China tech tycoon Jack Ma comes to Hong Kong for Lunar New Year
- Entrepreneur ‘excited’ to see the city’s vibrancy after Covid-19 restrictions and is said to be looking forward to the holiday
- The Alibaba founder has been in Japan for three months and has also been studying farming and fishing practices in other countries
Jack Ma cites ‘difficult’ and ‘extraordinary’ year in address to rural teachers
He has been shopping for the holiday celebrations and is “impressed by a great selection of products available”, they said, dismissing rumours that Ma may live overseas for the long term.
It is not clear how long Ma plans to stay in the city.
The 58-year-old business leader has been in central Tokyo for around three months and travelled to many parts of the world to study modern farming and fishery, according to people familiar with his itinerary.
Ma was last seen in Thailand, where he was pictured visiting a local food stall and visiting fish farms. He has previously said that he wanted to focus on modern agriculture and promoting rural education in China.
Overseas media have closely watched Ma’s whereabouts as many still see him as the face of Chinese private entrepreneurship, even though he has relinquished most of his business titles.
Earlier this month, he was in the spotlight when Ant Group – which he founded – announced that Ma has agreed to a complicated voting rights change and given up control of the Hangzhou-based fintech giant.
The other company founded by Ma, Alibaba, owns the Post.
