Chapter 42: Haicheng Grand Restaurant Nightclub

Chen Hao never expected that Xiang Zhiqiu would actually take him to attend a gathering of the "Ocean City Club"!

The "Ocean City Club" was currently the most elite circle of tycoons in Hong Kong!

Virtually all members of the "Ocean City Club" were Hong Kong's top billionaires, and the vast majority of them were real estate magnates!

The "Ocean City Club" was originally founded in the 1960s by a group of Hong Kong real estate heavyweights!

At first, it was not called the "Ocean City Club," but rather the "Han Palace Club," because these real estate giants frequently gathered at the "Han Palace Nightclub," which gave birth to the name "Han Palace Club."

In 1979, the Ocean City Restaurant and Nightclub opened, and from then on, these real estate tycoons shifted their gatherings to the Ocean City Restaurant and Nightclub.

Consequently, the "Han Palace Club" evolved into what is known today as the "Ocean City Club"!

The initial core members of the "Ocean City Club" included: Kwok Tak-seng, the head of Sun Hung Kai Properties; Chan Tak-tai, the founder of Tat Cheong Properties; and Pang Kwok-chun, the founder of K. Wah Properties!

These three were known as the "Iron Triangle" of the "Ocean City Club"!

However, Chan Tak-tai passed away from illness in 1981, and Pang Kwok-chun also passed away from illness in 1983!

With two of the Iron Triangle gone, the strength of the "Ocean City Club" had been considerably weakened!

Furthermore, around this time, newly emerging real estate magnates such as Cheng Yu-tung, the head of New World Development, and Li Ka-shing, the head of Cheung Kong Holdings, began to rise, further accelerating the decline of the "Ocean City Club"!

Nevertheless, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse!

As one of the founders of the "Ocean City Club," Kwok Tak-seng remained one of the preeminent real estate titans in Hong Kong at this time.

Moreover, newly rising property tycoons like Li Ka-shing and Cheng Yu-tung would occasionally attend the gatherings of the "Ocean City Club." Although they were not core members, they were nonetheless among the club's ranks!

Therefore, the "Ocean City Club" during this period still retained a certain degree of influence!

"You've actually heard of the 'Ocean City Club'?"

Xiang Zhiqiu looked at Chen Hao with some surprise.

Just now, he had merely asked casually!

Although the "Ocean City Club" was currently the ultimate circle of high society in Hong Kong, the organization had always maintained an air of extreme secrecy.

Anyone outside this social stratum would typically have no inkling that such an organization even existed!

He never imagined that Chen Hao, an illegal immigrant from the mainland, would actually know about the "Ocean City Club"!

After a moment of thought, he decided to test him to see if Chen Hao truly understood the club.

Thus, he asked, "Can you tell me something about the origins of the 'Ocean City Club'?"

"Actually, I don't know all that much either!"

"If I get anything wrong, please don't laugh at me!"

"As far as I know, the 'Ocean City Club' was originally called the 'Han Palace Club,' and it was initiated by Mr. Kwok Tak-seng, the head of Sun Hung Kai Properties; Mr. Chan Tak-tai, the founder of Tat Cheong Properties; and Mr. Pang Kwok-chun, the founder of K. Wah Properties..."

Chen Hao recounted the origins of the "Ocean City Club" to the best of his knowledge, one detail at a time.

This left Xiang Zhiqiu feeling thoroughly astonished.

He had not expected Chen Hao to be genuinely so well-versed in the background of the "Ocean City Club."

While they were talking, they had already arrived at the entrance of the New World Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui.

The Ocean City Restaurant and Nightclub was located on the third floor of the New World Centre!

The New World Centre was built in 1978 by "New World Development," founded by the rising real estate tycoon Cheng Yu-tung!

Guided by Xiang Zhiqiu, Chen Hao arrived at the Ocean City Restaurant and Nightclub on the third floor of the New World Centre.

Ever since its opening, this nightclub had consistently ranked as one of the premier Chinese-style nightclubs in Hong Kong.

Chinese-style nightclubs evolved from Western-style nightclubs and typically offered Chinese dinners and banquets!

Many nightclubs also featured dance floors for patrons to dance!

Large-scale events for many groups or commercial institutions, such as anniversary banquets, were frequently held in nightclubs during this era.

Furthermore, before performance venues like the Coliseum and the Queen Elizabeth Stadium were built, many popular pop stars often held concert performances right inside nightclubs!

Even after performance venues like the Coliseum and Queen Elizabeth Stadium were established, quite a few singers still chose to hold concerts in nightclubs.

As one of Hong Kong's top-tier establishments, the Ocean City Restaurant and Nightclub naturally became the preferred venue for many stars to host their concerts!

For instance, the legendary Paula Tsui, who sang "Season of Wind" and "Smooth and Rough Tides," once held a staggering 42 consecutive sold-out concerts at the Ocean City Nightclub in 1984!

Additionally, Joseph Koo, acclaimed as the "Godfather of Hong Kong Cantopop" who composed countless classic songs such as "The Long Road Ahead with You" and "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" themes, even worked as the bandleader here during the early days of the nightclub's opening!

Roman Tam and Jenny Tseng, who performed the theme song "Iron Blood and Dan Xin" for the 1983 version of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes," also frequently held concerts at the Ocean City Nightclub!

In 1988, Danny Chan also hosted a two-week concert series at the Ocean City Nightclub, which was packed to capacity every single night!

Of course, the current year was 1987, and Danny Chan had not yet held his concerts at the Ocean City Nightclub!

In short: the influence of the Ocean City Nightclub at this time was immense, and the ability to perform on stage at Ocean City served as a status symbol of popularity and box-office drawing power!

Chen Hao followed Xiang Zhiqiu into the Ocean City Restaurant and Nightclub.

The place was a dazzling world of neon lights and bustling with patrons everywhere!

A large number of guests had gathered around a stage, where several attractive young women were performing.

"The 'Miss Hong Kong' pageant is currently underway in Hong Kong!"

"Many of the contestants frequently come here to perform various acts to boost their popularity and public profile!"

Xiang Zhiqiu glanced at the young beauties performing on stage and said with a smile to Chen Hao behind him.

"Ah!"

Chen Hao nodded, following behind Xiang Zhiqiu while gazing at the young beauties performing on the stage.

Just at that moment, he caught sight of a very familiar beauty!

That beauty looked remarkably like... the "Sex Goddess" Chingmy Yau!

He paused in his tracks, wanting to take a closer look to see if this beauty really was Chingmy Yau, only to find that she was blocked from view by other women.

Right then, Xiang Zhiqiu, who was walking ahead, turned around and said to him, "Little Chen, hurry up and keep up!"

"Ah, I'm coming!"

Chen Hao hurriedly quickened his pace to catch up with Xiang Zhiqiu.

"President Xiang, you're here!"

A floor manager of the nightclub spotted Xiang Zhiqiu and promptly greeted him with deep respect.

Xiang Zhiqiu nodded slightly.

Noticing the unfamiliar face of Chen Hao standing behind Xiang Zhiqiu, the manager asked, "President Xiang, who might this be...?"

"Oh, this is a young friend I just made," Xiang Zhiqiu explained.

Then, he turned and asked the manager, "Has President Kwok arrived?"

"Yes, he is already in the private room," the manager nodded.