Legend of Xiangjiang Tycoon

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Loutang mansions in Hong Kong often employ bearded Indians as security guards and servants. This gives the impression that Indians in Hong Kong are all servants.

But there are two luxurious Indian mansions in Kowloon Tong and Jardine's Lookout.

When people pass by the Indian-style buildings in Kowloon Tong or Jardine's Lookout, they can't help but stop to visit this palace-style luxury private residence, look at the gorgeously dressed Indian men and women strolling in the garden, and can't help sighing in their hearts: "There are really some Indians living here. Money!"

Of the two Indian-style official palaces and private residences, the one in Kowloon Tong belongs to the Shalilila family, and the one in Jardine's Lookout belongs to the Mei Zhenni family. Mei Zhenni was the richest Indian-born Hong Kong businessman before the war. Some of his descendants returned to China, and some went to the United States to develop.

Hong Kong people today. It is not well known that there was once a wealthy man named Mei Zhenni in Hong Kong.

After the war, the Shalilila family was the only one leading the coquettishness of Indian Hong Kong people.

The number of Indians in Hong Kong is probably in tens of thousands. In the past, a theater in Wanchai used to show a Hindi movie every Sunday, and the audience was packed.

Today's TV is booming and movies are declining. The TV station also broadcasts a Hindi movie every Sunday for more than 10 years. Needless to say, Indians must have been numerous.

The immigration history of Indians in Hong Kong can be counted from the first day of Hong Kong’s opening. Among the entourages of the British occupying forces and British officials, there were Indians.

In the early days, there were many Indian businessmen and workers. Due to India's long colonial history, most Indians know English, have more advanced technology and management methods, and are inextricably linked with the British. Their wealth is generally higher than that of the Chinese.

At that time, there was a saying that Westerners were first-class subjects, Indians were second-class, and Chinese were third-class.

After all, Hong Kong is China's territory, and Indians generally adopt the practice of "making money in Hong Kong, buying property and enjoying it back to India". Generations come and go like flowing water, and few take root for a long time.

With the rise of Chinese businessmen, Indian businessmen are not what they used to be, and their influence is declining. Therefore, a wealthy family like the Xialilila family is particularly eye-catching.

"Shalila-style wedding" has become a specific term in Hong Kong, which means "Indian aristocratic wedding ceremony".

This kind of ritual, usually only seen in Indian movies, is now vividly displayed in front of Hong Kong people.

Rich people are everywhere in Hong Kong, and it is not surprising to see the rich, but Hong Kong people will be amazed and unforgettable after witnessing the wedding of the members of the Harilila family. Among other things, the wedding banquet, which gathers delicacies from all over the world, will last for seven days and seven nights.

People are not less interested in the history of the fortunes of the rich than they are in the extravagant life of the rich—how did the Xialila family become rich?

The head of the Xialilila family, Harry Xialilila, once said: "I believe that the vast majority of rich people in the world are self-made, and my family is naturally the same. But what I feel the most is honesty. It is honesty that makes our family rich. A fundamental turning point has taken place, and we will bid farewell to suffering and step towards the door of prosperity step by step.”

What Harry was referring to was obviously referring to the barter between Harry and the British army after the recovery of Hong Kong. His honesty was trusted by the British army, which led to several lucrative deals.

In 1922, a small Indian businessman, Niyunsi Shalilila, came to China to do business. At that time, Huaxia's porcelain and camphor wood boxes enjoyed a high reputation in the world, and Niyunsi operated these two types of products and sold them abroad.

Xialilila Huaxia Handicraft Store is located in the alley next to the British Concession, where there are many Indians, and most of them are engaged in occupations such as patrolling, servants, coachmen, and traders.

Indians often come to the Shalilila shop. They thought that Xialila was the name of the shop, but when they asked, they found out that it was Niwensi's surname. Indians are very strange, never heard of this surname.

There is indeed no such surname in India. Niyunsi's original surname is Mejdenni. Niyunsi worked in Southeast Asia when he was very young. One year later, his mother was critically ill. Niyunsi rushed back to his hometown after receiving the telegram, hoping to see his mother.

On the way home, his mother died of illness, and the family cremated her. Niyuns was so angry that family members "ignored him" that he decided to give up the family name.

He combined half of the names of his first mother Xiali and his late father Lilayun, and changed his surname to Xialilila.

From this, we can know Niyunsi's rebellious character. With a little savings, Niyunsi came to develop in Shanghai, the largest city in the Far East.

On August 10, 1922, the second son Hari Shalila was born in his hometown in India.

Niyunsi made a fortune and planned to move his family here. Considering that the family could not adapt to the cold winter in Shanghai, they moved the shop south to Yangcheng and reunited with their family.

In 1929, an unprecedented economic crisis broke out in Europe and the United States, and the crisis spread to Guangzhou, which has close economic relations with the West. After years of depression in Guangdong Province, Niwens moved his family to Hong Kong in 1932.

Naturally, Hong Kong was also directly affected by the Great Depression of the world economy. Because the British government gave Hong Kong preferential policies for emergency response, the situation was not as bad as Guangzhou.

Unfortunately, the situation of Xialilila's family has just turned around, and a disaster is imminent. The old Xialilila, the mainstay of the family, fell ill and was bedridden.

Seeing a doctor and taking medicine emptied the savings of the family. The condition did not improve, and the family wanted to stop smoking.

There are 9 members of the family, crowded in a small house on Po Lan Street, Kowloon. George, 14, and Harry, 12, had to drop out of school as the mother nursed the youngest sister and did the housework for the whole family.

The two brothers went to the streets to work as newsboys and hawkers, earning money to buy rice for their mother. Harry recalled: "At that time, our family didn't know the taste of meat for a long time, and the living conditions were even worse than livestock."

At the age of thirteen, Harry started working as an orderly in an office building of a printing company, with a monthly salary of fifteen Hong Kong dollars.

Harry only kept 1.5 Hong Kong dollars for his own use, and gave all the rest to his mother.

Harry is familiar with Chinese, English, and Indian languages. He was taken by his boss as an interpreter when he was 14 years old. Harry knew the business by doing so.

At the age of nineteen, he was appointed as a manager by his boss, with a monthly salary of two hundred Hong Kong dollars, and he joined the high-paid working class in Hong Kong.

The good times didn't last long. After Harry had been a manager for three months, the Japanese army captured Hong Kong.

The boss returned to India with money, and Harry lost his job and became a street peddler.

The Japanese army was rampant, and the people of Hong Kong lived in terror. Parents said: "We are old, but you must leave Hong Kong and return to the motherland to save your life."

The foundation of the family is very weak, and they can't make up all the family's expenses. Parents ask their children to go back first, and count as many as they can go.

Harry was reluctant to part with Hong Kong. He felt that it would be better to go back to India to accomplish more in Hong Kong—although the current situation was very unsatisfactory.

Harry insisted, "Go back to the motherland together, or I will stay with my parents, and you go back first." As a result, none of the Xialilila family left Hong Kong.

Hong Kong was regained, and the Xialilila family, which was celebrating, suffered an unexpected blow: a large number of Japanese military tickets accumulated, which were banned from circulation in the market, and used with Hong Kong dollar seals, had greatly depreciated like a pile of waste paper.

The Shalilila family was impoverished again.

After the war, Hong Kong's economy was on the verge of collapse, and the market supply was tight, especially rice food. The family fell into the worry of livelihood.

The clever Harry used his brains on the supply of the British troops stationed in Hong Kong. The British army obtained a large amount of tobacco and alcohol when they received the Japanese warehouse.

Tobacco and alcohol are commodities in short supply in the Hong Kong market, and the British army can't use them up, and it's hard to get them to barter in the market.

At that time, the British army had food rations, but a lot of food still had to rely on the black market. The black market was expensive, and even the British army, which had ample military pay, was complaining.

Vegetables in Tai Po, New Territories are cheaper than those in urban areas. The Harry brothers went to Tai Po every morning to buy vegetables from farmers, and transported them to the British army barracks to exchange for tobacco and alcohol, and then sold the tobacco and alcohol to the Chinese on the black market, and the money from the sale was used as living expenses for the family.

Most of the British troops stationed in Hong Kong were transferred from India. Harry, who is proficient in English, made friends with the British troops and established a friendship with them.

At first, the British army estimated how much to exchange for cigarettes and alcohol. Now, they asked Harry to go to the warehouse to get it himself, and Harry could take as much as he wanted.

Harry was very honest, and every time he left with cigarettes and alcohol roughly equivalent to the vegetables he provided.

There were several peddlers who obtained this convenience, and in the end, only Harry maintained a long-term friendship with the British army.

Harry Shalilila was filled with emotions when he recalled this incident. One day in the 1970s, Harry recalled to the media: "I always keep in mind my mother's teachings, to be honest and not to be greedy. The British army is very generous. , let us barterers take it ourselves. I saw others taking it carelessly, even using a car to move the goods, but I still only took a few cigarettes and a few wines and left - I got what I deserved. Some Indians said that I am good Silly, those cigarettes and alcohol were not from the British army, and they would not be taken for nothing. I said: If they are not from the British army, they should not be mine. Unexpectedly, my stupidity actually touched a British quartermaster. Give me the business of supplying food to the barracks in Tsim Sha Tsui. This has become an opportunity to change the luck of my life."

The British army fully trusted Harry's loyalty, so they paid Harry's food first and asked Harry to purchase food.

Harry rushed to the grain-producing areas of China, bought high-quality and cheap grain, shipped it to Kowloon, and sold it to the British army at a lower price than the market price.

Harry could have made a huge profit, but he set the price on the basis of the profit he deserved.

Harry's honesty and foolishness moved the quartermaster again, and he handed Harry the contract for the uniforms of the British troops stationed in Kowloon.

Harry immediately hired tailors and turners to open a family garment workshop, and the whole family was too busy.

Harry continued to expand its scale and increase its manpower, and its business covered the British Army in Hong Kong. The Xialilila Military Uniform Factory had more than 200 employees and was a large garment factory at that time.

Harry took the tailor to the barracks to make a tailor for the British army, and made many friends in the military circles.

In World War II, the British and American troops fought side by side, and the two sides forged a profound friendship. After the war, U.S. military bases spread all over the Pacific region. Under the recommendation of friends in the British army, the business of the Xialila Military Uniform Factory entered the U.S. military.

The military uniform business won the first pot of gold for the Xialilila family.

Harry is indeed a shrewd businessman. His stupidity is not a fool, he is as wise as a fool, and he is good at dancing. It is true that his original intention probably did not contain "conspiracy", but he is definitely a person who is good at seizing opportunities.

Harry didn't seal off his extended stride on the uniform. From the early 1950s, the Xialilila family added suits and fashion business.

Harry did not adopt an industrialized mass production method, but set up a shop to undertake sporadic business. From tailoring to trying on, it only takes 36 hours.

This fast delivery method is very popular with tourists. Xia Lila's suit fashion is famous all over the world for its high quality and expensive materials. Many rich men and ladies from abroad come here admiringly.

In the late 1950s, the Xialilila family clothing store became a giant in the industry, with 32 branches and 600 tailors in Hong Kong alone.

There is a building built as a car clothing factory, the scale of which ranks first in the industry in Hong Kong.

In the 1950s, when people talked about the Shalilila family, they would say "fashionable Xialila" or "Indian tailor family".

Harry is not satisfied with this kind of title. He thinks that there are too many things worth doing in Hong Kong, and it is not a safe strategy to confine the family business to one point.

At a family meeting in New Year's 1959, Harry proposed getting involved in real estate.

The eldest brother George immediately objected: "Sooner or later, we will go back to our hometown in India, leaving behind so much real estate, can we still often come for vacation and leisure when we are old?"

Harry said: "Hong Kong's population surge has led to soaring housing prices and land prices. If you buy a property, it may be worth a fortune in the future."

George said, "I hear it all the time. But there are people who make a lot of money and people who lose a lot in real estate. I always think it's not safe to buy a property."

Harry said: "If you want to seek great development, you must take risks. I am naturally opposed to putting everything in one basket. Investing in real estate is only part of the family's diversified development.

If you lose here and earn there, you will not be wiped out. If the whole family is involved in the clothing industry, I feel that it is not safe. "

In the end, Harry convinced the whole family to invest in real estate.

George recalled: "Harry's business is better than ours, but we brothers don't just listen to Harry, and our objection has at least one advantage~www.wuxiaspot.com~ to remind Harry not to be too aggressive. We The brothers are very united, and because of this, they are open and honest, each expresses their views, and once a resolution is reached, everyone will go all out."

In 1959, the Xialilila family purchased the entire ground floor of the Imperial Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui and set up a clothing store.

The above floors of the Imperial Hotel are owned by other shareholders. The shareholders have different opinions on the management policy, and the contradictions are getting deeper and deeper.

When a shareholder wanted to withdraw, Harry bought out his shares. Later, after two acquisitions, the Shalilila family wholly owned the entire Imperial Hotel.

This medium-sized hotel brought considerable profits to the Shalilila family, which inspired Harry's ambition to become the prince of the hotel.

In 1965, Harry invited ten fellow villagers to jointly bid for a prime site next to Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, planning to build a high-end large hotel.

Harry then signed a contract with the American Holiday Travel Group, using the "Holiday" signboard, and named the proposed hotel the Golden Mile Holiday Hotel. After completion, it was handed over to the American Holiday Travel Group for management, and the property rights and rent were owned by Harry and other shareholders. .

The aftermath of the turmoil has continued the downturn in Hong Kong's real estate for several years. Banks tightened their money, and the Xialilila family had insufficient funds of their own, so they had to reduce the clothing store to one.