A foreign father and son funded Ma Yun’s college education with 400 yuan per year. What return do they receive now?

"Money" has different meanings to Jack Ma in different periods, and Jack Ma also has different views on "money" in different periods.

Although Ma Yun was not a child from a poor family when he was a boy, he was not from a wealthy family who wanted everything. At that time, if he wanted to buy something he loved, he needed to save pocket money for a long time. , can you be cruel enough to buy it.

Therefore, for Jack Ma as a boy, money was the meaning of trying to control money.

The former "bad boy"

In his youth, Jack Ma was an English teacher and lived a decent life as an ordinary person. Although he has the ability to control money, the amount is not large. Jack Ma mentioned in the interview: The most fulfilling and happy time in life is when he is an English teacher and receives a fixed salary every month. For Jack Ma in his youth, money meant being able to be self-sufficient.

Middle-aged Jack Ma has founded Alibaba, aspires to be the richest man in China, and possesses immeasurable wealth. For Jack Ma at this period, money is just a string of numbers.

As for Jack Ma’s views on money, he has changed from “loving money” to “not loving money.” For a while, a joke about Jack Ma went viral on the Internet: I (Jack Ma) don’t love money. Not interested in money...

As a boy, Ma Yun's grades were not good, and he was seriously partial to subjects. He was very poor in mathematics and even got a score of 1 in the exam, but this statement cannot be verified. After becoming a hero, the hero's predecessor is always given a mysterious color by others, and those original unique performances become a sign of extraordinary talent.

Although this score cannot be tested, it shows that Ma Yun is a person with very personal ideas and will not easily change himself because of other people's opinions, so he has always ignored his math scores.

Although Ma Yun does not pay attention to mathematics, he has developed a strong interest in English. However, at that time, materials were scarce, and English-related materials and equipment for learning English were few and expensive.

Jack Ma believed that owning a radio would help him learn English to a great extent. However, at that time, radios were rare and expensive. In order to buy this beloved radio, Jack Ma saved all his pocket money from his family until he had enough money to buy it.

At this time, Ma Yun realized the joy of successfully controlling money through personal perseverance and hard work. It was so difficult to obtain what he loved, which greatly inspired Ma Yun's enthusiasm for learning English.

Get to know your benefactor and improve your English

Having the tools to learn English, you also need materials to learn English. However, at that time, there were not many materials for learning, and it was difficult to practice. English speaking practice. Jack Ma learned that there were many foreigners hanging out and relaxing near the West Lake in Hangzhou. In order to improve his English, Ma Yun went to the West Lake in Hangzhou to communicate with foreigners in English when he had time.

During this process, Jack Ma met David Morley from Australia and developed a deep friendship.

The two met by the West Lake whenever they were free. Although Ma Yun's English was very poor at that time, David Morley would listen carefully every time and try to understand Ma Yun's expression and body. Speculate what he wants to express and correct Ma Yun's deficiencies in English expression. With the help of David Morley, Ma Yun's English level has greatly improved.

Soon after, David ended his trip to China and returned to Australia. Although separated by an ocean, the two people in different countries still maintain close communication links. Over time, David's father was full of curiosity about this little friend from China.

David introduced Jack Ma to his father Ken Morley, and also shared his experience getting along with Jack Ma in China. Ken Morley was moved by Ma Yun's perseverance and seriousness in learning English, and began to maintain correspondence with Ma Yun.

In order to improve Ma Yun's English, Ken Morley asked Ma Yun to leave a blank line in each reply, so that he could correct the English grammatical errors in Ma Yun's reply. Each reply not only improves Ma Yun's English, but the care between the lines of Ken Morley's family also makes Ma Yun feel the warmth from the other side of the ocean.

A trip to Australia, broaden your horizons

The Morley family invited Jack Ma to visit Australia, hoping that Jack Ma could learn more about the world, broaden his horizons, and increase his knowledge.

However, at that time, the procedures for applying for a visa abroad were cumbersome, the application conditions were harsh, and the related expenses were high. However, the Morley family did not give up because of this, and encouraged Ma Yun many times and provided him with corresponding help.

At that time, there was only an application point for Australian visas in Beijing, and Jack Ma could only go to Beijing to apply. However, the requirements for various visa documents are very strict. Ma Yun went to and from Beijing seven times but failed to apply for it successfully. Several round-trip transportation expenses and room and board expenses emptied Ma Yun's savings, so he could only give up and continue to apply.

After the Morley family heard about it, the trustee sent a telegram to the Australian Embassy in China explaining Ma Yun's situation, and Ma Yun's visa to Australia was finally resolved. In order to reduce Ma Yun's financial burden, the Morley family borne all of Ma Yun's expenses in Australia.

While in Australia, the Morley family took Ma Yun to see many things and scenery that he had never known before. The Morley family's inclusive family atmosphere and open world view also influenced Jack Ma.

In a later interview, Jack Ma mentioned this one-month trip to Australia. He said frankly: The trip to Australia is crucial to his life. The trip to Australia allowed him to view the world and life from a new perspective.

The kindness of a drop of water will be repaid by a spring of water

When Jack Ma was in college, his life was relatively tight. In 1985, after Ken Morley's family heard about it, they decided to provide Ma Yun with 400 yuan in living expenses every year to help Ma Yun obtain a better study and life. At that time, 400 yuan was a lot of money for ordinary Chinese families. Jack Ma, who received the support, did not use the money to enjoy material life, but used it to study to improve his personal abilities.

In life, helping others is a virtue of others. But for those who have been helped, they need to be grateful for the kindness of others in the past. Fish know that the kindness of water is the source of happiness.

The Chinese people have always adhered to the concept of "a drop of kindness should be repaid by a spring" when it comes to repaying kindness. Therefore, after Jack Ma became the chairman of Alibaba and became a billionaire, he announced at the University of Newcastle in Australia that he would invest 140 million yuan as a scholarship in the name of Ken Morley to repay Ken Morley. A family's past kindness to themselves.

Jack Ma’s donation once triggered everyone’s discussion. Many people think that China’s education needs more donations. If this huge amount of money is donated to Chinese schools, countless Chinese students will have a better study and life. Some even believe that Jack Ma’s move is unpatriotic.

However, some people said that Jack Ma’s donation should be viewed with an open and inclusive perspective. From an open perspective, no matter which country students enjoy this scholarship, it is a thing that should be recognized. A commendable act of charity; from another perspective, for Jack Ma, who has already achieved financial freedom, today's over 100 million yuan in property may have the same value and significance as the 400 yuan that the Morley family sponsored each year.