“When we started out, we were among the first. Beijing had no and Shanghai had very few large buildings. At that time, it was all about building, building, building - and then selling, selling, selling. We were working like a manufacturer. Soon, however, we realized that land was running out in Beijing and Shanghai. So we started keeping our buildings, and managing and renting them out. We became landowners. That was the second act.” FirstsRunningLandBuildingSellingBeijingShanghai Author:Zhang Xin
“I am a runner. Last October, there was a marathon here in Beijing. I didn't participate this time, but friends told me that the run wasn't prepared too well. The organizers had only arranged about three hours' worth of food and water supplies. Most people don't finish within three hours, however. Too bad for them - or so it seemed. In fact, however, even those finishing last were perfectly taken care of, particularly during the fourth and fifth hour when demand is highest.” PeopleWellsFactsCareRunningLastsThreeWaterHoursTakenDemandHighestPreparedFourthRunnersFifthMarathonFinishingOctoberSuppliesOrganizerBeijing Author:Zhang Xin
“When we started out, we didn't really think that the era of great opportunity would end one day. We were much too busy developing our companies. But in today's China you can build a city, even a mega-city like Beijing or Shanghai, within 10 or 15 years. And then you are done. So in real estate development, the Gründerzeit is over. But that is not the case in other sectors.” ThinkingYearsRealEndsDoneTodayOpportunityCitiesCompanyCasesDevelopmentOne DayBusyChinaDevelopingErasEstatesToo BusyGreat OpportunityBeijingMegaShanghai Author:Zhang Xin
“Our company has only been active in Beijing and Shanghai, two very market-dominated cities. This was an advantage. Land is purchased here in public auctions, in a transparent way. When you do real estate development outside Beijing and Shanghai it is good to have "guanxi" - good relations within the local government.” WayTwoRealGovernmentCitiesCompanyLandDevelopmentAdvantageRelationActiveLocalsEstatesTransparentBeijingAuctionsLocal GovernmentShanghai Author:Zhang Xin
