Alibaba and the Wrath of the Emperor

Jack Ma ranks prominently among the heroes of China’s astonishing economic renaissance. In October the founder of the e-commerce giant Alibaba was put under house arrest. His example shows what happens when Xi Jinping sees his power threatened.

The Emperor has new clothes. Speaking to the assembled party on the 100th Anniversary of the Communist Party and surrounded by members of the Standing Committee of the Politburo in their familiar dark suits and sober ties, China’s supreme leader, Xi Jinping, came to the party dressed as Chairman Mao – wearing a light grey tunic suit with four front pockets and five buttons to the neck. This was no subtle message; ludicrous perhaps but it was propaganda with a sledgehammer. 

Alibaba and the Wrath of the Emperor
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