Alibaba's Jack Ma promotes Chinese martial art

[Photo: from VCG]

Alibaba founder Jack Ma is set to make his big-screen debut alongside action stars Jet Li, Donnie Yen and Sammo Hung Kam-bo in a short kung fu movie to be released next month.

According to Alibaba, his appearance is meant to promote tai chi, a traditional Chinese martial art that he has been pursuing for decades.

The movie Gong Shou Dao, or The Art of Attack and Defence, will be released on November 11, coinciding with the date of an online shopping extravaganza known as Singles Day in China.

But Alibaba says the two events were not linked.

Ma unveiled the movie's poster on his microblog account, showing him surrounded by the other stars; writing "That night ... that dream," but without giving further details of the plot.

Along with Jet Li, Ma started a lifestyle company called Taiji Zen offering tai chi courses online.

Ma had also done magic shows and sung Peking Opera.  

[The audio clip is from Studio+, produced by CRI. ]