Jack Ma wants to use the film as a vehicle to promote tai chi

Alibaba founder and CEO Jack Ma is no stranger to colourful antics.

He once sung the ‘Lion King’ theme dressed in a glam rock outfit (with a bit of punk-infused design) in front of 16,000 employees, did a Michael Jackson impression at the company’s anniversary last month where 40,000 employees gathered, and even sang at a Chinese music festival two weeks ago.

Now, he wants to give his voice a break and explore his talents on the silver screen. Come next month, audiences will get to see Ma show off his tai chi moves in a short kung fu film, which will also star household Chinese martial arts actors such as Donnie Yen, Jet Li and Sammo Hung.

Also Read: Jack Ma talks about why Alibaba will last for 102 years

Called Gong Shou Dao or The Art of Attack and Defence, the film is a vehicle for Ma to promote his love for tai chi, according to a report by the South China Morning Post. Tai chi is a holistic form of Chinese martial arts that is used not only for defence but also said to help individuals achieve better mental health.

“What I like about Tai Chi is the culture and how yin and yang changes. Tai Chi is everywhere , a lot of my business philosophies and ideas comes from tai chi. I hope to pass this [tai chi] on to more young people,” said Ma, in a Mandarin interview with Tech Sina.

Ma regularly holds Tai chi lessons at Alibaba. He also conducts tai chi philosophy classes for entrepreneurs at US$14,000 per person.

In his personal Weibo page, Ma uploaded a poster of him standing alongside the other film’s actors, with a cryptic caption that read: “That night….that dream!”

The film will debut on November 11. No details of the film’s plot were revealed. But from what we can tell, it may involve some serious butt kicking.

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Image Credit: Alibaba

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