A few days later, the wedding officially began.
Since Chen Yiyang wasn't acquainted with the couple about to get married, he just gave a not-too-expensive gift and left the wedding to attend a gathering introduced by Lawrence.
At this gathering, he met several influential local businessmen and politicians from New Zealand and established some preliminary cooperation intentions with some of them.
However, the specific cooperation plans will have to wait until Chen Yiyang's team arrives in New Zealand and formally starts investing.
"Honestly," a New Zealander in his thirties named Brian complained to Chen Yiyang, "don't you think Auckland is boring? There's nothing entertaining here."
Chen Yiyang agreed with Brian's remark.
Although it has a population of over one million, Auckland indeed lacks entertainment options.
Moreover, Auckland's security is somewhat worse compared to other New Zealand cities.
Primarily because Auckland is an immigrant city, the influx of newcomers leads to a high level of competition, and crime is quite frequent.
"So where do you want to move to?" Chen Yiyang casually asked.
"California, North America," Brian said.
"California's security isn't better than Auckland's, is it?"
"Of course not the current California, don't you know? California is working on a permanent city project.
Once this project is completed, I've decided to move to California."
"Tell me more?" Chen Yiyang hadn't really been following North American affairs recently.
"Some wealthy tech giants and capitalists are planning to build a new city in Solano County, about 120 kilometers from Silicon Valley in California.
Building this new city is from scratch. It's like a game, directly creating a city that can accommodate 400,000 people and generate tens of thousands of high-paying manufacturing jobs."
"So it's building a new area?" Chen Yiyang felt this project seemed similar to the new area planning of some first- and second-tier cities back home.
"No, no, no, it's not the same concept," Brian continued. "This city will revolutionize the traditional city building model, constructing a high-density, public transport-first, mixed-function, production-city integrated future city model."
"Wait, public transport-first?" Chen Yiyang couldn't help but ask.
As everyone knows, North America is a country on wheels. But those wheels refer to private cars.
North America's public transportation is almost non-existent.
How come they're suddenly planning to build a public transport-first city?
"Because that's the only way to ensure that outside vehicles can't freely enter this city," Brian said with a mysterious smile.
After listening to Brian's explanation, Chen Yiyang roughly understood what this California permanent city project was all about.
In South Africa, there's a place called Steyn City.
This area covers about 2,000 acres and is touted as the most luxurious and secure city in all of South Africa.
The reason this place can claim to be so safe, despite South Africa's deteriorating security, is that the wealthy people in South Africa were fed up with the worsening security and collectively funded the creation of a new living area, physically separating themselves from other South Africans.
In this city, there are independent professional security, medical, and firefighting teams, and it's off-limits to the general public.
In other words, this place is like a sci-fi movie, a top-tier city only accessible to the rich.
Clearly, the wealthy people in California feel the security and environment are worsening, so they're planning to create their own top-tier city.
Interestingly, because Silicon Valley's high-tech enterprises don't occupy much space, but have very high profits and revenue.
If this new city is indeed built, it will be more self-sufficient and sustainable compared to the wealthy residential area in South Africa.
The reason this city needs to prioritize public transportation now becomes clear as well.
Because, in that way, outsiders won't be able to drive into it.
By then, the permanent city's management will have their ways and means to circumvent legal risks, effectively isolating the outsiders who are poor.
One can only say that foreign sci-fi movies are still too realistic.
There won't be any so-called rich districts or even incidents of poorer people walking a few blocks into rich areas.
Because, in the future, it will all be rich cities.
Picture of Steyn City in South Africa.
However, Chen Yiyang had quite an enjoyable chat with this Brian.
This guy, although not very old, had already inherited the family business early on.
Even though he wishes to eat, drink, and have fun in other cities, he currently has some ambition to accomplish a few small goals before leaving New Zealand.
Chen Yiyang talked to him about Yiyang Automobile's entry into the New Zealand market, and he immediately expressed interest.
After the gathering, Brian invited Chen Yiyang to attend a local auction in Auckland.
Having nothing better to do, Chen Yiyang decided to tag along with this fellow.
In New Zealand, the indigenous Maori civilization from a few hundred years ago wasn't very advanced, leaving behind few relics or antiques.
So the items auctioned here come from countries worldwide.
Chen Yiyang even saw a Qing Dynasty huanghuali luohan bed and an antique rhino horn from Huaxia at the auction.
But he wasn't interested in these things.
Because such items are too easy to fake, especially overseas.
Don't assume that Huaxia antiques abroad are authentic. In fact, due to lagging appraisal techniques, many domestic forgery teams have long shifted their focus abroad.
Because those who purchase Huaxia artifacts overseas are either foreign collectors without appraisal ability or the newly rich who've moved abroad.
Both of these groups belong to the easier-to-swindle category in the antiques or art trading market.
Chen Yiyang was more keen on acquiring some unique items at the auction.
Just as he thought this.
The next auction item was brought out.
"Our item is a cake from a hundred years ago,"
the auctioneer started introducing this particular auction item.
"This cake was made by the Huntley & Palmers biscuit company, established in 1822, one of the world's earliest biscuit manufacturers.
According to investigations, this cake should have been taken to Antarctica around 1910 by British explorer Robert on his expedition.
Unfortunately, Robert's expedition team encountered extreme weather, forcing them to be trapped in a small cabin in eastern Antarctica, ultimately meeting their demise.
And this cake, due to this reason, was stored in Antarctica for over a hundred years, only recently discovered."
"Holy crap, a cake from a hundred years ago," Brian beside him turned to look at Chen Yiyang, "why don't we buy it, cut it open, and see how it tastes?"
