Under Hong Kong's bustling skyline, the story of the New Ngee Ann family is as colorful and complex as the city's neon lights. The names of Xiang Huaqiang, Xiang Huasheng and others are well known, and each family member seems to have their own distinct imprint in this huge gang empire.
Xiang Huayan
Xiang Huayan, as the eldest son of the long house, has always been the pride of the family. He wore a pair of round glasses, which earned him the nickname "Four-Eyed Dragon".
With the support of his father's confidant Lin Jing and others, Xiang Huayan skillfully used the resources of his family and community to develop the New Ngee An Gang into Hong Kong's premier association, involved in many industries and achieved significant influence in them. However, the "dragon head case" that occurred in 1986 became a turning point in Xiang Huayan's life.
The massive police operation led to his arrest and 22-month detention along with several gang leaders. After being released from prison, Xiang Huayan began to gradually step back from the daily affairs of the gang, handed over the management to his second son, and began to engage in more legitimate business activities, leading Xin Ngee An to carry out a series of transformation attempts.
Today, Xiang Huayan has been away from the inner circle of the gang most of the time. He can occasionally be seen at the gatherings of some old friends, or at important events in the community such as weddings or funerals. On these occasions, he always wears neat traditional Chinese clothes, maintains a low-key and dignified posture, and briefly communicates with old friends to reminisce about the past years.
Xiang Hualing
Xiang Hualing has always maintained a low-key attitude to life, she has not participated in the family affairs like other family members, and has not benefited from the family's power and wealth. Her life is relatively ordinary, and she occasionally mentions her family in interviews, mainly about her brother's deeds and family dynamics, and tries to avoid the details of her personal life.
Xiang Hualing's married life was not satisfactory, her husband was a gambler and was addicted to gambling for many years, which led to the family's financial situation deteriorating, and eventually she was saddled with huge debts. As a result, her life was fraught with financial pressure, and her family was often struggling with debt collection.
Fortunately, after the death of her husband, although gambling debts stopped growing, Xiang Hualing's financial situation was still bad. Her children did not care much about her life, which left her almost helpless in her later years. Xiang Hualing had no choice but to live in a low-cost apartment, which had poor facilities and a cramped environment.
Xiang Huarong
Xiang Huarong has always maintained a low-key posture in the family. Indeed, in a large family with a clear leader, he does not need to say much, and his role is more inclined to support him silently behind the scenes. Compared to the rest of the family, Xiang Huarong's career chose a different path - he became a real estate businessman.
As a real estate developer, Xiang Huarong has a keen observation and decision-making ability of market trends. He regularly appears at various land auctions, participating in bidding and negotiations. The walls of his office are covered with blueprints for various real estate projects and plans for urban development.
His office is housed in a modern high-rise in the heart of the city, with a view of the city's skyline from the window, and each building could be his next investment target.
Although making money does not seem to be a problem for him, he does not flaunt his wealth. He was dressed modestly, often in standard business attire – a fitted suit and a simple tie. In industry conferences or in public, he is always humble to exchange information and share industry insights with his peers, but never reveals too much about his specific operations.
Xiang Huaguang
After graduating from the University of Hong Kong, Xiang Huaguang originally relied on his own training courses to make small achievements in the education industry, and the training courses were well-known in the local area for their high-quality courses and teaching quality, attracting the attention of many students and parents. However, as the family's demand for him increased, he had to put his business aside for the time being and return to the family's core business.
After returning to the family, the eldest brother Xiang Huayan quickly handed over the responsibility of managing entertainment venues such as hotels, KTVs, nightclubs, and dance halls. These venues are often high-traffic and complex, making them challenging to manage. In order to effectively manage these busy and manpower places, Xiang Huaguang has adopted an innovative management model - "raising soldiers on the field".
He incorporated entertainment venue staff, such as security guards, waiters, and technical support, into the family's community, which not only addressed staffing needs, but also strengthened the organization's cohesion and loyalty. This strategy has made Xiang Huaguang more comfortable in management, and at the same time, it has also strengthened the community's control over these entertainment venues.
The entertainment venue grew in his hands and became one of the important sources of income for the family. However, such a high-intensity and high-pressure way of working took a toll on his health. In 2016, Xiang Huaguang passed away due to illness at the age of 74, leaving behind his huge contribution to the family business and a profound impact on the entertainment industry.
Xiang Huajiao
As one of the daughters of the Xiang family, Xiang Huajiao has always maintained a high degree of privacy and mystery. Unlike her father and brothers, who were prominent in public and frequently appeared in media reports, she almost never appeared in the public eye, and people outside her family knew little about her, and even her photos were hard to find.
Although her information is scarce, it is occasionally mentioned in her sister's interview with Hua Ling. According to Xiang Hualing, although the two are very low-key, the relationship between the sisters is very close, and they will regularly arrange private meetings to spend time together. These meetings usually take place in the family's private premises, away from the public eye.
In these private gatherings, Xiang Huajiao and Xiang Hualing participate in some light-hearted activities together, such as cooking family dishes together or taking a walk in the family garden and enjoying each other's company. These meeting places are usually chosen in a spacious family-owned courtyard surrounded by lush vegetation that guarantees the necessary privacy and tranquility.
Although Xiang Huajiao's public identity is almost blank, her existence and activities are only slightly revealed in Xiang Hualing's occasional conversations, and this mysterious preservation also makes her a curious presence in the family. Her intimate relationship with Xiang Hualing has become a warm touch in the family story, although the outside world knows almost nothing about her.
Xiang Huabo
Xiang Huabo, who has long played a key role in the family, as Xiang Huayan's younger brother and right-hand man, his influence in New Ngee An is second only to that of his eldest brother. In the gang, he was honored as "Uncle Bo" or "Seventh Master", and these titles reflected his authority and respect in the community.
In the management of gang affairs, his decisions and actions have always been decisive and effective, which has made him famous both inside and outside the gang. However, after the "dragon head case", Xiang Huabo also began to feel the pressure and danger of gang life, which prompted him to make changes.
Soon after the case, he decided to wash his hands and quit gang life to devote himself to business. He used his connections and experience in gangs to quickly gain a foothold in the business world and start running legitimate businesses that had nothing to do with gang activities, such as real estate and import-export trade.
In 2017, Xiang Huabo, who was seventy years old, married Li Li, who was 22 years younger than him. The wedding was held in the banquet hall of a high-end hotel, and the scene was grand and elegant. The hotel's ballroom is decorated with delicate flowers and soft lighting, creating a warm and romantic atmosphere.
Guests were dressed in formal attire, ladies wore delicate jewelry, and gentlemen wore crisp suits. At the wedding, Xiang Huabo and Li Li exchanged rings amid the blessings of relatives and friends, the bride was dressed in a gorgeous wedding dress, and the groom was wearing a traditional suit, looking radiant.
Xiang Huakun
Xiang Huakun did get involved in the family's business activities when he was young, and he often appeared in various family affairs in the early days, whether it was meetings or negotiations, he was active in them. Over time, however, he gradually shifted his focus to the jewelry industry, a very different field from the family's traditional activities.
Not only did he succeed in "whitewashing" his past influences, but he also established himself as a prominent jewelry merchant. Today, Xiang Huakun owns a high-end jewelry store that displays carefully selected gems and jewelry from around the world. Located in the city's upscale business district, his shop is elegantly decorated with soft lighting and designed to highlight the brilliance and details of his jewelry.
The store's glass vitrines are filled with jewelry, from classic diamond necklaces to chic gemstone rings, each piece showcasing exquisite craftsmanship and unparalleled beauty.
By adhering to high standards of product quality and excellent customer service, Xiang Huakun's business has flourished, and his jewelry store has become a well-known high-end jewelry shopping destination in the city. He managed to position himself as an important figure in the jewelry industry, while also completely rewriting the trajectory of his life, living a peaceful and fulfilling life.
To gorgeous
Xiang Huali's name is little known in the family, and this is because she has remained relatively estranged from the family. Her lifestyle and choices are very different from her family's traditions. Xiang Huali chose a completely different path, living on the other side of the city, far from the core of the family's activities.
Although Xiang Huali is not closely related to the family, she occasionally appears at some important family gatherings, usually at the invitation of her sister Xiang Hualing. On these occasions, Xiang Huali always wears simple and elegant clothing, and her appearance is always brief and low-key. Her communication with family members is polite and detached, and she prefers to be observant rather than engaged.
Xiang Huaqiang
Xiang Huaqiang was an active film actor in his youth, and his screen image was varied, from tough guys to comedic roles. This acting career has accumulated considerable popularity and influence for him. However, as time passed, Xiang Huaqiang's interest began to shift to the business sector.
He used the connections and influence he had built in the entertainment industry to start his corporate journey step by step. Xiang Huaqiang established his own company, focusing on the diversified development of the entertainment industry, covering film production, artist management and related media services.
The company's offices are housed in a modern business building, designed to be both stylish and artistic, with posters of his past films and photos with many stars on the walls, witnessing his transition from film to business. Despite Xiang Huaqiang's successful transformation into a businessman, there is still a lot of speculation and discussion among the public and the media about his possible connection to the underworld in the past.
Whenever faced with an interview, Xiang Huaqiang always responded firmly that he had never been involved in any activities of the underworld. He often emphasizes in interviews that his success is entirely dependent on formal business practices and perseverance. He likes to use the phrase "the benevolent see the benevolent, the wise see the wise" to respond to all kinds of speculation about his past life and express an open attitude to such issues.
Xiang Huaguo
Xiang Huaguo has always occupied an important position in the New Ngee An community with his calm character. As early as 1986, before the outbreak of the "dragon head case", he was trusted by his eldest brother Xiang Huayan to handle the internal affairs of the association, which were complex and required a high degree of confidentiality and decisiveness.
When the "dragon head case" led to the arrest of Xiang Huayan and several other high-ranking members, there was a power vacuum within the association. At this time, Su Long, a veteran member of the society, tried to seize the opportunity to seize power. In the face of this internal crisis, China has demonstrated its ability to deal with the crisis.
He acted quickly, first contacting several brothers outside, who were his companions who had grown up with them, and who were very responsive to the summons to Hua Guo. At the same time, Xiang Huaguo also contacted several older generation members of the community who were left behind by his father, and although these people have retired to the background, they still have a high status and influence in the community.
Through his efforts, a potential civil war was averted and the stability of the community was quickly restored. When Xiang Huayan was released from prison, he saw Xiang Huaguo's performance in the crisis and trusted him even more.
Under the guidance of Xiang Huayan, the association began to gradually withdraw from illegal activities and turn to legal business. In the process, Xiang Huaguo also found his new direction, and he became a major shareholder of a listed company.
Xiang Huamin
Although Xiang Huamin is a member of the New Ngee An Society, he is relatively little involved in the affairs of the Society, and his main focus is on his own business activities. He runs a medium-sized trading company specializing in import and export, dealing with a wide variety of commodities, from household appliances to stationery, and despite the small size of the business, he manages it well and steadily.
In addition to doing business, Xiang Huamin has a strong interest in martial arts, and this interest has almost reached the level of enthusiasm. Not only did he teach himself a variety of martial arts, but he also opened a martial arts gym dedicated to the inheritance and promotion of traditional Chinese martial arts.
With a simple décor and walls covered with photos of various martial arts masters and posters of the history of Chinese martial arts, this martial arts gym offers a variety of martial arts classes, from the basic Tai Chi to the more advanced Shaolin Kung Fu.
Xiang Huasheng
Xiang Huasheng, as the youngest of the thirteen children of the Xiang family, has shown extraordinary business talent since he was a child. Together with his brother Xiang Huaqiang, he co-founded Yongsheng Film Company, which soon became an important force in the Chinese-language film industry.
Under their leadership, Yongsheng Film Company not only released a series of commercially successful films, but also cultivated and promoted a number of stars, including Stephen Chow and Zhang Min, who later shined in the film industry and became the darlings of audiences.
After a series of achievements in the film industry, in 1993, Xiang Huasheng decided to change his career trajectory, and he gradually withdrew from the busy film industry to devote himself to the financial market and gambling. His business reach has reached Macau's casinos, and through shrewd investment and operation, he has also earned handsome returns in this field.
Although Xiang Huasheng's career is diversified, he has always maintained a high degree of enthusiasm and forward-looking, and has performed well in the stock market and casinos. His office is filled with charts of various stock transactions and casino business reports, and the walls are hung with classic movie posters of Yongsheng Films, which bear witness to his colorful career and tireless struggle.
However, genius often comes with tragedy. In 2014, Xiang Huasheng died of advanced esophageal cancer at the age of 64.
The mysterious eldest daughter
Among the large family of the Xiang family, there is a daughter who is particularly mysterious, she is one of the four daughters of Xiangxiang, but there is extremely little specific information about her. She is rarely mentioned by members of the family, and her name and rank are unknown. The only clues come from brothers such as Xiang Huaqiang and Xiang Huasheng, who often refer to Xiang Hualing as "eldest sister" in public.
However, Xiang Hualing made it clear in an interview that she was "the second miss of the Xiang family", which aroused the curiosity of the outside world about the family ranking. This suggests that above her, there is at least one older sister.
The situation of the "missing" eldest sister has become a mystery: she may have died at a young age, or chose a life of seclusion, away from the public eye, so she left almost no trace in the media and the public.
At family gatherings and public events, members of the Xiang family always avoid talking about the eldest sister, which makes her existence even more confusing. The older generation of the family occasionally mentioned her in private, but they always downplayed it and never discussed it in depth, as if they jointly maintained an unwritten tacit understanding to prevent the outside world from seeing her information.
Although the details of the eldest sister's life are unknown, her mysterious identity adds a touch of mystery to the story of the Xiang family. In the eyes of the outside world, she has become an unsolved mystery in the family, adding depth and complexity to the legend of the Xiang family.
Resources:
- Wang Zhe,Xiaoli.Xiang Huaqiang, casual play is fun, Chen Mingying, Yi Yuan does himself[J].Xinhua Airlines,2008,0(11):61-6260