Alibaba founder Jack Ma cites ‘difficult’ and ‘extraordinary’ year in annual video address to rural teachers
- ‘Teachers have had a difficult year,’ Ma told 100 teachers from China’s rural areas in a live video speech that has become an annual tradition for his foundation
- As one of China’s most high profile entrepreneurs, Ma’s whereabouts are closely watched, especially after regulators targeted his businesses
Alibaba Group Holding founder Jack Ma, who has kept a low profile ever since a regulatory crackdown by Beijing two years ago, has spoken about the hardships people faced in 2022 in a rare public appearance, just as China grapples with the country’s largest ever Covid-19 outbreak.
In a two-and-half minute video seen on social media and verified by his charity foundation, Ma said, “I hope to see you all offline as soon as possible”.
The address did not reveal his actual location. In the video, the billionaire sat behind a round table in front of a black wall adorned with artwork, dressed in a white shirt.
“Teachers have had a difficult year,” he told 100 teachers from China’s rural areas in a live video speech that has become an annual activity under his Rural Teachers Initiative. “You had to teach while protecting children.”
In reading from prepared remarks, Ma said he was “moved” that teachers still appeared to be “cheerful” and “committed”, and asked them to “take care of themselves and the kids during this time”.
The initiative was established in 2015 to support teachers working in China’s countryside.
Before the pandemic, Ma had invited rural teachers to southern China’s Hainan island for five consecutive years, on the 8th day of the last month in the Chinese lunar calendar, known as the Laba Festival. At the events, the Jack Ma Foundation presented 100 teachers with cash grants of 100,000 yuan (US$14,260) each to support their efforts in rural education. The event has been held online in the past three years and Ma has attended via video.