Allan Zeman, the father of Hong Kong’s famed Lan Kwai Fong nightlife district, has had the most extraordinary career: born in Germany and raised in Montreal, he made his first million in Hong Kong by the age of 20. Today, he is one of Hong Kong's most prominent businessmen. In 2008, he gave up his Canadian citizenship and became a naturalized citizen of the People’s Republic of China. Access the full podcast at reorientpodcast.com.

Show Notes:

01:30 AZ describes his youth as a newspaper boy and retail salesman in Montreal.

06:38 AZ on how he made his first million.

06:50 AZ on how the Canadian taxman prompted him to move to the other side of the world.

11:46 AZ on the the secret to doing business across cultures.

15:20 AZ on the beginning’s of Hong Kong’s storied nightlife district, Lan Kwai Fong.

24:12 AZ on taking Ocean Park into battle with Disney and winning.

31:39 AZ on how to take care of your money.

35:40 AZ on being on the factory floors of the New Territories versus the clubby world of Hong Kong.

40:08 AZ on his momentous decision to give up his Canadian passport and become a Chinese citizen.

43:15 AZ on why China seems to be on track to overtake the American economy.

54:36 AZ on the current situation in Hong Kong.

57:25 AZ on the Greater Bay Area.

01:03:18 AZ on the current wave of out-migration from Hong Kong.

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