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云上岭南 Lingnan on the Cloud
94-year-old Guangzhou granny becomes China's richest woman
来源:羊城晚报 云上岭南 作者:魏礼园 发表时间:2023-11-15 22:49

An unexpected development emerged on November 14th as 94-year-old Mrs. Kwong Siu-hing, hailing from Huadu District, Guangzhou, became the wealthiest woman in China, according to the "Hurun Richest Women in China 2023". With a fortune of 72 billion RMB, she rightfully earned the title of "the Richest Granny in China", thanks to the rise of the Hong Kong dollar exchange rate and the dividends of her company.

What surprises many people in Guangzhou is that Kwong Siu-hing was born in Huashan Town, Huadu District. The Kuang Weiyu Memorial Middle School here was co-constructed by her and the government of Huadu District, with the funds she generously donated on behalf of the Kwok Tak-seng Foundation of Sun Hung Kai Properties.

As the largest shareholder of Sun Hung Kai Properties, Kwong Siu-hing always has the final say in decision-making, earning her the reputation of being the "anchor of stability" in the company. Despite numerous challenges over the years, she has consistently remained in a prominent position. Through the evanescent time, let's see what intriguing stories lie behind this amazing old lady.

In 1929, Kwong was born into a family in Huacheng Village, Guangzhou. At the tender age of 7, her father, who engaged in business in Vietnam, unexpectedly passed away. As the eldest daughter, Kwong stepped up to assist her mother with household chores and family affairs. It was these hardships she faced in early life that shaped her ability to assume the role of a caring and responsible figure.

In 1949, at the age of 20, Kwong was married to Kwok Tak-seng, who was 18 years her senior, under the arrangement of her family. With a virtuous and capable wife by his side, Kwok Tak-seng was able to dedicate himself to expanding his business without any worries. During the 1950s, he secured the agency rights for nylon products and thus became a multimillionaire in Hong Kong. From the 1960s onwards, he, along with Lee Shau Kee and Fung King Hey, ventured into the real estate industry. By employing the model of "floor by floor sales" and "payment by installments for ten years", the trio managed to establish themselves in the real estate sector, which enabled the Kwok family to become one of the four big families of Hong Kong.

Among the four big families, the Kwok family is the only one that did not diversify its business operations.

Starting from 1970, Kwok Tak-seng used his earnings from real estate to purchase land, build properties, and collect rent. Over the past decades, Sun Hung Kai Properties has amassed 22 shopping malls and six super Grade A office buildings in Hong Kong and mainland China, with the area of land reserves exceeding ten million square meters, only 15% of which have been developed thus far.

These properties have generated substantial rental income for Sun Hung Kai Properties, which has seen its net rental income amount to 24.8 billion Hong Kong dollars in the 2022 fiscal year.

According to a public announcement made by Sun Hung Kai Properties in 2018, the major shareholder Kwong Siu-hing has increased her holdings by 140,000 shares, bringing her total stake to 26.36%. Based on these calculations, her rental income alone for 2022 exceeds six billion Hong Kong dollars, making her an undeniable "landlady extraordinaire".

Now, the power of management of Sun Hung Kai Properties has been handed down to the third generation of the family. The 94-year-old Kwong Siu-hing, despite having long retired from the spotlight, will remain the "compass guiding the sea" of the company for the rest of her life.

94岁的广州花都籍老太太成为中国女首富!

11月14日,胡润研究院发布女企业家榜单,受益于港币汇率的上涨及公司分红,今年94岁的邝肖卿以720亿元财富首次成为中国女首富,成为当之无愧的“中国最富有的老太太”。

更让许多广州人想不到的是,邝肖卿的籍贯为广州市花都区花山镇,邝维煜纪念中学就是由她以新鸿基地产郭得胜基金会的名义捐资,和花都区政府共同兴建而成的。

作为新鸿基的最大股东,邝肖卿拥有最高决策权,被外界誉为“定海神针”。数十年来,无论外界如何风雨飘摇,邝肖卿始终占据C位。穿过时光的掠影,邝肖卿身上还有怎样的故事?

1929年,广州市花山镇花城村的邝家,诞下了一名女婴,她就是邝肖卿。7岁那年,在越南做生意的父亲意外去世。身为家中长女的邝肖卿,小小年纪时就已经协助母亲干活持家,早期的艰辛生活,让邝肖卿掌握了当好“大家长”的本领。

1949年,在家人的安排下,20岁的邝肖卿嫁给了比自己大18岁的郭得胜。娶了贤内助后,郭得胜无后顾之忧地打拼,生意越做越大。1950年后,郭得胜凭借尼龙产品的代理权,跻身香港千万富翁行列。1960年后,他和李兆基、冯景禧联手进军房地产业,三人凭借“分层出售、十年分期付款”的模式,在房地产行业站稳脚跟,郭氏家族也由此成为香港赫赫有名的四大家族之一。

在香港四大家族中,郭氏家族是唯一没有多元化发展的家族。

郭得胜从1970年开始,就把从房地产中赚到的钱用于购买地皮盖楼收租,几十年来,新鸿基在香港和内地囤了22个商场、6栋超甲级写字楼,手中土地储备面积超过1000万平方米,至今只开发了15%。

这些物业,仅租金就为新鸿基带来可观的收益。2022年财年,新鸿基的净租金收入248亿港元。

根据2018年新鸿基地产发布的公告,大股东邝肖卿增持14万股,持股量增至26.36%。以此计算,2022年仅租金收入,她就入账超过60亿港元,是不折不扣的“最强包租婆”。

如今新鸿基的管理已过渡到家族第三代手中,年过九旬的邝肖卿虽早已退居幕后,但只要她在,她就是新鸿基的“定海神针”。

话题主持 | 记者 魏礼园
参考资料 | 红星新闻、广州花都发布、市界微信公众号、21世纪经济报道、中国经济周刊、花都人微信公众号
翻译 | 洪婷

来源 | 羊城晚报•羊城派
责编 | 王楠 戚美青
校对 | 苏敏