong TV dramas and movies are so popular nowadays."
The development of Hong Kong films and TV series did benefit from Yang Wendong's huge investment, but this was not the fundamental reason. What Changxing Group did was at most a substantial promotion, rather than building a system from scratch.
After the economy of any place takes off, the entertainment industry will inevitably become popular. This is the inevitable result of market demand and a large pool of talent.
Even in Japan it is the same, it's just that the way they get entertainment is different from that in other places. Other places like the United States, Hong Kong, and South Korea get movies and TV series, while in daily life they get some anime, but they are also part of entertainment.
Seeing Yang Wendong say this, Trench said: “Yes, Hong Kong’s economy has developed, and Mr. Yang has made great contributions;
I personally like football very much. When I was young, I often watched various European competitions. If Hong Kong can develop football, it would be a good thing, although it will not succeed in my hands.
I just have a question. The core factor for the success of any sports event is the population base. Finding talents to form a team from countless population bases is the same in Europe, America, and even South America. It was the same in China before. But Hong Kong has only 400 million people, and the Chinese seem to value studying very much. Can this work? " "I think it can be done. Just encourage it appropriately." Yang Wendong smiled and said, "If it really doesn't work, it can also strengthen the body. Even if the competition is held in districts in Hong Kong, it is also very good. At least let Hong Kong have an event that everyone likes."
Although the base number is a very important factor, it is not the only factor, such as the mainland football in the past.
Trench nodded and said, "In that case, we can give it a try. What is your plan? How big is the Hung Hom Stadium? How much space do we need to build a football field?"
If I vigorously promote the development of Hong Kong's football industry before I leave, then one day in the future, if this plan succeeds, I will also gain a certain degree of fame;
Even if it fails, the people of Hong Kong have gained a very good entertainment venue, and maybe someone will remember it, and even when future writers describe the history of Hong Kong, this incident may be recorded;
For him, it is a hundred benefits with no harm.
Yang Wendong said: “For the Hung Hom Sports Centre, the location I chose is on Cheong Wan Road in Hung Hom. That area is not very prosperous nowadays. I think the land area needs to be around 80 square feet;
Other regional football fields and sports venues, built according to international standards, would require about 15 square feet each, and there would be about 10 of them.
The original Hung Hom Stadium was about 45 square feet, which is not a small area, but it is only 70 years old, so we should take more if we can.
Moreover, the economy of Hung Hom was not very good at that time, and many places were not well developed. Having a stadium could also boost the economy. This is completely different from the previous history where the economy developed first and then the stadium was built.
Nowadays, both the entertainment industry and the sports industry that may be developed in Hong Kong will have strong capital investment, so it is certain that they will develop stronger than in the past. As the only sports stadium in Hong Kong in the future, it will naturally be built bigger.
Otherwise, if we build too small now and then expand it later when the surrounding economy develops, the cost will be very high, or it may even be impossible to do so.
Dai Linzhi said with a smile: "Mr. Yang, you want millions of square feet of land again. That's too much."
"It's not that much actually. The gymnasium is a public facility. It will be more convenient if it occupies more space." Yang Wendong shook his head and said, "As for the regional football field, I don't want a very good location. Just having one is enough.
The ultimate purpose of these venues is to provide a place for Hong Kong people to move around. Otherwise, staying in their cramped homes every day for a long time is not good for their health. "
Although Yang Wendong is not very involved in residential development, it does not change the problem of high housing prices in Hong Kong and the difficulty for ordinary people to buy houses. In fact, due to better industrial development, housing prices may even be higher than before.
Even though the salaries at Changxing Group are decent, they are still not as good as the land and housing prices which are controlled by finance. No one in a big city can afford a decent house there by working part-time, which naturally leads to poor living conditions for many people.
Even Yang Wendong cannot solve this kind of social problem. He can only try to alleviate it.
Trench thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I understand what Mr. Yang means, but since it involves such a large piece of land, I still need to negotiate with other people in the Hong Kong government. The stadium project should be fine, but we need to decide on the football field based on the actual situation.
Mr. Yang, you need to provide a more detailed plan so that I can push the entire project forward as quickly as possible."
Yang Wendong agreed and said, "Okay, no problem. I will submit the specific plan to the Hong Kong government as soon as possible."
Even the Governor of Hong Kong cannot have the final say on many matters, especially nowadays when large amounts of land are involved, competition between the Chinese and British financial groups is taking place, and various forces are vying for interests.
After leaving the Governor's Mansion, Yang Wendong went straight home and told his family about the incident during dinner.
"Football? My dad also likes football, but Hong Kong is really not as good as other countries." Bai Yushan said.
Su Yiyi said: "This is normal. How many people are there in Hong Kong? Some other countries have a population of over 100 million, and their national finances also support sports. The Hong Kong government does nothing and just waits for the market to develop on its own. It would be strange if they can compare with them."
Having followed Yang Wendong for many years, they have gained a great understanding of Hong Kong’s political and economic conditions;
Yang Wendong smiled faintly and said, "Yes, it is difficult to compete, but if the target is smaller, it can be used against some small countries. Or if there is a chance in the future, we can use the large population in the north to select athletes, and perhaps we can achieve some results."
If football was strong during the Republic of China, then it can definitely be strong now and in the future, at least in theory.
PS: Please give me a monthly ticket
(End of this chapter)