Tang Junnian is from Nanhui (Editor's note: now part of Pudong New Area), born in Shanghai in 1948, and moved to Hong Kong with his father at the age of four.

Image courtesy of the official WeChat account "Pudong United Front."

　　“One day in 1986, just when life was settling down nicely for us in Taiwan, my husband asked me to move to Hong Kong with our two children.”—a rather unusual “opening line” from Xu Feng, Chairwoman of the Swire Group.
At the Shanghai United Front Exchange Meeting held on November 29, 2020, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Pudong's development and opening-up, Xu Feng shared the story of how foreign investment first entered Pudong back then.
　　Mr. Tang Junnian is from Nanhui (Editor's note: now part of Pudong New Area). Born in Shanghai in 1948, he moved to Hong Kong with his father at the age of four and later settled there before eventually pursuing opportunities in Taiwan, where he went on to marry Xu Feng.
　　When Tang Junnian suggested moving to Hong Kong, Xu Feng didn’t understand. “He explained to me that our purpose in going to Hong Kong was to ‘keep one foot in Hong Kong while keeping our eyes firmly on the mainland.’ But deep down, I still felt puzzled. He went on to clarify that in the 21st century, the world’s greatest hope lies in China’s vast inland regions—and that China will never backtrack on its path of development. Before long, the mainland’s economy is set to take off spectacularly. And Hong Kong? Well, it serves as the bottleneck connecting the mainland to the global stage. So by coming here, we’re essentially positioning ourselves to invest back on the mainland in the future.”
　　Sure enough, by 1990, Zhu Rongji, then Secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee, visited Hong Kong to promote Shanghai's Pudong development and opening-up policy. Coupled with the warming atmosphere of cross-strait cooperation following the Wang-Koo talks in 1992, relations between mainland China and Taiwan continued to grow more cordial. It was at this point that Tang Junnian resolved to return to his hometown for a visit. "My husband has always believed that the roots of the Tomson Group lie firmly in the land of Pudong," he said.
　　In early 1992, Xu Feng was filming "Farewell My Concubine" in Beijing when Tang Junnian traveled north to visit the set—and was warmly received by Wang Zhaoguo, then Director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council. Wang Zhaoguo suggested that Tang might also take a look around Shanghai. In Shanghai, Tang was later greeted by Huang Ju, who at the time served as Mayor of Shanghai, and who provided him with an insightful overview of the city’s recent developments, as well as its ambitious long-term plans for Pudong.
　　Back then, Lujiazui didn’t have any skyscrapers—indeed, the Oriental Pearl Tower had only four towering pillars. Aside from a few piers along the river and some small construction sites, much of the area was still farmland. Mr. and Mrs. Xu Feng took a long drive to reach the plot they’d just won at an auction for $30.9 million—and when they arrived, they found the reeds taller than themselves. "My husband simply said to me, 'This is exactly where our future golf course and villas will be.' As someone deeply involved in film and art, I’m naturally quite imaginative. But hearing that, my legs immediately went weak, and I nearly stumbled. It was truly beyond anything I could’ve ever imagined."
　　"I simply asked him, 'Why not invest in Puxi? Don't Shanghai residents always say they’d rather have a bed in Puxi?' At that moment, he said something to me: 'Puxi is already a beautifully painted picture, while Pudong is a blank canvas—so it’s entirely up to you how you choose to bring it to life.'" Xu Feng added, "He had already made up his mind to stay and committed to making a long-term investment in Pudong."
　　In Xu Feng's view, (Tang Junnian) chose to invest in Shanghai and Pudong primarily because he recognized the city's promising development prospects. Shanghai is the economic leader of the Yangtze River basin, boasting access to China's top-tier talent pool. Moreover, Shanghai boasts a high degree of internationalization, creating limitless business opportunities. Perhaps most valuable of all is the Shanghai municipal government—known for its standardized processes, remarkable efficiency, and an impressive vision coupled with remarkable openness and ambition.
　　In 1997, during the Asian financial crisis, banks across the region were forced to "collect their umbrellas" from developers caught in the "rain," leaving Hong Kong and Taiwan's property markets in a deep slump. Tomson Properties faced immense financial pressure in both Hong Kong and Taiwan—and for a time, international media even joked that Tomson had become "the biggest investor stuck in a losing position." At the time, Tomson Group Chairman Tomson Junnian openly discussed the crisis he was confronting with leaders of Pudong New Area, which caught the attention of Vice Mayor Zhao Qizheng. In response, Zhao Qizheng emphasized that Shanghai’s municipal government was Pudong’s largest developer, and developing Pudong remained a long-term policy—something that would continue to see sustained investment in the future. He expressed hope that Tomson, along with Shanghai and Pudong, could work together to overcome the challenges and move forward hand in hand.
　　To weather the crisis, Tang Junnian immediately returned to Hong Kong and sold off his real estate projects and three publicly listed companies in order to keep operations running smoothly in Shanghai. "I believe this stems from Mr. Tang’s deep affection for his hometown—but more importantly, I think he has immense trust in Shanghai’s leadership."

(Source: Shanghai Observer News, Author: Zhang Jun)