“Strength With Peace” ─ Treasure Of Trading Between East and West

Introduction

Since China joined WTO， it has played an increasingly important role in global trade. China has demonstrated its competence in the global trade market. Wong Kam Hong， Deputy Chairman of Midland Holdings Ltd (Hereafter as Midland) believes trading not only exports goods and services， but also encourages cultural exchange. Midland and its subsidiaries is now the largest listed real estate agency in Hong Kong. Wong Kam Hong believes this is not as simple as buying and selling trading between the East and the West. To breed a kind of unique national treasure (國家資產)， we need to blend the culture of the East and the West. With reference to Wong Kam Hong’s over-30-year experience of living in Hong Kong， an international trading hub， and working in the very sophisticated real estate and finance industries. Through trading process， we can merge Tai Chi， the most powerful national asset of the East with the West’s modern business management. From that， Wong Kam Hong has already developed a set of theory - Strength With Peace (充滿和平的強勢)， a treasure of trading between East and West. In fact， the United Nations presented the International Science and Peace Week Award to Wong Kam Hong to appreciate his efforts in promoting Tai Chi and his contribution to the continuous development of harmony in the society in November 2011. Read on and find out more about Wong Kam Hong’s theory.

Wong Kam Hong believes that trading is the product of peace. Without a peaceful environment， trade cannot operate normally. However， war and peace are the problems that perplex him throughout the years. Thirty years ago， while he was still a politics reporter， he was lucky enough to have a chance to follow the news of Hong Kong hangover discussion between China and Britain where he witnessed political disputes between nations. Later on， he joined The Hong Kong Stock Exchange and some securities companies. In the world of finance， he deeply experienced the “Law of Jungle”in the global financial scene. Though military war and fights happen only in some parts of the world， a lot of disputes， fights and invisible waves exist in different areas throughout the world.

In the search for inner peace， Wong Kam Hong left Hong Kong for Australia. Unexpectedly， Wong Kam Hong came across a Chinese Tai Chi master on the continent of Australia. Tai Chi has totally changed his life as it has answered a lot of questions that he has. (Xinhua News Agency Web Page: http://www.xhmedia.com.hk)

“The philosophy and arts of Tai Chi can resolve contradictions and apply to daily lives，” said Wong Kam Hong. Tai Chi pays attentions to the nature and respects the law of nature. It also emphases being neutral， regret- less and the state of “selflessness”and see all men as brothers， this borderless state resembles “Wuji”(無極)， the highest states of Tai Chi. Science and technological advancement should not compete or destroy nature， it should respect nature. Science and technology should be able to develop with the nature and enjoy the success altogether that mean going back to the essence of Tai Chi – borderless breeds Tai Chi.

Tai Chi: resistance promises peace

Recently， a short video named “Deputy Chairman Plays Tai Chi” has bewitched Hong Kong. In the video， Wong Kam Hong leads his colleague in a Tai Chi practice. He also shows the Tai Chi arts of “Ge Shan Da Niu”(隔山打牛)， “Ying Du Ji Fei”(應肚即飛)， and “Inch punch by finger” (宇宙最強手指尖) . The show has generated immersed echo in the Hong Kong society and instantly becomes the talk of the town. The rating of the TVB program was also boosted by the presence of Wong. (http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ASlcHUi_mw )

Wong Kam Hong is the soul of the company and has busy schedule， however these have not stopped his interests in the arts of Tai Chi. “Tai Chi evolved in Chinese cultures， for example， the emphases on the law of nature and peace. It has a great impact on me in terms of attaining inner peace in a world full of complication.” Wong Kam Hong believes only a peace of mind can unleash the highest potential of Tai Chi.

“Chinese culture emphasis on peace and eclectic. Chinese do not start wars and are not interested in border expansion through violence，” said Wong. Wong Kam Hong who is interested in Chinese history enumerated the different dynasties in Chinese history， especially those harmonious times when policy holders treasure peace dearly. They adopted the policy of national integration to avoid wars in the hope of bringing peace and prosperity to the country.

Wong Kam Hong also understands the state of peacefulness in Tai Chi is not easy to achieve. “Peace may not be in place if you only wish it exist. Only when you geared up good enough for self-defense to avoid attacks， the other will notice and be aware of the consequences of infuriating you and that breed peace.”

On 4 June 2011， Wong Kam Hong was invited to participate in the “Health Express – Martial Arts Experts Gathering 2011”， a charity function. He was the only performing guests of the event where he showed audience some of the most enchanting Tai Chi including the arts of “Big Bamboo Truck”. A hefty man rushed towards Wong Kam Hong， holding a thick bamboo truck in his abdomen. Wong Kam Hong was fearless. He adjusted the inner motions. At the moment when the bamboo touched him， at that split second， the hefty man is already up in the middle of the air a few meters away.

Exaggeration always leads to crisis in the real estate market

Wong Kam Hong practices Tai Chi for over 15 years. He has obtained a certain state in the arts of Tai Chi. What is more important is that he integrates his experience in the business world with the emphasis of inner peace in Tai Chi. He applies the philosophy of Tai Chi in the workplace. He tries to spread harmony in the competitive environment of a financial center， hoping market participants can understand that exaggeration leads to crisis.

In 1997， before Wong Kam Hong joined Midland， however with his experience in the investment markets， he predicted that real estate price in Hong Kong had reached an unreasonable level and prices would fall 70%. At that time， he did not spend time selling his own properties rather he went from door to door preaching his friends with his views in the hope of minimizing their loss. Eventually， real estate prices in Hong Kong dropped 70% and a lot of people in Hong Kong had gone bankrupted and broken families are everywhere to be seen. The society is full of sadness and anger.

By that time， Wong Kam Hong had already

had enough understanding of the arts of the pursuit of inner harmony of Tai Chi. He decided to apply the arts of Tai Chi in his work. He tightly remember the law of neutral， meaning exaggeration leads to crisis and combined it with his experience in finance to contribute to building a harmonious society. Later on， he joined Midland， the leading property agent in Hong Kong. “It is because， for a lot of people in Hong Kong， property is the most important investment in one’s life. Land is precious in Hong Kong and the real estate industry is always in the spotlight. That’s why I have chosen Midland as a platform and as a property agent we hope to see stable and healthy growth in the Hong Kong property market，” said Wong. In 2003， the Hong Kong property market hit its bottom after SARS. While the market was still upset and it seemed hardly to see the light in the tunnel， Wong was the pioneer to promote that Midland’s bullish view on the property market in printed advertisements. In the advertisements， Wong ensured that the local property prices will turn around and we should no longer be pessimistic. Wong’s pioneering view had brought lives and hopes to our society and as the Central government allows individual visits of Mainlander to Hong Kong and other stimulus for the Hong Kong market， our property market started to turn and back onto the rising track. It is easy to quote another similar example， the global financial tsunami in 2008 has brought fears to the property market and a lot in the society anticipated the return of a situation similar to 1997. However， after detailed analysis， Wong Kam Hong concluded boldly that in the support of the fast-growing Chinese economy and the sound financial health of Hong Kong， the financial tsunami in 2008 is different from the Asian financial crisis in 1997 and it would not cause significant drop in the local property market but a short-term consolidation. Eventually， the property market in Hong Kong was backed on the rising track in a very short time.

However， when people in Hong Kong are mostly all optimistic in the local property market in February 2011， Wong Kam Hong warned that the real estate market was in a state of irrational as the market turnover kept to hit new heights amid the government decision on building 30，000 to 40，000 subsidized flats. Wong said， in his experience， data showed that 20，000 new flats per year are enough to cover the demand. This is obviously another example of “exaggeration leads to crisis”， the real estate market in Hong Kong may repeat itself in the year of 1997. Wong Kam Hong boldly pointed out the market situation because he hopes the property market in Hong Kong can develop steadily which will benefit our people and help to build a harmonious society. Promoting traditional wisdom in a brand new way

Besides， integrating the spirit of Tai Chi into daily work， Wong Kam Hong also brought his experience in the past within the media industry to promote the arts of Tai Chi in different platforms. As early as it is in the Tung Chee Wah era， there is a thought of promoting Tai Chi to everyone in Hong Kong. However， the plan was not as effective as expected because the conventional image of Tai Chi as old-fashioned and an activity for the elderly had limited interests in the society. And the conventional image of Tai Chi does not match Hong Kong as it is well positioned as an energetic and vibrant city in Asia.

However， Wong Kam Hong sticks to his belief in the wisdom of Tai Chi， Wong Kam Hong broke a one inch wooden board or stone with a gentle touch which also matched the energetic face of Hong Kong in a split second，. Applying the philosophy of Tai Chi in business management， in modern business term， is to do the right thing at the right time. Earlier this year， Wong Kam Hong has participated in the conferences in Guangzhou， Pazhou and Hong Kong to share his investment views and show his Tai Chi skills where he has brought new elements and insights to the audience in an investment conference. Before the conference， a lot of participants did not see the profoundness in Tai Chi and its application in investment strategies. They are enlightened and have begun to show interests in the art of Tai Chi. “People approach Tai Chi for different purposes， however， the important thing is to induce their interest to find out more. I believe after a while， they will be able to see the profoundness and inner peace in Tai Chi which are helpful in building a harmonious culture.”

In the latest Midland Financial television commercial， a group of colleague follows Wong Kam Hong in playing Tai Chi at the Golden Bauhinia Square. He slowly shows each step and movement and a feeling of Wuji was formed. Wong Kam Hong is like a gardener， he plants the seed of Tai Chi， utilizing his life and work experience to carefully nurture the essence of a harmonious society， developed a set of theory-strength with peace， hoping it will bloom in the Hong Kong society. Shape up yourself， your family， your country and then the world， this is his ideals. As the idiom said when you gave a rose， your hands are scented.