The story behind Jack Ma's low-key life and generous giving
When it comes to Jack Ma, the first thing that comes to mind may be his wealth status as China's richest man, and Alibaba, the Internet giant that has shocked the world. But Ma Yun's own style of life has always been low-key and simple, which is extremely incommensurate with his wealth.
Jack Ma's favorite thing to wear is an ordinary crewneck knit sweater, and he doesn't like to wear any expensive jewelry. Even on important occasions, he rarely dresses too formally, often appearing in civilian clothes in the public eye. Once, Ma Yun and Wang Jianlin received the award on the same stage, Wang Jianlin wore a decent suit and leather shoes, but Ma Yun was just a casual outfit, which caused Wang Jianlin to sigh: "I didn't expect Ma Yun to dress so fashionably!" ＂
Ma Yun responded calmly: "The most important thing for people is to be themselves, as long as they are comfortable." This sentence just expresses Ma Yun's attitude towards life - not extravagant and wasteful, and living a frugal life. Even though he is already a billionaire, Ma Yun still maintains his past living habits and lives a life of "hardship and hard work".
Someone once saw that when Ma Yun was at the airport, he walked around with his suitcase, without any rich shelf. This low-key and simple lifestyle is closely related to the hardships of Ma Yun's entrepreneurial journey.
At the beginning of Alibaba, Jack Ma and his partners were in a dilemma. At one point, they decided to take a taxi, but when they saw that it was a Santana instead of a cheap Charlie, the three of them turned their heads in unison. "The starting price of Santana was more expensive than that of Charlie, and we didn't have any money at the time, so we had to save every penny. Ma Yun later recalled.
The reasons behind Jack Ma's low-key life and generous giving
The reason why Jack Ma can maintain such a low-key and simple style of life is rooted in his unique concept of money. For him, money is not a tool for material comfort, but a responsibility to benefit society and repay the public.
This philosophy stems from Jack Ma's entrepreneurial hardships. At the beginning of Alibaba, Jack Ma and his team were once in a dilemma. Once, the three of them were about to take a taxi, but when they saw that it was a slightly more expensive Santana instead of a cheap Shali, they turned their heads around. "Santana's starting price was more expensive than Charly's, and we were really short of money at the time, so we had to save every penny. Ma Yun later recalled.
It was from that time that Jack Ma developed the habit of thrift and thrift. Although he is now the richest man in the world, Ma Yun still maintains his past style, does not have any greed for money, but invests his wealth in public welfare and charity.
In 2014, Jack Ma established the Jack Ma Foundation, which focuses on rural education, environmental protection and medical health. In 2020 alone, Jack Ma donated 3.23 billion yuan to the foundation, ranking first in China's charitable giving list that year.
What is even more admirable is that at the beginning of the outbreak of the new crown epidemic, Ma Yun took the lead in donating hundreds of millions of yuan and a large number of medical supplies to support the domestic fight against the epidemic. Subsequently, he delivered masks, protective clothing, test kits and other anti-epidemic materials to nearly 200 countries and regions around the world, and was hailed as a "global anti-epidemic hero" by the international community.
Jack Ma used his actions to interpret the sense of social responsibility that entrepreneurs should have. He understands that as a social leader and a wealthy man, he should not only pursue personal material enjoyment, but also make due contributions to the development of society.
In addition to public welfare and charity, Ma Yun's own life style has always been very frugal. He is never extravagant and wasteful, and he is very frugal with food and clothing. Even though he is already a billionaire, Ma Yun still maintains his past living habits and lives a life of "hardship and hard work".
Someone once saw that when Ma Yun was at the airport, he walked around with his suitcase, without any rich shelf. This low-key and simple lifestyle is closely related to the hardships of Ma Yun's entrepreneurial journey.
Jack Ma's low-key life and generous donations convey the wisdom of life
Ma Yun used his own behavior to interpret a valuable wisdom of life: the value of money does not lie in possession, but in use; Material wealth is not the same as spiritual wealth, and only by using money in the right way can we achieve true happiness and joy.
The reason why Jack Ma can maintain such a simple and low-key style of life is rooted in his unique concept of money. In his view, money is not a tool for the pursuit of material comfort, but a responsibility to benefit society and repay the public. This philosophy stems from his entrepreneurial struggles.
At the beginning of Alibaba, Jack Ma and his team were once in a dilemma. Once, the three of them were about to take a taxi, but when they saw that it was a slightly more expensive Santana instead of a cheap Shali, they turned their heads around. "Santana's starting price was more expensive than Charly's, and we were really short of money at the time, so we had to save every penny. Ma Yun later recalled.