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2005年的一天，赵勇正在墨尔本球场挥杆击球，墨尔本球场广袤无垠，新鲜的空气中混杂着青草香，鲜绿的球场与远处的大海交织成了一幅美丽的风景画。在前一天，赵勇搭乘的公务机刚刚降落在墨尔本机场，结束了一整天繁忙的工作后，他要好好享受一下业余生活。
皇家墨尔本球场在全球范围内也属顶级球场，在澳大利亚1400多个球场中名列前茅。在这里打球，赵勇身边并没有球童，周围打球的人大多也是如此，都是拖着放球杆的小车行走在绿色的草坪上。“在国内，没有一座球场不是球童围着你转，越高端的球场越是如此。而在这座全球著名的球场，人们更愿意享受高尔夫本身的乐趣，没有球童，没有人围着你转，令你觉得美妙的仅仅是打球。”赵勇认为，这样的差别意味着人们对奢侈不同的定义，作为一名奢侈品生活的创造者，他更青睐后一种态度。
赵勇并不像很多高尔夫客那样，刻意飞去世界各地打著名的球场。但每次出国，他都会带上球杆和差杆证。“遇到好的球场就顺便打球，特别是在忙碌的工作之后，能够回归大自然、休息打球，比起专程飞来飞去地打球，我想这样的心态更加奢侈。”就这样，利用到各国考察的机会，赵勇打了众多全球著名的球场。他很喜欢在忙碌的工作中保持这种“匀速”状态，不会刻意而为，只是顺其自然地享受生活。
即便在自己购买公务机之后，这种“匀速”的生活节奏也没有改变。2011年，赵勇购买了一架湾流550，但除了家庭旅行，这家公务机对他来说主要是交通工具。
乘坐自己的飞机往来于全球众多知名城市进行商务洽谈。每当工作结束之后，他都要花时间去当地著名的地方，或打打高尔夫球，或参观当地的博物馆。他说，真正享受生活就是在忙碌的工作后，抽出时间进行各种体验，而不是刻意追求和炫耀某一种奢侈生活。就像他在忙里偷闲中打打高尔夫，才是心中真正的奢侈生活。
旅行：是工作，亦是生活
工作之余，赵勇喜欢到各处旅游，因为这既是工作，也是他独特生活的一部分。一次在欧洲，赵勇发现酒店工作人员在他房间里为他特意放置了荞麦皮枕头。为什么这样高级的酒店会放一个荞麦枕头呢？询问得知，为了缓解住客的旅途疲劳，利用荞麦枕头加速头部血液微循环、促进睡眠的功效，酒店特意做了这样的安排。这个细节给了赵勇很大的触动，可见顶级酒店的奢华并非仅仅是昂贵，细致入微地去为客户着想，为客户提供更多选择，同样也是奢侈的表现。“生活中的所谓奢华，其实就是拥有更多选择生活方式的权利，找到自己感觉舒适的生活方式。”
如今最令赵勇感觉舒适的生活就是简单、舒适。就像接受采访时他的一身穿着：素雅的西装，简单中流露着低调的奢华。或许这也是他生活态度的最好投影，不炫耀，又轻松随意。
他认为，奢侈品其实都是在为生活服务，如果生活自在惬意，奢侈品就没有必要执着地追求。但作为中国大陆会所文化的开拓者之一，当时长安俱乐部吸引了李嘉诚、霍英东等众多国内顶级财富人纷纷加入，如何为这些人打造顶级生活方式，对奢侈生活，就必须“多少懂一点”。
而这“一点”，其实就代表了当时国内的奢侈生活水平。因为如今看起来“金碧辉煌”的长安俱乐部和金宝街，在当时都需要赵勇一步步探索建造。他也在这样的工作方式中努力寻找快乐。在辛苦的工作中，利用工作之余观察和探究各地的生活文化，则成了赵勇享受生活的方式。
奢侈请勿模仿
2004年，赵勇来到了纽约著名的第五大道，那段时间他正在为刚刚动土修建的金宝街考察世界各地的著名景点。纽约第五大道地处美国纽约曼哈顿的中轴线，因其汇聚了众多奢侈品大牌和顶级生活方式，被誉为全球十大租金最昂贵商业街之一。步行在这里，街道的很多设计细节令他印象深刻，当时路面上使用了一种特殊材质的塑胶地砖，观光马车可以在这种地方的路面上自由行走。
“当时我就想把它照搬到金宝街的路面上”。然而在最终的建设中，“让金宝街上跑马车”的想法并没有达成，“我发现那种东西在中国没有文化根基，只能作为炫富的摆设，而真正的奢侈生活绝不仅是追求表面的奢华，需要深层的文化内涵”。
这种文化根基，在赵勇看来是对中国人消费观念和传统文化的理解。所以欧式马车尽管很奢侈，却无法反映人们心中的文化归属感。他发现传统文化才是奢侈生活的“文化黏合剂”，而他寻觅的文化归属感则来自传统的紫檀艺术品。每天下班后，赵勇都要回到自己位于紫檀博物馆的家中，在感受传统文化的同时，也更利于其思考国人内心深处的生活诉求。
公务机与家庭“奢侈品”
两年前，赵勇购买了自己的第一架公务机，他可以更方便地飞往世界各地考察。他说自己对公务机“一开始会感觉神秘，可使用之后就感觉没那么特别了”。因为他不想刻意追求所谓的公务机生活，但公务机带给他的舒适便利，却在他自己的家庭出游中得到了最好的体现。
有时去各地出差旅行，赵勇也会带上家人一同前往。比如一次搭乘公务机飞往肯尼亚，赵勇和家人近距离地观察到了那里的野生动物，尽管旅途十分辛苦，“但很多稀奇古怪的东西还是会让你感觉很新鲜。”后来到阿根廷看冰川，到北海道玩滑雪……每次在不同的地方感受家庭生活的魅力，赵勇都能获得不一样的感悟。
赵勇对家庭有着自然的担当，如今除了自己必须要承担的家族事业，他最重视的还是家庭。每天回到家中，关掉手机，忘掉奢侈品，不再去想工作，这是赵勇最喜欢的生活方式，“有时幸福很简单，就是一家人聚在一起简单地吃个饭”。赵勇说，如今能令自己开心的事，不是自己的商业规模，更不是自己拥有的资产数量，“对我来说，现在最快乐的事就是每天下班回家看见我儿子，因为家庭才是我最大的收获。”
2012年8月，赵勇在美国读书的女儿放暑假回到家，一个大家庭难得凑在一起，于是赵勇策划了一次马尔代夫的家庭出游。“你别看是家庭旅游，找个时间凑齐所有人挺不容易的。”而公务机为这本不容易的家庭之旅提供了交通上的最大便利。“家人的行程时间完全由自己决定，方便，省去了很多麻烦。”那次旅行，公务机已不仅是他口中的一种交通工具，更是一种可以将家庭成员聚拢在一起的黏合剂，而家庭，才是赵勇心中最大的奢侈品。 Q&A
Q：勇：我更像一位设计师
你如何看待公务机这种生活方式？
A：有些人买公务机为了显示自己，我认为这样就错了。其实大可不必把它看得那么神秘，公务机就是一件交通工具，用着方便，这点才是最重要的。反正我买这个东西是跟我自己的需求有关，比如它可以更加方便地安排我的行程；利用公务机的私密空间进行商业洽谈。它甚至是一种体验，我可以根据这种体验更好地与我的客户进行沟通。
Q：打造了金宝街，又引入了众多奢侈品品牌，生活中的你是什么样的？
A：可能是我性格的原因，我不是那种在生活方面很奢侈的人，这和我创造的生活方式有很大的不同。不一定自己创造出来的就一定是自己享受的，比如很多设计师设计出房子不一定要自己住。我就像这样一个设计师，盖了很多房子，感觉盖好了，就要离开它。但别人在享受它的时候会对它有评价，比如有人说我创造的东西好，我就会很享受这样的感觉。
Q：多人称您是“儒商”，您在生活中对文化的追求有哪些具体的表现？
A：我喜欢把很多好的东西整合到一起，做出心仪的作品给别人，这种整合就十分需要文化内核。对我个人而言，我喜欢到很多国外的城市去感悟这种文化内核，例如学习一个地方最好的建筑，最好的商业街、商场，最好的公园、博物馆，其实这些都是在学习那里的文化。
Q：的房子下面有酒窖，您是不是也很懂酒文化？
A：我个人非常认可葡萄酒文化。酒是社交场上的重要媒介，是否懂酒能体现出一个人的品位，研究得多了，与人交流的话题就多了。比如当人家问你这酒为什么好，你要说出个所以然来，到底是土质原因还是什么，都有很深的文化。懂酒需要一个过程，我自己也收藏葡萄酒，各大酒庄的酒几乎都有，但我藏酒不仅仅为了存放，只有不断地喝，藏酒才有意思。
It was a common day in 2005. Zhao Yong was waving his golf club at the ROYAL Melbourne. He arrived here the day before for a busy day’s work. Now he was going to enjoy his spare time at the expansive green by the sea.
ROYAL Melbourne is one of the top golf clubs worldwide and the pinnacle of over 1，400 golf courses in Australia. Zhao Yong was alone with his golf cart and not followed by caddies， as were others playing here. “Back home， you are always surrounded by caddies， the better the course， the more so. But at here， you just want to enjoy the fun of golf， and golf alone.” These two approaches each represent a different definition of luxury. As a creator of luxury lifestyles， Zhao Yong prefers the latter.
Unlike many golfers， Zhao Yong does not make a point to fly around the world to play at famous courses. But he does bring his clubs along wherever he travels to. “I would play if there happens to be a good course， especially after a busy day， to relax and to return to nature. And that is more luxurious that flying around just to play golf.”As he travels to various countries， he has played in many world famous golf courses. He prefers to keep it natural， to live at a “constant speed”.
He has not accelerated his constant pace of life， even after he purchased his private jet， a Gulfstream 550 in 2011. Apart from family travel， he used it mostly as a transport vehicle for business meetings. After business in one city， he would visit popular local sites， play golf， or go to local museums. He says that enjoying life is not about intentionally pursuing and showing off a luxury lifestyle， but sparing time out of busy work to experience different things. In his spare time， Zhao Yong travels around the world. Once in Europe， he noticed that the hotel prepared buckwheat pillows for him. Buckwheat pillows are commonplace in China and are said to be good for rest and eyes. Such dedication to details of the hotel provokes him to think that a top class hotel does not necessarily need to pursue extreme luxury， but could also offer more lifestyle choices with efforts in details. His understanding of luxury lifestyle today comes more or less from his reflections on those pillows. “In everyday life， luxury is about having the right to choose the most comfortable lifestyle.”
What he finds comfortable is a simple and comfortable life， like the Kent & Curwen suit he was wearing for the interview， low key but luxurious. It probably speaks of his attitude towards life， not showing off， but comfortable and at ease.
Luxury goods ultimately serve everyday life， says Zhao Yong， if we lead a comfortable life， we would not be so crazy about luxury goods. But as one of the pioneers of private clubs in China， he had to know “a little bit” about luxury in order to offer premium lifestyle for the members of Chang An Club， which draws China’s top rich including Lee Ka Shing and Henry Fok.
But that “little bit” represented the most luxurious lifestyle in China back in those days as he explored the way forward for the Chang An Club and Jinbao Street. But he never ceased his pursuit of happiness， spending his spare time observing and exploring culture at different places.
In 2004， Zhao Yong visited the Fifth Avenue to seek inspirations for Jinbao Street. Located in the center of the borough of Manhattan and home to prestigious luxury brands and upscale lifestyles， the Fifth Avenue is ranked as one of the top 10 most expensive shopping streets in the world. He was impressed at its focus on details. For example， the street was paved with polyvinyl chloride tiles， on which sightseeing horse-drawn carriages travelling around with tourists.
“I wanted to copy and paste it to Jinbao Street”. But the idea didn’t come through. “It is not culturally rooted in China. Without which， it will just be a showing-off of wealth. True luxury is not superficial， but rooted deep in culture.”
To him， cultural root means consumption habit and traditional culture. No matter how extravagant， European horse carriages can never be identified with by the Chinese. Traditional culture is what makes luxury lifestyle “stick”. He finds a sense of cultural belonging in rosewood artworks. Every day after work， he would return to his home at the Rosewood Museum and reflect on the lives of his countrymen. He bought his first business jet two years ago so he could fly around the world more easily. He does not want to pursue a so-called business jet lifestyle， but the jet does bring him comfort and convenience when he travels with his family.
At some of his business trips， he would also bring along his family. Travel is tiresome， “but all kinds of odd things keep you excited”. He has taken his family to observe wild animals in Kenya， watch glaciers in Argentina， ski in Hokkaido， and more some. Each trip provokes new thoughts in him.
Apart from the family business， family is most important to him. At home， he would turn off his phone， forget about luxury， and leave work behind. “Sometimes happiness is very simple， as simple as dining together with your family.” What makes him happy is not growth of his business or his fortune， he says， “to me， the happiest thing is to embrace my son after a day’s work. Family is my biggest achievement.”
On August 2012， his daughter came back from the U.S. for summer holidays. Seeing the rare opportunity of family reunion， he planned a family trip to the Maldives. “It is not easy to get everyone together”， but his business jet provides the biggest convenience， “The schedule of my family is for me to decide. We left in the morning， and returned home at night.”In trips like this， business jet is not just a vehicle， but an “adhesive” that holds the family closer. And to him， family is the biggest luxury.
Zhao Yong：
I am more a designer than a businessman
Q&A
What’s your view of business jet lifestyle？
Some buy jets to exhibit personal value， but I don’t think so. We don’t need to mystify business jet. It is just a vehicle， a convenient vehicle， that’s all. I bought my jet only to meet my needs for convenient travel， for privacy during business talks， and for creating experiences that help me communicate with my clients.
You build the Jinbao Street and bring in a full range of luxury brands. But what are you like in everyday life？
I am not a luxury person in everyday life， which is quite different from the lifestyle I have created. But just as an architect does not necessarily live in the houses he designed， I do not necessarily enjoy the lifestyle I created. Like an architect， I have built many buildings， but I will leave then to the judgment of those who enjoy them. If they speak high of my creations， I would be more than pleased.
Some say you are a “Confucian businessman”， is it reflected in you cultural pursuit？
For example， I want to integrate many good things into one nice creation， and that integration requires understanding of the culture core. Personally， I prefer going to various foreign cites to experience and feel the culture core by studying its architecture， thoroughfares， shopping malls， parks， and museums.
You have a wine cellar in your basement， do you understand wine？
Understand is too big a word for me， but I do appreciate wine culture. Wine is an important media in social networking. Your knowledge of wine could reflect your taste. The more you know， the more you have to discuss with others. If somebody asks you why a wine is good， you would know it is because of the soil or of something else. It takes time to understand wine. I collect wines from various wineries， but not simply for the sake of collection. The point of collecting wines is to taste them.
皇家墨尔本球场在全球范围内也属顶级球场，在澳大利亚1400多个球场中名列前茅。在这里打球，赵勇身边并没有球童，周围打球的人大多也是如此，都是拖着放球杆的小车行走在绿色的草坪上。“在国内，没有一座球场不是球童围着你转，越高端的球场越是如此。而在这座全球著名的球场，人们更愿意享受高尔夫本身的乐趣，没有球童，没有人围着你转，令你觉得美妙的仅仅是打球。”赵勇认为，这样的差别意味着人们对奢侈不同的定义，作为一名奢侈品生活的创造者，他更青睐后一种态度。
赵勇并不像很多高尔夫客那样，刻意飞去世界各地打著名的球场。但每次出国，他都会带上球杆和差杆证。“遇到好的球场就顺便打球，特别是在忙碌的工作之后，能够回归大自然、休息打球，比起专程飞来飞去地打球，我想这样的心态更加奢侈。”就这样，利用到各国考察的机会，赵勇打了众多全球著名的球场。他很喜欢在忙碌的工作中保持这种“匀速”状态，不会刻意而为，只是顺其自然地享受生活。
即便在自己购买公务机之后，这种“匀速”的生活节奏也没有改变。2011年，赵勇购买了一架湾流550，但除了家庭旅行，这家公务机对他来说主要是交通工具。
乘坐自己的飞机往来于全球众多知名城市进行商务洽谈。每当工作结束之后，他都要花时间去当地著名的地方，或打打高尔夫球，或参观当地的博物馆。他说，真正享受生活就是在忙碌的工作后，抽出时间进行各种体验，而不是刻意追求和炫耀某一种奢侈生活。就像他在忙里偷闲中打打高尔夫，才是心中真正的奢侈生活。
旅行：是工作，亦是生活
工作之余，赵勇喜欢到各处旅游，因为这既是工作，也是他独特生活的一部分。一次在欧洲，赵勇发现酒店工作人员在他房间里为他特意放置了荞麦皮枕头。为什么这样高级的酒店会放一个荞麦枕头呢？询问得知，为了缓解住客的旅途疲劳，利用荞麦枕头加速头部血液微循环、促进睡眠的功效，酒店特意做了这样的安排。这个细节给了赵勇很大的触动，可见顶级酒店的奢华并非仅仅是昂贵，细致入微地去为客户着想，为客户提供更多选择，同样也是奢侈的表现。“生活中的所谓奢华，其实就是拥有更多选择生活方式的权利，找到自己感觉舒适的生活方式。”
如今最令赵勇感觉舒适的生活就是简单、舒适。就像接受采访时他的一身穿着：素雅的西装，简单中流露着低调的奢华。或许这也是他生活态度的最好投影，不炫耀，又轻松随意。
他认为，奢侈品其实都是在为生活服务，如果生活自在惬意，奢侈品就没有必要执着地追求。但作为中国大陆会所文化的开拓者之一，当时长安俱乐部吸引了李嘉诚、霍英东等众多国内顶级财富人纷纷加入，如何为这些人打造顶级生活方式，对奢侈生活，就必须“多少懂一点”。
而这“一点”，其实就代表了当时国内的奢侈生活水平。因为如今看起来“金碧辉煌”的长安俱乐部和金宝街，在当时都需要赵勇一步步探索建造。他也在这样的工作方式中努力寻找快乐。在辛苦的工作中，利用工作之余观察和探究各地的生活文化，则成了赵勇享受生活的方式。
奢侈请勿模仿
2004年，赵勇来到了纽约著名的第五大道，那段时间他正在为刚刚动土修建的金宝街考察世界各地的著名景点。纽约第五大道地处美国纽约曼哈顿的中轴线，因其汇聚了众多奢侈品大牌和顶级生活方式，被誉为全球十大租金最昂贵商业街之一。步行在这里，街道的很多设计细节令他印象深刻，当时路面上使用了一种特殊材质的塑胶地砖，观光马车可以在这种地方的路面上自由行走。
“当时我就想把它照搬到金宝街的路面上”。然而在最终的建设中，“让金宝街上跑马车”的想法并没有达成，“我发现那种东西在中国没有文化根基，只能作为炫富的摆设，而真正的奢侈生活绝不仅是追求表面的奢华，需要深层的文化内涵”。
这种文化根基，在赵勇看来是对中国人消费观念和传统文化的理解。所以欧式马车尽管很奢侈，却无法反映人们心中的文化归属感。他发现传统文化才是奢侈生活的“文化黏合剂”，而他寻觅的文化归属感则来自传统的紫檀艺术品。每天下班后，赵勇都要回到自己位于紫檀博物馆的家中，在感受传统文化的同时，也更利于其思考国人内心深处的生活诉求。
公务机与家庭“奢侈品”
两年前，赵勇购买了自己的第一架公务机，他可以更方便地飞往世界各地考察。他说自己对公务机“一开始会感觉神秘，可使用之后就感觉没那么特别了”。因为他不想刻意追求所谓的公务机生活，但公务机带给他的舒适便利，却在他自己的家庭出游中得到了最好的体现。
有时去各地出差旅行，赵勇也会带上家人一同前往。比如一次搭乘公务机飞往肯尼亚，赵勇和家人近距离地观察到了那里的野生动物，尽管旅途十分辛苦，“但很多稀奇古怪的东西还是会让你感觉很新鲜。”后来到阿根廷看冰川，到北海道玩滑雪……每次在不同的地方感受家庭生活的魅力，赵勇都能获得不一样的感悟。
赵勇对家庭有着自然的担当，如今除了自己必须要承担的家族事业，他最重视的还是家庭。每天回到家中，关掉手机，忘掉奢侈品，不再去想工作，这是赵勇最喜欢的生活方式，“有时幸福很简单，就是一家人聚在一起简单地吃个饭”。赵勇说，如今能令自己开心的事，不是自己的商业规模，更不是自己拥有的资产数量，“对我来说，现在最快乐的事就是每天下班回家看见我儿子，因为家庭才是我最大的收获。”
2012年8月，赵勇在美国读书的女儿放暑假回到家，一个大家庭难得凑在一起，于是赵勇策划了一次马尔代夫的家庭出游。“你别看是家庭旅游，找个时间凑齐所有人挺不容易的。”而公务机为这本不容易的家庭之旅提供了交通上的最大便利。“家人的行程时间完全由自己决定，方便，省去了很多麻烦。”那次旅行，公务机已不仅是他口中的一种交通工具，更是一种可以将家庭成员聚拢在一起的黏合剂，而家庭，才是赵勇心中最大的奢侈品。 Q&A
Q：勇：我更像一位设计师
你如何看待公务机这种生活方式？
A：有些人买公务机为了显示自己，我认为这样就错了。其实大可不必把它看得那么神秘，公务机就是一件交通工具，用着方便，这点才是最重要的。反正我买这个东西是跟我自己的需求有关，比如它可以更加方便地安排我的行程；利用公务机的私密空间进行商业洽谈。它甚至是一种体验，我可以根据这种体验更好地与我的客户进行沟通。
Q：打造了金宝街，又引入了众多奢侈品品牌，生活中的你是什么样的？
A：可能是我性格的原因，我不是那种在生活方面很奢侈的人，这和我创造的生活方式有很大的不同。不一定自己创造出来的就一定是自己享受的，比如很多设计师设计出房子不一定要自己住。我就像这样一个设计师，盖了很多房子，感觉盖好了，就要离开它。但别人在享受它的时候会对它有评价，比如有人说我创造的东西好，我就会很享受这样的感觉。
Q：多人称您是“儒商”，您在生活中对文化的追求有哪些具体的表现？
A：我喜欢把很多好的东西整合到一起，做出心仪的作品给别人，这种整合就十分需要文化内核。对我个人而言，我喜欢到很多国外的城市去感悟这种文化内核，例如学习一个地方最好的建筑，最好的商业街、商场，最好的公园、博物馆，其实这些都是在学习那里的文化。
Q：的房子下面有酒窖，您是不是也很懂酒文化？
A：我个人非常认可葡萄酒文化。酒是社交场上的重要媒介，是否懂酒能体现出一个人的品位，研究得多了，与人交流的话题就多了。比如当人家问你这酒为什么好，你要说出个所以然来，到底是土质原因还是什么，都有很深的文化。懂酒需要一个过程，我自己也收藏葡萄酒，各大酒庄的酒几乎都有，但我藏酒不仅仅为了存放，只有不断地喝，藏酒才有意思。
It was a common day in 2005. Zhao Yong was waving his golf club at the ROYAL Melbourne. He arrived here the day before for a busy day’s work. Now he was going to enjoy his spare time at the expansive green by the sea.
ROYAL Melbourne is one of the top golf clubs worldwide and the pinnacle of over 1，400 golf courses in Australia. Zhao Yong was alone with his golf cart and not followed by caddies， as were others playing here. “Back home， you are always surrounded by caddies， the better the course， the more so. But at here， you just want to enjoy the fun of golf， and golf alone.” These two approaches each represent a different definition of luxury. As a creator of luxury lifestyles， Zhao Yong prefers the latter.
Unlike many golfers， Zhao Yong does not make a point to fly around the world to play at famous courses. But he does bring his clubs along wherever he travels to. “I would play if there happens to be a good course， especially after a busy day， to relax and to return to nature. And that is more luxurious that flying around just to play golf.”As he travels to various countries， he has played in many world famous golf courses. He prefers to keep it natural， to live at a “constant speed”.
He has not accelerated his constant pace of life， even after he purchased his private jet， a Gulfstream 550 in 2011. Apart from family travel， he used it mostly as a transport vehicle for business meetings. After business in one city， he would visit popular local sites， play golf， or go to local museums. He says that enjoying life is not about intentionally pursuing and showing off a luxury lifestyle， but sparing time out of busy work to experience different things. In his spare time， Zhao Yong travels around the world. Once in Europe， he noticed that the hotel prepared buckwheat pillows for him. Buckwheat pillows are commonplace in China and are said to be good for rest and eyes. Such dedication to details of the hotel provokes him to think that a top class hotel does not necessarily need to pursue extreme luxury， but could also offer more lifestyle choices with efforts in details. His understanding of luxury lifestyle today comes more or less from his reflections on those pillows. “In everyday life， luxury is about having the right to choose the most comfortable lifestyle.”
What he finds comfortable is a simple and comfortable life， like the Kent & Curwen suit he was wearing for the interview， low key but luxurious. It probably speaks of his attitude towards life， not showing off， but comfortable and at ease.
Luxury goods ultimately serve everyday life， says Zhao Yong， if we lead a comfortable life， we would not be so crazy about luxury goods. But as one of the pioneers of private clubs in China， he had to know “a little bit” about luxury in order to offer premium lifestyle for the members of Chang An Club， which draws China’s top rich including Lee Ka Shing and Henry Fok.
But that “little bit” represented the most luxurious lifestyle in China back in those days as he explored the way forward for the Chang An Club and Jinbao Street. But he never ceased his pursuit of happiness， spending his spare time observing and exploring culture at different places.
In 2004， Zhao Yong visited the Fifth Avenue to seek inspirations for Jinbao Street. Located in the center of the borough of Manhattan and home to prestigious luxury brands and upscale lifestyles， the Fifth Avenue is ranked as one of the top 10 most expensive shopping streets in the world. He was impressed at its focus on details. For example， the street was paved with polyvinyl chloride tiles， on which sightseeing horse-drawn carriages travelling around with tourists.
“I wanted to copy and paste it to Jinbao Street”. But the idea didn’t come through. “It is not culturally rooted in China. Without which， it will just be a showing-off of wealth. True luxury is not superficial， but rooted deep in culture.”
To him， cultural root means consumption habit and traditional culture. No matter how extravagant， European horse carriages can never be identified with by the Chinese. Traditional culture is what makes luxury lifestyle “stick”. He finds a sense of cultural belonging in rosewood artworks. Every day after work， he would return to his home at the Rosewood Museum and reflect on the lives of his countrymen. He bought his first business jet two years ago so he could fly around the world more easily. He does not want to pursue a so-called business jet lifestyle， but the jet does bring him comfort and convenience when he travels with his family.
At some of his business trips， he would also bring along his family. Travel is tiresome， “but all kinds of odd things keep you excited”. He has taken his family to observe wild animals in Kenya， watch glaciers in Argentina， ski in Hokkaido， and more some. Each trip provokes new thoughts in him.
Apart from the family business， family is most important to him. At home， he would turn off his phone， forget about luxury， and leave work behind. “Sometimes happiness is very simple， as simple as dining together with your family.” What makes him happy is not growth of his business or his fortune， he says， “to me， the happiest thing is to embrace my son after a day’s work. Family is my biggest achievement.”
On August 2012， his daughter came back from the U.S. for summer holidays. Seeing the rare opportunity of family reunion， he planned a family trip to the Maldives. “It is not easy to get everyone together”， but his business jet provides the biggest convenience， “The schedule of my family is for me to decide. We left in the morning， and returned home at night.”In trips like this， business jet is not just a vehicle， but an “adhesive” that holds the family closer. And to him， family is the biggest luxury.
Zhao Yong：
I am more a designer than a businessman
Q&A
What’s your view of business jet lifestyle？
Some buy jets to exhibit personal value， but I don’t think so. We don’t need to mystify business jet. It is just a vehicle， a convenient vehicle， that’s all. I bought my jet only to meet my needs for convenient travel， for privacy during business talks， and for creating experiences that help me communicate with my clients.
You build the Jinbao Street and bring in a full range of luxury brands. But what are you like in everyday life？
I am not a luxury person in everyday life， which is quite different from the lifestyle I have created. But just as an architect does not necessarily live in the houses he designed， I do not necessarily enjoy the lifestyle I created. Like an architect， I have built many buildings， but I will leave then to the judgment of those who enjoy them. If they speak high of my creations， I would be more than pleased.
Some say you are a “Confucian businessman”， is it reflected in you cultural pursuit？
For example， I want to integrate many good things into one nice creation， and that integration requires understanding of the culture core. Personally， I prefer going to various foreign cites to experience and feel the culture core by studying its architecture， thoroughfares， shopping malls， parks， and museums.
You have a wine cellar in your basement， do you understand wine？
Understand is too big a word for me， but I do appreciate wine culture. Wine is an important media in social networking. Your knowledge of wine could reflect your taste. The more you know， the more you have to discuss with others. If somebody asks you why a wine is good， you would know it is because of the soil or of something else. It takes time to understand wine. I collect wines from various wineries， but not simply for the sake of collection. The point of collecting wines is to taste them.