Chapter 2455 - Longhao Bay Hotel

Everyone had initially found Chen Xiaobing somewhat stern, but as they conversed, they discovered his manner was approachable and his speech humorous. He neither affected refinement nor kept a rigid face like some naturalized cadres. They unconsciously warmed to him.

The city rail started slowly. Chen Lin was a teenager after all, endlessly curious about the passing scenery, asking questions constantly. At the next station, the view changed dramatically. Along the railway stretched a small town with buildings of various unusual shapes. Flags of different kinds flew from some rooftops. Suddenly he spotted a towering spire—he recognized this. Wasn't it a Frankish (Portuguese) church?

"The houses here seem foreign!"

Wu Yijun had visited Macau and was knowledgeable. He laughed. "These are all European-style houses. In Europe, besides the Franks, there are Red-haired people (Dutch), English, and Germans—all different, with different architecture."

"So it's like Macau?"

"You could say that, but also not," Chen Xiaobing replied. "This is Lingao's 'Expatriate Residential Area.' The residents are mainly Europeans who come here long-term for work or business, along with their families, and a small number of foreigners from elsewhere. So the houses are built according to their respective national styles. There are even two churches for Europeans of different faiths."

"Don't all Europeans believe in God?"

"Though it's one God, the doctrines differ." Chen Xiaobing said. "The new and old sects are like fire and water. They even fight wars over it in Europe."

"Won't they fight here, all living together?"

"Fights happen, but lawbreaking is severely punished. It's not easy to get a Green Card for residence in Lingao, so they don't commit crimes lightly. After all, they've come thousands of miles from China to make money."

"What's a Green Card?"

"An official permit allowing foreigners to reside long-term on our territory. With it, they can live and work anywhere under Senate rule. Very convenient."

"Then what's the difference?" Chen Lin remembered and pressed further.

"The difference is that the Portuguese in Macau—whom you call Franks—are nominally under the jurisdiction of the Xiangshan County Magistrate of Great Ming and pay annual land rent. But in reality, they have their own Municipal Council, courts, and army, and they collect their own taxes. Once past the border gate, it's practically foreign soil. Here, they still act according to Great Song law."

The Chen uncle and nephew merely listened with curiosity, but Wu Yijun was quite moved. Though not a foreign merchant himself, he dealt with them frequently—foreign merchants traveling to Luzon often transported large quantities of dried fruits. He knew a thing or two. The Great Ming government was extremely wary of foreigners and didn't want them coming at all. Foreign merchants always said this only let the Macau Franks earn fat profits as middlemen.

But this Senate didn't fear foreigners at all. They even let them live together in a corner, reside freely, conduct business, and be treated like nationals. Truly rare!

The train traveled onward and soon reached Bopu. Because the port's hydrological conditions were relatively poor, Bopu's port function had been gradually diminishing in recent years, and its status as "Lingao's Maritime Gateway" was declining. Institutions originally established here—customs, border inspection, epidemic prevention—had moved away one after another. Even the cranes were fewer. After Xinying and Hongpai ports opened, most passengers and cargo entered Lingao through those.

Though passenger and cargo throughput had decreased significantly, Bopu's geographical position remained superior. As Lingao's outer port, it still saw large volumes of people and goods converging, and commerce remained prosperous.

The inspection group disembarked at Bopu Station. The Longhao Bay Hotel where they would stay was in Bopu.

As soon as they left the train station, a team of rickshaws waited outside. Due to local climate, it was difficult to raise and use horses in large quantities in Lingao, repeatedly frustrating the promotion of carriages. Except for a small number of two-wheeled and four-wheeled carriages produced for private use, public carriage systems existed only in Bairen, the Old County Seat, and Bopu. Elsewhere, the widely used short-distance transport was the rickshaw. Light, convenient, and low-cost, it was used universally by natives and naturalized citizens alike. Many Elders even kept their own rickshaws and pullers.

The inspection group took two passengers per rickshaw, and seven or eight vehicles set off together for the hotel.

The rickshaw team didn't head toward the town center in the south but went west from the station area, moving along a seaside avenue.

This avenue was paved with coal cinders, wide and flat. The "Venus Zero" rickshaws glided smoothly along it—quite novel for the Chen uncle and nephew, who were taking a rickshaw for the first time. Compared to a sedan chair, two people in one rickshaw was admittedly cramped, but the ride was fast and steady, not bumpy like ordinary carts. Being able to look around at the scenery made it truly wonderful.

Rows of coconut trees lined both sides of the avenue—planted at considerable distance from the road to prevent falling coconuts from hitting people. Beside the road were flower beds with flowers and trees whose names they couldn't identify. Though it was January, Hainan's weather was warm, and branches overflowed with blooms. Green leaves and fresh flowers, blue sky and coconut groves—one could forget it was winter.

Though the seaside avenue didn't lead to the town center, quite a few pedestrians and vehicles traveled it. Besides rickshaws, many heavy-laden ox carts plodded slowly along, hauling various goods.

Not far ahead, a green hedge wall appeared by the roadside, with lush flowers and trees inside, and eaves of houses peeking out. The Chen uncle and nephew wondered what this place was. A bit further, a towering silhouette gradually appeared on the horizon. Chen Xiaobing, sitting in the first rickshaw, turned and shouted:

"Look! That's the Holy Ship!"

Hearing this was the Australians' legendary iron ship that had crossed ten thousand miles of ocean, everyone's eyes widened, straining toward the massive vessel. Though still distant, the great iron ship's majestic figure made a deep impression. The huge cranes, the tall chimneys, the enormous body like a castle...

"Truly spectacular!" Chen Lin exclaimed.

"Indeed," Chen Ding agreed. "Seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times!"

The rickshaw team was passing a gate tower. Chen Lin saw the sign and learned that this hedge-enclosed place was "Lingao Cape Park." Since Guangzhou's recovery, the Guangzhou City Government had established Bai'etan Park in Bai'etan, so he knew a park was a place for common people to rest and play.

The convoy didn't stop but continued along the seaside avenue. A red brick building began to appear on the horizon. Chen Lin marveled silently: That building is so tall!

This was the "Longhao Bay Hotel" where they would stay.

Longhao Bay Hotel wasn't Senate property but had been built with pooled funds from local wealthy merchants—both local natives and outsiders who had moved here. The leader was the Li family, extensively engaged in real estate development in Lingao. Li Xiaopeng had made a fortune developing several real estate projects for incoming outsiders. Seeing that the "Qiong'an Inn" his family had opened for wealthy merchants was also performing well, he figured hotels could be profitable. So he calculated to open one.

Hotels weren't rare in Lingao. The hostels run by the Qiwei Group were particularly famous—cheap, high-quality, hygienic, and comfortable. They enjoyed excellent reputations not only in Lingao and Hainan but had many branches throughout Guangdong. Li Xiaopeng considered his options: his family had no advantage in that market, so direct competition would be difficult.

Where was his family's advantage? Li Xiaopeng had learned from Qiong'an Inn: to run a hotel, one had to target the wealthy. Open an "Australian Grand Hotel" like nothing locals had ever seen.

The idea of Australian Grand Hotels came from the Elders, especially Elder Hong Huangnan. Running Shop No. 82, Elder Hong devoted considerable energy to manufacturing and operating luxury goods. But Shop No. 82 was Senate property, and market capacity for its many products was limited if relying only on Elders and their families for consumption. He had long intended to choose local partners to replicate a new No. 82.

Li Xiaopeng happened to be among the local big households who had been cultivating Elder Hong's favor. When opening Qiong'an Inn, though it was Li Xiaopeng's idea, Elder Hong had offered many suggestions on interior decoration, furniture display, and service items. Li had also heard many anecdotes about "Australian Grand Hotels" from Elder Hong and couldn't help yearning for such things.

So he approached Hong Huangnan with his idea and immediately received support. However, Elder Hong also warned that while the design, management, and operational software of an Australian Grand Hotel could be provided, the hardware construction would cost a huge sum—possibly beyond the Li family's personal means.

Li Xiaopeng immediately said it didn't matter. He had many wealthy merchant friends who had moved to Lingao from elsewhere. They had plenty of money and only worried about finding investment opportunities. Good projects would attract their capital.

So the project officially launched. Li Xiaopeng eventually recruited fifteen shareholders to pool funds for this "Australian-style Hotel," named "Longhao Bay Hotel."

Longhao Bay Hotel stood by Longhao Bay on the seaside avenue. Not only was it adjacent to Lingao Cape Park, but it had also enclosed a private beach for exclusive hotel use. The hotel was a five-story neoclassical red brick building with three restaurants and forty-eight guest rooms. The interior was entirely "Australian style"—floors, tap water, bathrooms, and flush toilets went without saying. It was also the first civilian building to feature full electric lighting, and a manually operated elevator had been installed. An open-air restaurant on the rooftop blazed with lights at night, visible from several kilometers away. Right after opening, it attracted crowds of onlookers, blocking the streets.

(End of Chapter)