Back to 1958: Creating a Century-Long Family Empire

Chapter 49 – Building a Distribution Network in Hong Kong

Before Yang Wendong could even speak, the man in the large leather chair—Zhao Chengguang—stood up with a warm smile and said,

"Mr. Yang, I've heard quite a bit about you."

Yang quickly responded with humility, "Mr. Zhao, you're too kind. I'm hardly famous."

"Haha, take a seat," Zhao gestured. "Don't be so modest. Your name has already begun circulating in certain circles around Hong Kong."

Yang followed him and Wang Zhixian to the sofa. Sitting down, he asked, "My name? Circulating?"

Zhao nodded. "Before this, your work with us—helping various warehouses eliminate their rat infestations—was already building your reputation.

People knew someone was solving their problems, even if they didn't know your name.

"But this time, the results at Kowloon Wharf were so outstanding that now many people know exactly who you are."

"You mean the other ports?" Yang asked curiously. "Are they planning similar extermination projects?"

Zhao smiled. "Every port has to organize a large-scale extermination campaign every year or two.

Otherwise, shipping companies start complaining.

But… they won't be hiring you or me for it."

"I see. I was probably being too optimistic," Yang said with a faint smile. Just landing the Kowloon Wharf job had been a major opportunity.

As for the other two big ports—those were already spoken for.

Zhao nodded. "I don't have strong connections with Whampoa or Taikoo. And honestly, there's no need to get involved.

"Besides, your methods—everyone's seen them. It's not hard to copy."

Yang chuckled helplessly. "Yeah, nothing I can do about that.

The moment someone sees what we did, they can imitate most of it—even if they don't understand the details, they'll get 80% of the results just by copying."

Zhao leaned back. "That's how business works in Hong Kong. I've seen it over and over again.

"After World War II, metalworking became profitable—suddenly everyone rushed into it.

"Then plastic manufacturing picked up—again, a flood of people piled in.

"Now plastic flowers are booming, and the same thing is happening again.

That's why, even though I've been in business for decades, I avoid these over-saturated markets."

Yang nodded. "It's the same everywhere. Western countries went through the same cycles.

Only after years of chaos did they start passing laws—like patent laws—to create real order."

Zhao's eyes lit up. "Ah, patent law. I heard that when you invented the glue board, the first thing you did was register a patent. I have to say, I'm impressed.

"There are many successful entrepreneurs in Hong Kong, but even Li Ka-shing, the king of plastic flowers, probably didn't have your sense for intellectual property."

Yang smiled modestly. "You're giving me too much credit.

Maybe Li Ka-shing didn't understand patents back when he started, but I guarantee he understands them now.

"People know what they need to know—when it becomes useful to them."

Li Ka-shing's early entrepreneurial journey was full of ups and downs, but his first real fortune came from plastic flowers.

In the 1950s, as the global economy recovered, many in the West wanted to decorate their homes with flowers.

Real flowers were too expensive and hard to maintain.

Then an Italian company pioneered plastic injection-molded flowers, which quickly became a hit in Europe.

Li Ka-shing heard about it, flew to Italy, went undercover to learn their techniques, and brought the idea back to Hong Kong.

He became the first manufacturer of plastic flowers in Asia, and from there, his rise was unstoppable.

"Hahaha," Zhao laughed. "Mr. Yang, you truly understand what patents are all about."

"In a place like Hong Kong," Yang replied, "it's exactly how things work."

Zhao nodded again. "But your glue boards are different from plastic flowers.

Plastic flowers are harder to make.

Glue boards? Not so much."

"I'm well aware," Yang said calmly. "The patent is only as powerful as the person holding it.

If I don't have the strength to enforce it, it might as well be toilet paper."

Zhao smiled. "That's why I'm proposing a partnership. You have the patent. I have the connections.

If we work together, we can maximize profits."

"Can you guarantee no one else will copy the glue board?" Yang asked.

He had suspected from the beginning that this meeting had a deeper agenda.

Zhao shook his head. "That's impossible. But I can ensure that any small workshops copying you won't get far.

If someone tries to flood the market, I'll hear about it."

"You're sure?"

"Absolutely. There are plenty of people with more power than me.

But trust me—none of them are interested in rat traps.

If anyone tries to scale it up behind your back, I'll know."

Yang nodded. That made sense.

"And how would we cooperate?" he asked.

"Just like you did with An Yongqiang. You handle production, I handle sales and distribution."

"Alright," Yang agreed immediately.

He had anticipated this. And frankly, it was a good deal.

After inventing the glue board, the only thing Yang could do was register a patent.

But in 1950s Hong Kong, the law was weak, and patents were only effective if you had the power to defend them.

Even if he registered patents abroad, enforcement would be difficult and expensive.

But with a powerful local partner, everything changed.

"Great. But let me ask—can I get a better price than An Yongqiang?" Zhao grinned. "He only handles the ships. I'll be using channels all over Hong Kong."

Yang smiled but didn't answer directly. "It's too early to decide on price. Let's talk more when the time comes.

"Besides, his market is limited to cargo ships.

Your network covers the entire city—a completely different scale."

Zhao nodded. "Fair enough. No need to rush. Zhixian, you'll take charge of this moving forward."

"Yes, boss," Wang Zhixian replied respectfully.

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