Mr. Long, Elite Capitalist Rodeo Rider

Yet another of the government ship-jumpers who has turned insider’s information and connections into a lucrative business of his own, Mr. Long is in a league of his own in playing the field of land development in the Shanghai area. With his understanding of zoning bylaws, construction, and labour laws, combined with his chummy relations with the local authorities (many of whom are his ex-colleagues and classmates), he has laid claim to a large section of land in the Pudong development zone on the road between the city and the new international airport. In a matter of 10 years, he has and has transformed it from what was once a featureless expanse of rice patties into what is now a major suburban mini-city, complete with western-style malls, high-rise apartment complexes with built-in broadband internet access, two and three story independent homes, each with two car garages, and office towers overlooking it all to boot. He told me he never thought his units would sell so well, and like a true developer, has funneled much of his profits into expansion. He, and others who have made the right moves at the right time, have been so successful that the biggest current challenge is the dwindling land resources for such projects. The government is clamping down big time on allocating new land.  
 
So while the residential complex is seeing a bit of a slowdown for him, he is branching out into the hospitality industry with plans for two 3-star hotels and one 5-star hotel in the Shanghai suburbs. On top of this, he is planning a trip to North America shortly to investigate the possibility of opening Shanghai’s first “Auto Mall”. I am a little surprised Shanghai doesn’t have one yet, but would not be if Mr. Long was the first to bring that uniquely American phenomenon to Chinese shores. With so much success under his belt, it surely does seem that if he builds it, they will continue to come.

last modified Aug 28, 2004 at 19:21

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