Perfect transition among different roles
Wang Yingwei was born into a better-off family in Hong Kong. “Generally speaking, my grown-up years had not much difficulty”, he recalled. Wang’s academic career also went without a hitch; he was admitted to the University of Hong Kong, which was the best university in Hong Kong, and majored in economics and accounting. After his entrance into the Hong Kong government, Wang had also pursued further studies at the University of Oxford in Britain, and was awarded a master’s degree in public administration by Harvard University in America.
It was extremely difficult for Hong Kong natives to become administrative officers under the rule of the British Hong Kong Government. At that time, among the 3000-odd people who applied for the job as a Hong Kong administrative officer, only Wang and one other person were appointed. This experience not only held an important meaning to Wang’s career, but it also fueled him up with more confidence. “Ever since I was a child, I believed that nothing is impossible and everything can be done well. The point is whether you are willing to do it. If you want to do it and have a heart to do it well, then you will find a way.”
Wang’s career went well when he was an administrative officer. He was elected district head when he was only 26. Each district in Hong Kong had a population of about half a million people, and Wang had been the head of four districts, which meant he had administered a combined number of two million people.
Apart from being a district head, Wang had taken up the post of several other important positions, in charge of planning and arranging community and public affairs, making policies and so forth. Before Hong Kong’s return to China, he was also a member of the Hong Kong Basic Law Consultative Committee from 1985 to 1990, making his own contribution to the formulation of the Basic Law of Hong Kong and the peaceful return of Hong Kong to China.
In fact, even after Wang was relieved as an administrative officer of the Hong Kong Government, he continued to exert a unique effect in politics. He was appointed as a member of the Preliminary Working Commission of the Preparatory Committee for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) in 1993 and a member of the Preparatory Committee in 1995, participating in the transition arrangement of Hong Kong’s return to its motherland.
What deserves to be mentioned is that, from 1997 to 2012, Wang had been elected Hong Kong representative of the National People’s Congress each year in succession. He actively gave advice to the development of the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, participated in the administration and discussion of state affairs and put forward insightful opinions in terms of promoting connections between the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, managing foreign exchange assets, cultivating financial talents, etc. By his efforts, all of these achieved good results. Moreover, Wang was also a member of the Commission on Strategic Development of The Central Policy Unit for the HKSAR Government.
Resigned from politics and took challenges in the business world
In 1992, having served as an administrative officer for Hong Kong for 17 years, and when people were positive that he would scale new heights in his official career, Wang made a decision which surprised all: he decided to withdraw from government agencies and take part in business.
After his resignation from political posts, Wang started his brand-new business career by holding positions in several famous commercial organizations in Hong Kong successively, such as K. Wah International Holdings, Henderson China Holdings Ltd, SOCAM Development Limited and so forth. To him, doing business differs from being an administrative officer in three ways. Firstly, one should remain humble and be willing to look for solutions; secondly, one should be agile in handling real-life situations; thirdly, one should stay firm within the limits of the law. Wang always has a clear mind in his work and his ability to carry out each task is also admirable. Under the 40 C heat in Shanghai, Wang ran about meeting customers and estimating land. He even created a good record of acquiring two pieces of land for K. Wah International Holdings in a single month.
Doing quite well in the business world, Wang quickly opened up a new world for himself, and became a well-known businessman in the real estate industry. As the proverb goes, opportunities are always provided for those who are well-prepared. After serving in the real estate industry for more than 10 years, Wang took control of the Hong Kong Hsin Chong Construction Group in 2008 by chance.
When Wang took over Hsin Chong in 2008, the company’s annual turnover merely exceeded two billion HKD; after several years of business expansion, its turnover has now increased to more than nine billion HKD. In 2008, Hsin Chong’s orders added up to three billion HKD, but now they ascended to between 27 billion to 28 billion HKD. “It will be alright even if Hsin Chong stops receiving orders in the next three years, so to speak,” said Wang confidently.
