Chapter 26 Kuok Henian: The Genghis Khan Dream of the "Sugar King"

In the vast Pacific Ocean, extending northward from the equator to 7 latitudes in Southeast Asia, is Malaysia, an emerging industrial country known as Asia's "fifth dragon".Since the Han Dynasty, China has had friendly exchanges with the Malay tribes.Malaysia can be said to be the first stop for Chinese people to go to Nanyang.The Chinese are the second largest ethnic group in Malaysia.In Malaysia, the Chinese are very proud, because among the top 10 richest people in the "Malaysia's 40 Richest List", 7 people are of Chinese descent. The protagonist of this article is the legendary Kuok Henian, the richest man in Malaysia.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Guo Henian rose in Malaysia and became the sugar king of Asia.During the heyday of his sugar industry, he controlled 1/10 of the total annual sugar trade in the international market. In the mid-1970s, he made a big move into Hong Kong, and at the same time established his huge "Shangri-La" hotel kingdom around the Pacific Ocean. In the 1980s, he entered the TV industry and became the largest shareholder of Hong Kong TVB. In the 1990s, he bought a controlling stake in the South China Morning Post, and he has almost mastered the daily joys, sorrows and joys of Hong Kong people.

In recent years, he has invested heavily in the mainland, with a total investment of 5 billion US dollars, the most notable of which is the "China World Trade Center" located in Beijing.It is considered a representative of modern architecture in Beijing.But his career is not limited to this, just like Genghis Khan's expansion of territory, from sugar, hotels, real estate, shipping, mining, insurance, securities, media to grain and oil, he created a huge business kingdom. In 1985, the "Top Ten Entrepreneurs" selection event co-sponsored by the Asian Institute of Management and the Malaysian Banking Association awarded the "Pyramid Award" representing the highest honor in the corporate world to Kuok Henian.In Malaysia, this award means extraordinary and amazing.

But people in Hong Kong only know his name as Guo Henian, the famous super rich man, but they don't know anything about other further information.And professional economists' understanding of Guo Henian is limited to the above. Although the influence of Guo Henian's enterprises has been increasing in recent years, making people clearly feel his existence, when people encounter Guo Henian's name, they are still at a loss about his appearance, and newspapers rarely publish his name. His pictures, his presence is almost never on TV. His family situation, his life experience, how he made his fortune, and his business secrets, about these, there are hardly any reports in the media. Avoid showing up in public social situations.Compared with the legendary color shown by the rich and well-known Hong Kong rich people who people talk about, Guo Henian gives people more sense of mystery.Although he is 81 years old and has reached the peak of his career, Guo Henian's enthusiasm for his career has not diminished in the slightest, and he still strives unremittingly.

Guo Henian, the leader of the Guo family, was originally from Guozhai Village, Gaishan, Fuzhou City, Fujian Province.His father, Guo Qinjian, had six brothers, and his five older brothers were Guo Qinzheng, Guo Qinnuan, Guo Qinduan, Guo Qinren and Guo Qinbao.At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20s, a large number of people from Guangdong and Fujian traveled across the sea to Nanyang to make a living. The Guo brothers were no exception. Except for the elder brother Guo Qinzheng who stayed in his hometown and opened a Chinese medicine shop called "Wan'antang", the rest of the brothers Came to Malaysia one after another to make a living. In 1909, Guo Qinjian traveled across the ocean alone to Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia.In order to make a living, he started as a shop assistant, and later opened a coffee shop by himself.At that time, his fourth brother Guo Qinren had already established a "Dongsheng Company" in Johor Bahru, specializing in the business of rice, soybeans and sugar.Due to Guo Qinren's poor health, he gradually handed over the operation and management of Dongsheng Company to Guo Qinjian, Guo Qinduan and Guo Heqing (the eldest son of Guo Qinnuan). Under their careful management, the company's business continued to expand.Gradually established a large-scale business name, and the family became richer day by day.

In 1920, Guo Qinjian married Zheng Geru from his hometown of Fuzhou and gave birth to two sons. On October 6, 1924, Guo Qinjian, who lived in Johor Bahru, the southern tip of Johor, Malaysia, gave birth to another son. His ancestors set the character as "Crane", and his family named him "Nian".Kuok Henian attended Kuan Rou Chinese Primary School and English Middle School in his early years, and later transferred to Raffles College in Singapore. Here he met a classmate who was quite passionate about politics. Zak, Prime Minister Hussein Aoun and others are all alumni of the school. In 1942, due to the Japanese invasion of the south, Guo Henian failed to complete his university education.After the war, Guo Henian helped his father who ran the sugar and rice grain trading business.

In 1947, Guo Henian, who was only 23 years old, set up his own business in Singapore and founded his first company, Li Kewu Company. In 1965, the company changed its name to "Kwok's (Singapore) Pte Ltd", mainly engaged in shipping-related business.This became the beginning of his business.According to reports in the early years of the authoritative English magazine "Fortune", Guo Henian started his business with US$33,333, equivalent to about 100,000 Malaysian Ringgits. Guo Henian was able to start a business in his twenties, of course it has something to do with his wealthy background.However, personal courage, talent, super judgment and never-ending spirit are the fundamental elements for him to fight in the business world and become famous all over the world.

In 1948, the second year after Guo Henian founded the new company, his father Guo Qinjian died of illness due to long-term labor.Guo Henian was only 24 years old at the time.Guo Henian's mother, Zheng Geru, did not want the Guo family's business to fall apart because of her husband's death.She proposed to all the brothers in the Guo family to collect their inheritance and form Guo Brothers Co., Ltd. After a meeting, the Guo family recommended Guo Henian to manage the company.In this way, Guo Henian, who was under 26 years old, took over the heavy responsibility and became the "head" of the family.The businessman's son was influenced by traditional Chinese moral concepts since he was a child: honesty, hard work, humility, credibility, fair business, and no deceit. This is his creed for starting a business in the future.

Speaking of it, Guo Jiaqin's generation came to Johor Bahru from the south, and it was through hard work and hard work that he created his first family business.Some people have analyzed that the reason why the Guo family has survived decades of business wars is that the Guo Jiaqin brothers not only left a solid family background and business network to future generations, but more importantly, they left behind the brotherhood of helping each other in times of trouble. Business is the most profitable means of earning a living.However, business spectacle is not a good thing that every businessman can encounter.Most businessmen still operate step by step with a limited amount of capital, and inheriting the business from their father is the inevitable result of the economic and ideological regulations that individuals experience.

On April 1, 1949, Guo Brothers Co., Ltd. was formally established.Guo Henian's Guo Brothers Co., Ltd. is still mainly engaged in rice, grain and sugar. In the early days of Guo Henian's business, the situation in Malaysia was still at a turbulent moment.This can be seen from the fact that the British colonial authorities returned to Malaysia and declared a "state of emergency" in 1948, and that the Malaysian Anti-Japanese Army, which had fought side by side with the British army, turned from open to underground and went into the jungle to fight guerrillas. Not long after Guo Henian's second elder brother Heling died in the siege by the British army, people in the business world discovered that Guo Henian, who was known as the "Desperate Saburo" in the mall, disappeared overnight?Moreover, it is 5 years apart.

So, where did Guo Henian go?Years later, the mystery was revealed: he went to the British Isles.Guo Henian in the UK has almost cut off all business ties with Malaysia except for his family. Britain, the oldest capitalist country, is the home of "liberal" economics.When Guo Henian arrived in London, the futures trading and stock trading here were very popular and very active.Kuok Henian didn't know much about futures trading at first, but now that he came to this country with modern operation methods, he felt that futures trading was unique. The ever-changing market prices ebb and flow, those who bet on the right one get carried away, and those who misread it will last forever Hate makes him fascinated and excited. Although Guo Henian lived far away in England, various news from Malaysia still caught his ears.He pondered and observed carefully. In 1955, although the Federation of Malaysia was not yet an independent country at that time, Kuok Henian firmly believed that the "Empire on which the sun never sets" must be the same as it was in old colonies such as Myanmar and India before. descended from the land.At this moment, Guo Henian has a clear idea: now is the time for him to return to Malaysia to show his talents. In the post-war world economic structure, major western industrial countries gradually abandoned traditional labor-intensive industries and focused on developing capital- and technology-intensive industries.Guo Henian saw that the market originally occupied by British businessmen would leave a vacuum after Malaysia's true independence; he heard the anxious call of Malay, Chinese and Indian Malaysian businessmen to share the pie. Kuok made the decision to return to Malaysia after the Wuhua-India Alliance formed a new government in 1955.During his stay in London, he had conducted a comprehensive and in-depth investigation on the operation of the sugar industry, and he knew the trade situation of the sugar industry well. After returning to Malaysia, Kuok Henian took two important steps for the development of Kuok’s business. One was to establish Mintien Sdn Bhd in Johor Bahru to operate various commodities and import and export trade; the other was to start focusing his business on Sugar business.He cooperated with the Federal Land Development Agency of Malaya to establish the first sugar refinery in Malaysia, the Malaysian Sugar Company, in Beihai, near Penang.At the same time, he saw the right time and quickly established a sales network throughout Malaysia, forming an "integrated operation" system of "raw materials-processing-sales".For several years, his sugar business achieved huge profits and considerable development. In 1962, Guo Henian was hailed as the "Sugar King" of Malaysia. In 1966, China's Ministry of Foreign Trade planned to import white sugar produced in China into Malaysia, which made Guo Henian face a severe challenge.He imports white sugar in large quantities from India and successfully beats Chinese producers.After this battle, Guo Henian became famous.In the following year, Guo Henian got acquainted with Lin Shaoliang, the richest man in Indonesia, and supplied sugar to Lin's Buluo Company, expanding its territory to Indonesia. In order to further develop Guo's sugar industry, in 1968, Guo Henian successfully leased 14,400 acres (5,760 hectares) of jungle land in Perlis, located in northern Malaysia, from the Malaysian government. into sugarcane plantations, greatly increasing the source of raw materials.At the same time, he jointly established Perlis Integrated Sugar Factory Co., Ltd. with the Malaysian Land Development Bureau near the plantation to refine the sugar cane produced by the plantation. In 1973, the plantations were harvested, and the output of the sugar mills also increased rapidly, making Malaysia the first step towards sugar self-sufficiency. Before Guo Henian, although Malaysia's climate and land were suitable for sugarcane production, farmers in the country did not like to plant them. Rice, pepper, cocoa, tobacco, and cashew nuts were the main crops grown.Guo Henian planted sugarcane on a large scale, which can be said to have written a new page in the history of Malaysian agriculture.Since Kuok Henian pioneered the sugar industry, Malaysia's sugarcane plantation industry has become increasingly prosperous. In 1970, the sugarcane planting area reached 7,100 hectares, and in 1980, it increased to 17,900 hectares. While staring at the sugar production, Guo Henian also paid attention to the situation of the sales market. In 1970, he noticed that the price of sugar in the world was on the rise. He made a bold decision to enter the international sugar market decisively. With Southeast Asia as the main base, he extended his business front to Europe and the United States. For example, he bought sugar from Cuba and sold it to Indonesia. Imported raw sugar was refined and resold to China through brokers in Hong Kong. He bought a large amount of raw sugar before the world sugar price rose, and actively invested in sugar futures trading.Later, with the rise in sugar prices, he won huge profits that year.All of this provides a financial guarantee for his future expansion of operations.The performance of the enterprise is moving towards diversification and internationalization with the trend of "mercury pours into the ground and penetrates everywhere". In 1976, Guo Henian used the Perlis Plantation Agency to acquire 93.3% of the shares of the Malaysian Sugar Factory. By the 1970s, the sugar trade of Guo Henian and the Guo family group business under his leadership expanded from Malaysia to the United Kingdom, the United States, Hong Kong, China and other countries and regions.Guo Henian buys nearly 30 tons of sugar from Thailand every year. By buying cheap and selling high, and drawing commissions, he conducts futures trading in New York, London and other places, and has made huge profits.Among the 16 million tons of sugar listed on the international market every year, Guo's Enterprise Group controls about 10%.In the sugar industry market in Malaysia, Guo's enterprises accounted for more than 80% of the share.So far, Guo Henian, who is only in his early 40s, has developed from the "Malayan Sugar King" to the veritable "Asian Sugar King". Guo Henian is not a person who is easy to be satisfied. In addition to the development of the sugar industry, since the 1960s, with the help of the good opportunities of economic development in the world and Malaysia, the capital of the Guo family group has become increasingly strong, its business appetite has gradually increased, and its business projects have also become more and more popular. diversification.Especially after the 1970s, considerable progress has been made.In Malaysia, apart from sugar factories in North Malaysia and Kuala Lumpur, he also owns flour mills, feed mills, cooking oil factories in Klang and Johor Bahru, plastic bag factories in Seremban, marble factories and glass factories in Kedah.And owns a 41.37% stake in Rahman Tin Mine.The flour mill owned by the "Federal Flour" under the group has an annual output of about 220,000 tons and controls 40% of the flour market in Malaysia.In addition, he also jointly established a Malaysian wood panel factory in Johor that manufactures veneer and plywood, 95% of which are exported to Europe, America, East Asia and West Asia. In 1933, the British novelist James Hilton described a magical and beautiful place Shangri-la (Shangri-la) in his novel "Lost Horigin" - a fairyland lying among the mountains, Let the people who live in it feel unprecedented peace.At that time, the book won the famous British Hawthorne Prize for Literature, and the "Dictionary of British Writers" stated that one of the achievements of the book is that it created the word "Xanadu" for English vocabulary.But some years later, some people will say that "Lost Horizon" has created a "hotel giant"; a "hotel empire brand" for Asia. In 1971, after digging the first pot of gold in the sugar industry, Guo Henian did not stop.He was full of ambition and attacked in all directions in the business field.In view of the rapid development of the world's tourism industry, Kuok Henian resolutely marched into hotels and hotels. Later facts proved that Kuok Henian's vision was indeed extraordinary. Guo Henian and the Singapore Economic Development Board jointly built the first five-star luxury hotel in Singapore, the Shangri-La Hotel.This was one of the first luxury hotels built in Singapore at that time, which opened the prelude to a splendid hotel kingdom like a dream.Today, Shangri-La has become synonymous with Xanadu.The Shangri-La Hotel's excellent service and perfect quiet environment are exactly the same as the origin of this mysterious name. It is said that Guo Henian liked to read the book "Lost Horizon" since he was a child. Among the hotels he founded, only the highest-grade five-star hotel can be named "Shangri-La". Over the past 20 years, Shangri-La Hotel Group has become the most important hotel group in the Asia-Pacific region, with total assets of HK$47 billion.Interestingly, every hotel in the Shangri-La Group presents the novel "Lost Horizon" to the guests. From shopping malls to hotels, from clothing to cosmetics, from amusement parks to movie theaters, international standards are the objects to emulate.While absorbing the essence of international trends, some brands also retain and carry forward their own core concepts, becoming another popular concept and affecting the whole world.For example, "Asian hospitality" originated in the Shangri-La Hotel and became popular all over the world.In fact, it is the Shangri-La Hotel Group that is the promoter of establishing new core values ​​for Asian hotels.The British magazine "Business Travel Survey" also believes that there are the best hotels in the world in Asia, which means Shangri-La. The design of Shangri-La Hotel has always been famous for its fresh garden scenery, lobby rich in Asian culture, magnificent marble floor, and eye-popping Venetian crystal chandeliers.In addition to hardware, Shangri-La's greatest wealth is its core values ​​with Asian characteristics: Shangri-La love of hospitality.The management of Shangri-La always inspires new employees like this: Think about it, how would you entertain guests at your home? Shangri-La believes that Asians are always hospitable, and Shangri-La's hospitality is as subtle as the tea ceremony: sincere and simple, polite, gentle and courteous, helpful, proud but not arrogant.Shangri-La believes that good things have local characteristics, so it is understandable why the design of each Shangri-La hotel is different, while trying to integrate the local culture. In Dalian Shangri-La, the exquisite shellfish decoration in the lobby highlights the style of the coastal city, while in Beijing China World Hotel (belonging to the Shangri-La brand), there are large Chinese landscape paintings in the lobby, with 4 big red pillars in the middle, which is a royal style.Every Shangri-La Hotel's Chinese restaurant is called "Shang Palace", and even the same "spicy silver seabass" will be adjusted according to local tastes. "Let the guests go out with joy" is also the goal pursued by "Hospitality".The "meeting point - dialogue with the general manager" communication mode advocated by Shangri-La's operation department within the group is currently the only mode in the global hotel industry.This is: in the 38 hotels under Shangri-La, the general managers of the 38 hotels will meet with the resident guests in their hotel lobby from Monday to Friday from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm, and communicate directly with the guests.Although this is a simple method, it has surprised the managers and guests with the effect. Since the first Shangri-La Hotel opened in Singapore in 1971, it has successively built and managed more than 30 large hotels in Thailand, Hong Kong, Fiji, Seoul, the Philippines, Indonesia and mainland China.At present, Guo Henian has more than 10,000 rooms in operation around the world, and there are still 9 hotels with more than 4,000 rooms under construction.Shangri-La Group has become one of the largest hotel groups in the Asia-Pacific region. The laurels of "Hotel Industry Tycoon" have been worn on Guo Henian's head again, and his reputation even surpasses the reputation of "Sugar King". Guo Henian's contact with China began in 1962 with the sugar market hegemony battle. At that time, the "Ministry of Economic and Trade of China" wanted to open up the Malaysian sugar market. Repel Chinese sugar and win a beautiful battle.Therefore, the Chinese Ministry of Economic and Trade appreciates Guo very much, and the two sides made friends. China granted Guo the agency rights for Chinese products such as cameras and refrigerators in Malaysia. The two sides have established economic and trade relations for more than 30 years since then. Due to Guo's close relationship with the Ministry of Economy and Trade, Guo was invited to the mainland for unofficial visits from time to time.However, in the early days of entering the Chinese mainland, Guo Henian was very cautious. He would rather set up a stronghold in Hong Kong first, and then look at the Chinese mainland. In the early 1970s, Guo Henian began to enter Hong Kong with capital. In January 1974, he established Kerry Trading Co., Ltd. in Hong Kong to engage in futures trading with a registered capital of 40 million Hong Kong dollars.Under it, trade, real estate, financial services and other business departments have been established, and large-scale investment operations have been launched locally. In the late 1980s, China and the United Kingdom were at loggerheads over the issue of Hong Kong's return in 1997, which prevented foreign capital from investing in China.At that time, Hong Kong's investment atmosphere was low, and the "June 4th Incident" happened later, which made the situation even more turbulent.However, Guo Henian is full of confidence in Hong Kong, which will return to the motherland after July 1, 1997.Kerry and Shangri-La Hotel Group, controlled by Kwok, invested heavily in real estate at this time. They successively built the Shangri-La Hotel with 720 rooms in the eastern part of Tsim Sha Tsui with Lin Shaoliang, and built an office building with Huang Tingfang in the eastern part of Tsim Sha Tsui. Real estate joint venture to develop Xinghua Village, and joint venture with China Resources to build Shangri-La Hotel on Hong Kong Island. The successful investment in real estate with the spirit of "what others abandon, I take" made Guo Henian famous and fired the first shot into Hong Kong.However, Kuok Henian's decision to do the opposite made him the pioneer of Malaysian companies entering China, and he is finally able to share the most lucrative rewards today. Kuok Henian's view is: "Crisis is an opportunity. A businessman must remain sensitive and vigilant to the current situation." After the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Malaysia, especially after China implemented the policy of reform and opening up, Guo Henian actively developed economic and trade cooperation with mainland China.And "Shangri-La"'s big money in the mainland is inseparable from Guo Henian's investment in the mainland.In the early 1980s, Shangri-La Hotel Group took a fancy to the mainland market and began a comprehensive layout. In 1984, on the banks of the picturesque West Lake, the well-known signboard of the Hangzhou Hotel disappeared, and a five-star hotel was refurbished and unveiled, replacing it with the name "Hangzhou Shangri-La".Hangzhou Hotel is an old hotel built in 1956, when Mao Zedong once stayed here.This is the first time for Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts to test the waters in the mainland. The partner they chose is the Zhejiang Provincial Tourism Bureau, which is now the Zhejiang Tourism Group Corporation.Shangri-La Hotel Group owns 45% of Hangzhou Shangri-La's equity, and has also officially started the management of capital in the Mainland. In Shangri-La's layout in China, Beijing is the second stop. In 1985, Guo Henian's first investment in the Mainland was to cooperate with the State Economic and Trade Commission to spend 380 million US dollars to build the Beijing International Trade Center, which was the most watched investment at that time. Guo Henian once said that he invested in mainland China for three reasons: first, to prove that there are good people among capitalists; second, to help modernize mainland China; and third, to promote economic prosperity in mainland China. The International Trade Center is a comprehensive building complex including hotels, office buildings, shopping malls, and high-end international apartments. It is still a representative building of Beijing CBD, and the International Trade Hotel and China World Hotel are important components of it. Shangri-La Hotel Beijing was completed in 1987, with Shangri-La Group holding 49% of the shares. It was the highest and most luxurious five-star hotel in Beijing at that time. The Traders Hotel opened in 1989 and the China World Hotel opened in 1990. Shangri-La owns 50% of the two hotels. In 1995, Kerry Group, a subsidiary of Guo, saw the scarcity of high-end office buildings meeting international standards in the CBD area, and Beijing Beiao Company built Kerry Center, a high-end office building, including Kerry Hotel, and Shangri-La has absolute control.So far, Shangri-La has four hotels in Beijing. Shangri-La has two brands of "Shangri-La" and "Traders Hotel". The "Shangri-La" brand is mainly a five-star hotel, most of which have more than 500 rooms. The "Traders Hotel" established in 1989 is a four-star brand with a moderate price. The International Trade Hotel is the first. In the 1990s, Shangri-La carried out its expansion in mainland China at a rapid speed, especially from 1996 to 1999, a total of 9 restaurants were opened in just 4 years.So far, from north to south, there are almost all Shangri-La "strongholds" in central cities.Wherever Shangri-La has been in China, it has become a local iconic hotel, successfully building the Shangri-La brand in the mainland.Since 2001, Shangri-La has started to "walk on two legs", with output management and capital management going hand in hand.This year, Shangri-La speeded up its expansion in the mainland, announcing that 8 hotels are under preparation, and 15 are under negotiation. By 2005, there will be 30 hotels. In the early 1980s, due to the global economic downturn, the shipping industry experienced an "oversupply" phenomenon, and the cargo volume of freighters dropped sharply, causing Kuok to suffer serious losses.It is estimated that the loss at that time was around 100 million to 200 million ringgits.A low point in his career.Fortunately, Guo Henian also showed the determination of a strong man to break his arms and cashed out through various channels, including selling a part of Perlis Plantation, Federal Flour and Shangri-La Hotel shares, etc., and finally weathered the storm in the shipping and real estate industries. In the 1990s, Guo Henian did not stop at the development of the sugar industry and the hotel industry. Instead, he marched into various industries with greater courage, endless techniques, and galloping tactics. feared.Guo Henian began to extend his tentacles to the media and film and television industries. In 1988, Kwok acquired a 30% stake in Hong Kong TVB with HK$2 billion and became the largest shareholder, which once caused a sensation in Hong Kong.Guo Henian and his eldest son Guo Kongcheng entered the board of directors as alternate directors. In October 1993, Kerry Group, his flagship in Hong Kong, bought the English newspaper with the highest sales volume and the most influence in Hong Kong from the Australian media magnate Rupert Murdoch for 2.65 billion Hong Kong dollars. It was regarded as the mouthpiece of the British colonial government during the colonial period. "South China Morning Post", this move also made Guo Henian an important local media tycoon. At the end of 1997, his son Guo Kongyan became the chairman of the newspaper. The reason why Guo Henian favors the Hong Kong market so much is because Hong Kong, as an international economic, trade, financial, transportation, and information center, is crucial to the future development of Guo's corporate kingdom, but it is also related to his confidence in China's political and economic prospects. close.This was proved again after the political turmoil in 1989.Guo Henian said: "I believe that China will not break this oriental pearl and cause China to suffer losses." Now, he and his eldest son Guo Kongcheng have become permanent residents of Hong Kong, and Hong Kong has become the headquarters and important business base of the Guo Group. "Nanyang Siang Pau" once commented that Guo Henian is an entrepreneur who is "internationally famous and wealthy".The stocks of six companies under his name, including Perlis Plantation Organization, Raman Tin Mine, Federal Flour Mills, Rainbow Co., Ltd., and Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore, have been publicly traded on the stock exchanges of Singapore and Malaysia, with a total asset of about 1.4 billion Ma Yuan. Since the 1990s, "Forbes" magazine has listed Guo Henian as one of the ten richest people in Asia almost every year.And with a net worth of US$4 billion, he tops the list of richest people in Malaysia. People say: shopping malls are like battlefields.The market competition is fierce and unpredictable.Mr. Kuok Henian has been in the shopping malls for half a century and has repeatedly reached peaks in his career. What is the secret of success?What is the best way to manage a huge multinational group? Like other successful entrepreneurs, Kuok is known for his diligence.He said: "When I started a business, I didn't have enough capital. I relied on meager savings and worked hard like a superman. To be successful, I had to work twice as hard as ordinary people, and completed two years of work in one year." Hard work wins time, and time is used to create economic benefits. In addition to establishing a career map like Genghis Khan, Guo Henian also has his unique views on leadership. "If you want to do business with others, you must lead from the front line instead of sitting in a tent hundreds of miles away. I believe that Genghis Khan also shared the fruits of victory with his soldiers on the front line during his peak period." He believes that there are three keys to the success of a business leader: 1. Have a group of strong and highly efficient managers, and work closely with subordinate employees at all levels to strive for the company; 2. Fairness and honesty.Leaders should communicate with everyone in a fair and honest manner, treat people with courtesy and pay attention to credit, and a good reputation will be established.Once you face difficulties, you will be assisted by noble people.It is based on this that he makes his friends "all over the world" and turns "competitors" into "partners"; 3. Possess a strong body and spirit, and strive for the future of the company at any time. "Whether employees have a sense of belonging to the company is closely related to whether the employer itself treats employees fairly and how they are paid." Taking the companies under the group as an example, he said that in addition to giving employees considerable dividends, the company also provides 25%-30% discounts to employees who perform well, so that employees can enjoy the company's equity and make them feel that if they work hard, they will have success. reward. "Entrepreneurs all have a sense of mission. Making money is of course the most important job, but when you get a lot of money, a sense of mission will emerge spontaneously. Without a sense of mission, a person will soon think of retiring and spend every day on the golf course. Appear." It is based on this belief that Guo He is still struggling in his 80s. Guo Henian said that no matter who starts doing business, they will inevitably take some "shortcuts".A person has limited time in his life and cannot wait forever.If you need some shortcuts at the beginning, you should try your best to follow the moral route. After you have a little capital and qualifications, of course you can't take that path—the remote path or the crooked path.To follow the right path, the development may be slower, but the future is more secure.I always want to take shortcuts, find evil ways, and use improper means and methods to do it. It is more dangerous, and it may "capsize" at any time. Guo Henian's mother, Ms. Zheng Geru, played an important role in his career.She has received higher education and has unique insight. She chose Guo Henian, the third among many children, and entrusted him with the important task of revitalizing the family business. And Guo Henian did not let her down, he not only created countless miracles, but also developed the family business into a well-respected international large enterprise. "My mother has contributed a lot to my achievements today. She is a highly educated college student who disciplines her son very strictly, and she is also the person who has influenced me the most in my life." Guo Henian said. At home, Guo Henian respected his mother very much, never said anything that made his mother unhappy, and never did things that made his mother unhappy.His mother is over 90 years old, and her routine work every morning is to cut out the news of some unfortunate people asking for help from the society, and then hand it over to the charitable foundation under Guo Henian to allocate funds one by one for relief.He is very strict with his children and never spoils them.She said: Remember, you cannot take material things with you when you die. Leaving more to your children and grandchildren is harmful to them, not good to them.Too much wealth is like arsenic. Putting arsenic on the heads of children and grandchildren, isn't it destroying their minds?But because it is human nature to love children and grandchildren, we must give them some assets to give them a chance to stand up. A successful entrepreneur, if he cannot serve the society well, is at best a businessman who can make money.Guo Henian is not that kind of person, Guo Henian loves his hometown very much.His spirit of disregarding fame and fortune and selfless dedication is recognized by the people of this country. He said, my heart can be said to be divided into two halves, one is loving the country where I grew up, and the other half is loving the hometown of my parents.I 100% admit that I am of Chinese descent, but I still love Malaysia in my heart. That place is also a good country and a good society.Many of us Chinese went to Nanyang when the economic environment was difficult, and we were loved and promoted by the locals, like my father was promoted, and my brother was promoted and loved. We can never forget this.Malaysia is my home country, even though my business network spreads all over the world, I still retain the identity of a Malaysian citizen.But I also don't forget that my ancestral home is in China.Both my parents immigrated overseas from Fujian when they were young, and they have a deep affection for their hometown. Guo Henian became a public figure after he became rich, but he has always been cautious in his words and deeds. He rarely exposes himself, let alone speaks much in public, and maintains a low-key style.He speaks concisely, does things in a down-to-earth manner, and does not like to participate in politics.In the eyes of the general public, Guo Henian is a figure full of mystery.Although he has deep personal friendship with many dignitaries in Malaysia and New Zealand, except for serving as the Malaysian ambassador to the United States and the chairman of the Malaysian Tourism Board, he rarely enters and exits the political circle.For the mass media, he is a figure who seems to be close at hand, but far away.Because he almost never accepts interviews from reporters, so that the photos about Guo Henian published in newspapers and magazines are almost the same, and they are all taken by reporters on the few occasions when he rarely shows up. In fact, Guo Henian is a typical businessman with traditional Chinese character and style.He is easy-going, without the domineering that the rich and powerful are accustomed to, so that he is often unnoticed among the crowd.There was such a true story. In 1986, Chen Qunchuan, former president of the MCA and member of Congress, was tried in a Singapore court for inadvertently getting involved in an economic case related to Singapore.A middle-aged man with an honest and kind appearance appeared in the court, sitting silently among the crowd.Soon, an interviewing reporter chatted with him by chance. When asked what kind of occupation he was engaged in, the middle-aged man replied flatly and briefly: "Selling sugar".When he later released Chen Qunchuan on bail in court, people were surprised to find that this middle-aged man was the famous "Sugar King" Guo Henian. Although Guo Henian has huge wealth, he lives a simple life and never talks about ostentation.As the big boss of the Shangri-La Hotel Group, he always lives in an ordinary room every time he stays in the hotel for business reasons.他的长子郭孔丞举行婚礼时，他却在马来西亚、新加坡和香港分别宴请亲朋好友，每次不过20席。 尽管郭鹤年本人并不热衷政治功名，但却十分注意和政界保持密切的关系。目前，他与马来西亚总理马哈迪尔、印尼前总统苏哈托等政要都关系融洽。凭借与政界的多层次、多渠道的交往，郭鹤年及其家族时刻洞悉政坛变化，以确保自己的地位和财富的稳定性。郭鹤年积极在经济上支持政府的发展计划。他在政府办的许多国营企业中参资、参股，甚至亲自出任董事长。通过与国家资本的结合，郭鹤年与政府建立了相互依赖、共存共荣的关系，他的企业由此得到政府政策的保护，获利甚丰。 1992年5月，郭鹤年宣布退休，将其事业交给他的儿子郭孔丞与郭孔安。不过事实上，他是退而不休，仍然拥有郭氏集团的最高决策权，尤其是对中国大陆与香港的投资方面。“做生意有如逆水行舟，必须不断向前划，否则，一停下来便可能倒退。因此，我们不能停下来，必须不断向前、不断寻找机会。”可以预见，在郭鹤年的幕后指挥下，郭氏集团将继续活跃于亚洲的投资舞台上。