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At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents.
We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family.
Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
One of the world's most powerful entrepreneurs, Jack Ma, did not have a business or computer degree to begin his project, yet his steady progression led him towards an expansive empire of extending web services in China.
The former founder-executive chairman of Alibaba Group, Jack Ma, started his career as an English teacher and has a true rag to riches story worthy of inspiring the world. He provides his services in the form of multiple online portals and e-commerce giant Alibaba while giving back to the community with equal efforts at philanthropy.
Born on October 9, 1964, Jack Ma or Ma Yun was born in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. He is the former founder and executive chairman of one of the world's biggest e-commerce groups, the Alibaba Group. With neither a degree in business or computer sciences, initiating an entirely web-based career might seem impossible to many, but not to Ma Yun, who sought out help from his friends and established an unsurmountable digital empire. As a result, he lands among the top 5 most wealthy people in China and is one of the most influential entities in the world. Ma's interest in English is what brought him to the stage of global recognition.
Jack's career began with practicing English by giving tours of China to foreign visitors. His interactions led him to quickly learn English and become pen pals with many of them as a kid. The reason behind his English name is also these foreign friends who named him 'Jack' as his native name was difficult to pronounce. His basic education faced various difficulties, yet Ma stepped ahead and faced each to reach where he is right now. Jack Ma was included in the list of 'World's 50 Greatest Leaders' by Fortune in 2017. As of 2022, Jack Ma ranks fifth on China's wealthiest man list.
The Hangzhou man took years to create a significant space for him and his business globally, and it was made possible by his determination to bring the power of the internet to China. Despite discrepancies and complications, Ma managed to build one of the greatest Chinese companies. Keep reading to learn more interesting facts about Jack Ma and his life.
As of 2022, Jack Ma ranks fifth on the list of wealthiest people in China. According to Forbes, Jack Ma's current net worth is $24.6 billion, even after stepping down from the post of chairman. Jack Ma established one of the world's leading e-commerce sites, Alibaba and Alibaba Group. His contributions to the Chinese economy with countless other web-based platforms helped him include his name on the list of wealthiest people in the world.
According to sources, the Hangzhou-born Chinese businessman Jack Ma earns more than $4 billion annually. His annual earnings are used for humanitarian causes, including spaces related to education, the environment, and healthcare, which is why he is also known as one of the world's leading philanthropists.
Jack Ma has a height of 5 ft 3 in (1.61 m).
Jack Ma was born on October 9, 1964, meaning he is currently 57 years old.
Born on October 9, 1964, in the Hangzhou city of Zhejiang province of China, the now Chinese businessman Jack Ma had humble beginnings. His mother Cui Wencai and father Ma Laifa were traditional musicians in China who used their music to feed Ma Yun, his older brother, and a younger sibling. Having a limited source of income restricted Ma from pursuing his dream of learning English, but his out-of-the-box idea led him to learn English free of cost. Ma Yun rode his cycle around 17 miles (27 km) to accompany tourists and converse with tourists at the Hangzhou International Hotel, preparing his English. Gradually he managed to improve and even made a pen pal who gave him the name Jack Ma.
Jack was admitted to the Hangzhou Teacher's Institute after much effort, but it was not particularly easy for him. Jack took three tries to get into the college because of his weaker mathematics. Ha attended the Hangzhou Teacher's Institute, which is now also called Hangzhou Normal University. Jack Ma received a Bachelor's Degree in Arts with an interest in English. Sources say that Jack was a student council leader in his school while also good at teaching as the businessman became a lecturer in English and international trade at the Hangzhou Dianzi University.
In an interview with Jack Ma, he mentioned various complications he faced during his graduation days. Jack tried his best to apply for Harvard Business School, applying more than 10 times but he was rejected each time. From the year 1988-1993, Jack Ma taught English at the Hangzhou Institute of Electronics and Engineering before leaving the place to start his entrepreneurial career. Jack had a rough time with low-wage jobs and got rejected by most of them, but the onset of the internet exposed him to countless opportunities.
Jack Ma got married in 1988 to Zhang Ying and has three children, Ma Yuankun, Ma Yuanbao, and one other. Since their college days, the couple had known each other and got married right after graduating from Hangzhou Normal University. Zhang Ying has shown promising support to Jack Ma in his business and charitable endeavors by being one of the first investors in his earliest business while also contributing to humanitarian causes with her husband, Jack.
Jack Ma's career started as an English and International Trade lecturer at Hangzhou Dianzi University in China. Jack Ma started his first company Hangzhou Haibo Translation Agency, in 1994 as he heard about the internet. As he visited the US with colleagues, he found no information regarding China on the web. This was when he decided to launch a website related to China with the help of a computer teacher, He Yibing. As a result, China Pages came into existence, which grew significantly making profits of around US$800,000 in three years. Slowly, he started building other Chinese websites with the help of his US friends.
From 1998 to 1999, Jack headed an internet company backed by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Corporation. After quitting, he and his group of 18 friends founded Alibaba, a web-based marketplace facilitating deals between small businesses to small businesses, which grew into reaching directly to customers with exponential support. With the expansion of the Alibaba name and other platforms under its name, creators turned it into the Alibaba Group. Ma also founded Yunfeng Capital, a private equity firm listed in Hong Kong. Yunfeng Capitals' offices can be found in Shanghai, Hangzhou, Hong Kong, and Beijing.
Jack Ma's entrepreneurial endeavors have also fueled his ambition to give back to the community, giving birth to the Jack Ma Foundation. The foundation acquires a significant amount of funds from Ma's earnings and implements it for the benefit of the environment, education, public health, and other humanitarian causes. Besides his foundation, Jack Ma actively participated in funding noble causes.
Ma's extraordinary entrepreneurial achievements have led him to win countless awards. In 2005, Jack was named among the World Economic Forum's list of Young Global Leaders. Forbes Asia named Jack Ma as Asia's Heroes of Philanthropy in 2010 for his contribution towards poverty and disaster relief.
Jack Ma's hobbies include painting, cricket fights, movies, and singing. Ma is known to have made his acting debut in a 2017 movie called 'Gong Shu Dao'.
Read The Disclaimer
At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents.
We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family.
Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
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