Why was Jack Ma not invited to Hangzhou?

The absence of Jack Ma — the excellent private entrepreneur who made Hangzhou into China’s “digital center” — is another point to watch to understand China today.

HAN WOO-DUKThe author is a senior reporter of the China Lab. Hangzhou is a Chinese city famous for beautiful people. “Hangzhou Beauty” is the label for one of the most beautiful women in China. The city’s Xi Hu, or West Lake, was named after Xi Shi, the beauty who led to the fall of the State of Wu. Hangzhou is also known for Dongpo pork, the dish enjoyed by renowned poet Su Dongpo, and its Longjing tea.

Hangzhou is now a “digital city” that rivals Beijing and Shenzhen. What the Asian Games aspired to show the world is “Digital Hangzhou.”

This was illustrated in the opening ceremony. The digital torchbearer ran across the virtual West Lake and entered the stadium. The highlight was the scene where real and digital humans started the flame together.

Advanced technology could be seen throughout the sites. A robot dog retrieved the discus in the field for the discus throw, and unmanned self-driving cars traveled between stadiums. The noodle vending machine that cooked noodles in two minutes were loved by athletes.

It was also praised for its smooth operation, thanks to the high-tech situation room. The situation room covered the state-run, CCTV-monitored stadiums in 3-D in real time. Numerous data, from the issuance of passes, medals and ranks, athletes’ accommodations and food, were processed real time. Alibaba’s Ali Cloud played a role in the service. The organizer explained that Huawei’s 5.5G communication infrastructure, which transmitted information 10 times faster than existing 5G, made the operation possible.

Jack Ma is the main contributor that turned the City of Beauty into Digital Hangzhou. Ma started his online business from a humble apartment in Hangzhou in 1995 and founded the company, which is now Alibaba, in 1995. In 2014, Alibaba went public on the New York Stock Exchange, the largest IPO ever at the time. It helped Hangzhou emerge as the origin of China’s internet revolution and digital mecca. It is not an exaggeration to say that Jack Ma is the biggest contributor to making the Hangzhou Asiad a remarkable event.

He deserves to make an appearance, if not as a torchbearer but even as a spectator sitting in the stands. But he was not invited, as if he was a “persona non grata.” Even the Chinese media asked, “Why isn’t Jack Ma here?”

The absence of Jack Ma — the excellent private entrepreneur who made Hangzhou into China’s “digital center” — is another point to watch to understand China today.