The Zhang Dynasty

摘要

It was March 2006, and more than 50 senior executives of Shenzhen Investment were gathered at Shenzhen's Kaili Hotel, along with provincial officials, bankers and consultants, to finalize the company's HK$1.2 billion ($150 million) purchase of the Jingdong Expressway, a 63-kilometer toll road in the central Chinese province of Hubei. The Hong Kong-listed conglomerate, 49.7 percent owned by the city of Shenzhen, had spent more than five months studying the highway and negotiating with government officials. The meeting was expected to observe the usual Chinese ritual of bland presentations followed by a signing ceremony and a sumptuous banquet.