No one was expecting China’s most flamboyant entrepreneur… He was at the school to shoot a short, politically safe clip to let the world know he was still free. The playgrounds were empty and only a handful of teachers were on campus.
“He arrived unannounced at a small, out-of-the-way elementary school in rural Tonglu. As the story unfolded, it was “a cold Sunday in January.” Jack Ma is said to have driven “hours into the countryside” to an obscure location, accompanied by a government film crew, to make a “reappearance video,” which was later posted online by the government news agency. The first sighting occurred three months after he disappeared. There have been (as far as I can tell) just 6 “reports” of Jack Ma’s doings since October, all of them strange, suspiciously vague, and indirect. Alibaba’s stadium-sized company celebrations were choreographed into extravaganzas the equal of any Super Bowl halftime show, and Ma himself was always the star… His showmanship skills were extraordinary. But in Ma’s charisma there was a dimension beyond. He was an entrepreneur, an innovator, and charismatic spokesman for Success in the New China. His high-tech business empire – which included Alibaba, the “Amazon of China” – was valued at well over $1 Trillion. 
He was poised to crown his career with a triumphant public offering for his company, The Ant Group, the largest Fintech company in the world. He was in fact the richest man in China, and the most famous living Chinese person (according to polls). Last Fall Jack Ma was rich, and famous, and we knew all about him, followed his every move. (Photo by Philippe LOPEZ / AFP) (Photo credit should read PHILIPPE LOPEZ/AFP via Getty Images) AFP via Getty Images and innovation fair, in Paris on May 16, 2019. Jack Ma, CEO of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, speaks during his visit at the Vivatech startups.
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