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Thread: Jet Li's TaijiZen International Cultural Development Company

  1. #31
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    Slightly OT

    I feel this author missed the point. This is the point.

    Monday, 29 December 2014 14:40
    Wealthy Chinese pay thru their nose for KUNG-FU experts to be their bodyguards


    BEIJING - Increased security concerns among China's nouveau riche have created a niche market for protection services, attracting more martial-arts practitioners to become bodyguards.

    Seen close to Jack Ma - the Chinese mainland's richest man - at a series of recent events was a man of average build in his 30s and with brush-cut hair.

    Li Tianjin, Mr Ma's security assistant or personal bodyguard, stood out among the billionaire's entourage with his composed presence, watching every move made by his employer, the founder and chairman of e-commerce giant Alibaba Group.

    Mr Li, a national martial-arts champion, is from Chenjiagou in Wen county, Henan province, the widely recognised birthplace of taiji.

    Wang Zhanjun, vice-chairman of the Henan Martial Arts Association, said Mr Li won his first national title at the Wen County International Tai Chi Tournament in 1998.

    He was loyal to friends and trained very hard every day, Mr Wang added.



    Mr Li's appointment highlights the growing demand from China's entrepreneurs and celebrities for well-trained bodyguards with martial-arts backgrounds, as well as training in etiquette and secretarial abilities.

    Shi Xingfeng, founder and chief executive of the Bojing Security Agency in Beijing, told China Daily on Friday: "Demand for protective specialists is soaring, with customers increasingly sensing the need to protect their lives and property against unknown risks.

    "Despite this market demand, the talent pool remains small," Mr Shi said.

    The Bojing Security Agency was founded by Mr Shi in 2009, and is one of the earliest commercial security-service providers approved by China's Public Security Department.

    The country has 358 billionaires, second only to the United States, and their ranks are expected to grow rapidly in the next decade.

    Mr Ma topped this year's Hurun Rich List with net assets of more than US$24 billion (S$32 billion).

    Boasting practical combat skills, martial artists like Mr Li need to develop many other skills - including hostage rescue, technical driving and outdoor survival - through intense physical and theoretical training, Mr Shi said.



    "Professional security assistants are not trained to knock people down for their employers like illegal hatchet men, but to master skills and knowledge to prevent threats from happening," he said.

    Despite the risky nature of the job, the salary has attracted an increasing number of martial artists to work for wealthy clients.

    Qin Xianggang, a former student of Mr Wang, earned at least 8,000 yuan a month five years ago, when he started work as a security assistant for a real-estate tycoon in Qingdao, Shandong province.

    "This was twice as much as a martial-arts coach was paid at that time. The salary for bodyguards has also increased a lot over the years," Mr Qin said.

    According to Mr Shi, the average salary for a professional security assistant has risen to about 400,000 yuan (S$85,000) a year, with specially trained bodyguards earning even more.


    - Asiaone

    I also feel Mr. Shi is grousing because he didn't get the job.

    I posted more on Li Tianjin here.
    Gene Ching
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  2. #32
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    Slightly OT

    There's probably a better place to post this but our forum search disregards terms 3 characters or under like 'Jet' and 'Li'

    Fri Jul 17, 2015 12:31am EDT

    HONG KONG

    A group led by Chinese movie star Jet Li and his wife Nina Li invested $187 million in a Hong Kong-listed firm, as appetite surged for so-called "shell" companies listed in the city.

    The duo made the bulk of the investment, agreeing to buy 11.5 billion new shares of Far East Holdings International Ltd at HK$0.10 each, or about HK$1.15 billion ($148.4 million), via a holding company, according to filings with the Hong Kong stock exchange this week. That is equivalent to a 97 percent discount to Far East's closing price on June 26, before the stock was halted pending an announcement.

    Private companies and individuals are rushing to cash in on a steady flow of Chinese funds that have fueled a rally Hong Kong stocks, by snapping up so-called listed 'shells'. Typically, such shell companies get a large injection of cash and assets that often change their business.

    Demand for shell companies, entities which usually have few material operating assets, has soared in recent months. Such deals are generally considered a quicker and easier way for investors to gain a listing and access to funds than going through an initial public offering.

    Li, better known for his acrobatic martial arts films, and his wife bought the stake on July 10 through Regent Pacific Business Ltd, the filings showed.

    Far East didn't immediately return a Reuters request for comment on the investments.

    Fast East describes itself as an investment holdings company active in the technology, media, manufacturing and financial services sectors, according to its website.

    The Far East deal follows a similar transaction last month by China's largest China's No.1 social network and online media company Tencent Holdings Ltd and developer Evergrande Real Estate Group to buy a loss-making solar panel maker.

    (Reporting by Michelle Price and Elzio Barreto; Editing by Ryan Woo)
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  3. #33
    http://www.taijizen.com/en/

    looks like this startup didn't work. Wonder what the real story is behind the closure.


  4. #34
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    Good follow-up, MightyB

    Honestly, I haven't been tracking this story. A U.S. rep from it did contact me and said he would follow up but never did.

    Maybe Jack is going to be a painter next.

    Jack Ma sells his first painting for a cool $5.4 million at auction



    In an art sale at Sotheby in Hong Kong on Sunday a painting by Alibaba Group founder and all-around Renaissance Man Jack Ma sold for the surprising sum of HK$42.2 million (US$5.4 million).

    Ma was helped along by veteran Chinese artist Zeng Fanzhi. Together the two painted a blue, green and white piece of oil-on-canvas representing Earth entitled "Paradise." The artists coated and dotted the canvas with paint, before using palette knives to scrape the surface.

    "This is the first time I've painted, and to have been able to do it with Fanzhi -- I am deeply honored," Ma wrote in the auction catalog. "Together, we created an earth: to protect the earth, to protect the oceans, to protect the air, to protect water."



    The buyer was Chinese business tycoon and philanthropist Fenglei Qian. The original high estimate for the work was HK$2.5 million, but 30 bids later it was sold for nearly seventeen times that amount. The proceeds from the sale will be donated to the Paradise International Foundation, a charity dedicated to environmental conservation.

    This isn't Ma's first foray into philanthropy, he was ranked second in the 2015 Global Chinese Philanthropy list after only Li Ka-shing.

    After this first success, we'll see if Ma still holds on to his day job.

    Contact the author of this article or email tips@shanghaiist.com with further questions, comments or tips.
    By Alex Linder in News on Oct 6, 2015 6:45 PM
    Gene Ching
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  5. #35
    Quote Originally Posted by GeneChing View Post
    Honestly, I haven't been tracking this story. A U.S. rep from it did contact me and said he would follow up but never did.

    Maybe Jack is going to be a painter next.
    "In an art sale at Sotheby in Hong Kong on Sunday a painting by Alibaba Group founder and all-around Renaissance Man Jack Ma sold for the surprising sum of HK$42.2 million (US$5.4 million)."

    Man...

    When it rains, it pours for some people.

    If you want to have a fascinating look into the craziness of the art world and see how a person like Jack Ma can fetch a cool $5.4 mill for not really doing anything, watch "Exit Through the Gift shop" on Netflix. It's sad, because there are some truly talented people who've dedicated their whole life to art (and create their own work) that can't even pay their rent by selling their work.

  6. #36
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    Slightly OT

    Good ol' Jack Ma. I'm hoping in his charitable ventures, he'll help fund our magazine someday.

    Chinese Billionaire Buys 28K Acres of American Forest to Preserve It
    Photo of the Dayby Terry Turner - Dec 11, 2015


    Brandon Reserve screenshot LandVest Vimeo

    The Chinese billionaire behind online shopping giant Alibaba has placed an order for 28,000 acres of pristine, American wilderness – in a $28 million dollar bid to preserve wildlife, fish, and forests in the rugged mountains of the Northeast.

    Jack Ma, China’s richest man and a noted conservationist, plans to turn the Brandon Reserve in New York’s Adirondack Mountains into a wildlife sanctuary and protect its timber and water from logging and mining operations in the region.

    His first action as owner is to stop the logging operations already going on there.

    Ma’s purchase includes land along nine miles of the Saint Regis River, a trout fishery, multiple homes and barns, and even its own maple syrup operation.

    (WATCH the video from LandVest below to see the property or READ more at Town and Country) — Photos: LandVest, Vimeo
    Gene Ching
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  7. #37
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    More on Jack Ma

    Crouching Jack And His Hidden Dragons
    Team Inc42
    March 22, 2016 10 min read



    Jack Ma, the founder of China’s largest ecommerce company Alibaba, is neither a Harvard nor a Stanford graduate. He was actually rejected by Harvard, 10 times. He is just street smart, and it has worked wonders for him. At least, so far. Slowly and carefully, he has been making his move towards India, like a tiger who is waiting for the right moment to pounce on its prey.

    And it seems, he has just made the big leap. Alibaba, the NYSE listed online retailer who debuted with the world’s biggest ever IPO, has announced its entry into India. But, how he will execute this plan is not yet known.

    The country’s domestic ecommerce marketplace is already dominated by homegrown biggies like Flipkart and Snapdeal, along with a strong presence of US-based Amazon.

    Also, the Assocham report states that the Indian ecommerce market is poised to be worth $38 Bn by the end of 2016, which leaves a surfeit of opportunities for the etailers in this segment.

    Hence, it is a good time and chance for Alibaba to mark its entry in the B2C ecommerce segment, although, it has been trying to enter the Indian consumer market for a long time. In May 2015, Alibaba had reportedly tied up with Paytm to add about 1 Mn merchants from China on Paytm’s platform, along with adding 100 million SKUs. But it seems that the deal did not strike off. Though the Chinese ecommerce firm could not establish itself in the B2C space, it has been operating in the B2B ecommerce business since 2009, after it entered into a strategic partnership with Infomedia. Its B2B division is said to have over 4.5 Mn sellers on board in the country.

    In one of his statements, Jack Ma, Chairman of Alibaba Group, had said that

    India is a crucial market and Alibaba must have a strategy to crack it
    Enter – The Dragon

    Last week, Alibaba Group president Michael Evans and global managing director K Guru Gowrappan met Communications and IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Tata Group’s Chairman Cyrus Mistry to share their plans for the company’s interest in India and a possible partnership.

    “It is a positive announcement for the Indian market. It is a validation that India is a high potential market. The negative impact is that there will be competition pressure, but overall it is good news,” says Brijesh Agrawal, co- founder of IndiaMART. IndiaMART competes with Alibaba in the B2B category.

    A senior government official told ET,

    Alibaba is very keen on coming to India in a very big way, particularly in the ecommerce sector. They’re only exploring the way whether to go on their own or set up shop with someone else.
    The ecommerce market in India is much ripe and ready to accommodate as many players as possible. Goldman Sachs projects that India’s online retail market will expand to $36 Bn in 2016-17, which has emerged as a significant battlefield for the world’s largest ecommerce companies.

    As per Morgan Stanley, electronics and fashion are the dominant categories in India and the online penetration in these two categories is set to increase from 3-5% in 2014 to 25-30% in 2020, resulting in an online market of $88 Bn. Therefore, analysts expect that the online shopper penetration will increase by 20% in 2017. That can surely be a turning point for ecommerce in India.

    The Upper Cut

    At present, Alibaba has a sourcing business in India and does not sell anything directly to customers. It holds 40% stake in Paytm and 5% stake in Snapdeal. And if the Chinese ecommerce firm enters India in tie-ups with such ecommerce companies, the sector would see a battle between Amazon and the rest. Also, as we see that Alibaba has reportedly approached the Tata Group to venture into the online retail market, there is a big partnership awaited in the ecommerce segment.

    “Alibaba is familiar with India. They are not late. They have their inherent strengths and a good backend. The only issue in the B2C segment for them is that whether consumers will see it as “China ka maal (product of China)”. That does not go well with the Indian consumer,” says Prof. Pradeep Pendse, Dean of e-business at Welingkar Institute of Management.

    Also, as the news for Alibaba to enter the Indian retail market brims, it is being speculated that Paytm may spin off its marketplace business and allow Alibaba to organically expand in India.

    Vijay Shekhar Sharma, founder of Paytm refutes any such development. In a call with Inc42, Vijay says, “We (at Paytm) are committed to growth and we are here not to sell.” He did not comment on Alibaba’s India entry.

    Industry watchers also point out to a possible buyout of Flipkart by Alibaba.

    “It is a bonanza for Flipkart. I feel Alibaba is going to buy out Flipkart. For, Alibaba to run on its own will be difficult and it has deep pockets to buy out a big player who is already well entrenched,” says Prof. Kaustubh Dhargalkar of Welingkar Institute of Management.

    When Jack Ma visited India last year, he gave a clear indication that they would enter India’s online retail market by tying up with B2C players in the ecommerce segment. During the same time, the Chinese ecommerce giant reportedly entered into a strategic tie-up with Paytm, enabling cross-platform business.

    However, if Alibaba plans to enter India on its own, like Amazon, then we are bound to see a fierce battle amongst domestic players like Flipkart, Snapdeal, Paytm and Shopclues fighting against the US and Chinese ecommerce biggies.

    “This could be a bluff. If they threaten that they will come alone, they may be able to buy a big player out for a cheaper deal,” says an industry insider who requested anonymity.

    It should be noted here that currently India does not allow FDI in B2C ecommerce segment while it allows 100% FDI in B2B ecommerce portals, 51% FDI in multi-brand B2B segment and 100% FDI in single brand retail.

    Does It Mean That Alibaba Will Leverage Its B2B Business To Establish Its Presence In The B2C Ecommerce?

    On the other side, Alibaba has its own wallet, Alipay, and its own logistics unit, Aliexpress, which gives it an edge to establish itself on its own similar. This would mean that Alibaba will operate as Amazon works in India operating on an online marketplace model, which even has no FDI restrictions.

    “They have their own people, payment gateway, and most importantly their B2B business. The current ecommerce players are highly priced. So, they can come on their own, too,” says Arvind Singhal, Chairman and Managing Director of Technopak, a consultancy firm.

    A Ringside View

    Flipkart has raised $1.7 Bn capital to date and looks to speed up its funding in order to dodge its competitors. Flipkart was valued at $15 Bn after it raised $700 Mn in 2015. But, in February 2016, Morgan Stanley marked down the value of Flipkart’s shares by 27%, bringing down the company’s valuation to around $11 Bn.

    While Snapdeal has raised about $1.54 Bn and is valued at somewhere between $6.5-$7 Bn after it raised about $200 Mn in February 2016.

    On the other side, Alibaba is well funded with over $7.9 Bn to manage its entire business. In 2014, Alibaba raised $21.8 Bn, which was the biggest US IPO ever, which puts the company in a stronger position to take on its rivals in the country.
    continued next post
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  8. #38
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    Continued from previous post

    Who Dares, Wins

    Seeing Amazon steadily overtaking the ecommerce market in India, Amazon will be a strong contender in the ecommerce run. When Amazon entered the Indian market in 2014 under a marketplace model, it had expected good sales from the beginning. But, it took Amazon almost two years to assess the Indian market, and now it has managed to be one among the top players. It has invested about $300 Mn (INR 1,980 Cr.) and $190 Mn (INR 1,237 Cr.), in Amazon Seller Services, in February 2016 and October 2015 respectively to have a strong seller base in order to cater to a wider network of consumers. It has further committed $2 Bn investment making India its largest market outside the US.

    The company had even planned for a $5 Bn (INR 31,700 Cr) warchest for India. It is also in the race to digital wallet services. It is said to have applied for a semi-closed wallet license with the RBI.

    It this is not enough to measure Amazon’s increasing strength in the country then we can also note that Amazon has not been raising any funds to survive, unlike its counterparts.

    But What About The Indian Govt And Its Policies?

    “Alibaba will have a hell to pay for if they try to come alone. If you remember the Huawei – Airtel issue, it will be tough for a Chinese player to operate in the country on its own.There are data and privacy issues involved,” says Vivek Srinivasan, co- founder of Prudence Advisors.

    Talking about Flipkart and Snapdeal, who are still not ready for a public listing, are in desperate need of funds. Flipkart borrowed $67 Mn (INR 450 Cr) from HDFC Bank in lieu of not able to raised funds soon. It was valued at $15 Bn after it raised $700 Mn in 2015. But, in February 2016, Morgan Stanley marked down the value of Flipkart’s shares by 27%, bringing down the company’s valuation to around $11 Bn. While, Snapdeal, which has raised about $1.54 Bn till date, is valued between $6.5-$7 Bn, after it raising about $200 Mn in February 2016.

    However, the three of them are not yet profitable in the Indian terrain. Snapdeal has reported a loss of INR 1,328 Cr., Flipkart reported a loss of about INR 2,000 Cr and Amazon India reported a total loss of INR 31.7 Cr., in FY 14-15.

    eBay, on the other hand, is the oldest player in India in which entered India in 2004. But it has not managed to establish itself as a strong player.

    If these existing players are compared to Alibaba, only Amazon seems to be a tough competitor. Alibaba is well stuffed with over $7.9 Bn fund to manage its entire business. In 2014, Alibaba raised $21.8 Bn, which was the biggest US IPO ever, which puts the company in a stronger position to take on its rivals in the country.

    The time may be right. The market is well equipped and Alibaba will have the ‘second mover advantage.’ But, there will be stiff competition from its US rival Amazon. M&A options are wide open for Alibaba if it needs a little help from Jack Ma’s Indian friends- Snapdeal or Paytm. The coming days will see Indian market playing out to be a battleground for Amazon and Alibaba. Well, if Jack has to win-it-all, he should better have a few tricks up his sleeve.

    [With inputs from Dearton Hector Thomas]
    Now that TaijiZen is defunct, perhaps I should split the Jack Ma posts off into their own indie thread...
    Gene Ching
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  9. #39
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    I did split this Jet Li's TaijiZen International Cultural Development Company thread

    Here's the new thread:Jack Ma & Alibaba

    And here's a new mention of TaijiZen in a news piece today.



    Activewear Brands Limber Up in China
    Changing cultural attitudes to sport, fitness and body image have opened up a huge activewear opportunity in China. Which international brands are poised to pounce?

    Lululemon's "Unroll China" yoga event in Beijing's Forbidden City | Source: Courtesy
    BY KATE ABNETT
    OCTOBER 10, 2016 16:22

    LONDON, United Kingdom — In August, the ground around Beijing’s Forbidden City was carpeted with hundreds of people doing outdoor yoga on brightly coloured mats, as Lululemon kicked off “Unroll China,” its first series of fitness events in the country.

    “The event sold out overnight for the simultaneous yoga events in three key markets in China,” says Ken Lee, senior vice president, Asia Pacific, at Lululemon, which also hosted grassroots yoga sessions in Shanghai and Chengdu. “It’s hard to overstate the potential for Lululemon in Asia over the next five years.”

    Indeed, China’s activewear market is booming. From 2014 to 2015, China's sportswear market grew from $23.9 billion to $26.6 billion, according to Euromonitor. Mintel estimates that the country’s sportswear and outdoor wear market is valued at RMB 124.5 billion (about $18.57 billion), or 6 percent of total apparel sales in the country. In 2015, the market grew at an 18 percent clip. “It is reasonable to forecast the market growing to about RMB 220 billion (about $32.81 billion) by 2020,” says Matthew Crabbe, Mintel’s director of research for Asia Pacific.

    Activewear brands stand to benefit from a cultural shift as China opens up to fitness. Sports participation in the country is rising fast. Gym and health club revenue in China has nearly doubled over the past five years, and Shanghai alone is now home to over 1,000 gyms.

    The government is actively promoting sports participation, motivated by concerns that urbanisation and industrialisation were resulting in a decrease in the health and fitness of the overall population. Earlier this year, China's State Council unveiled a national health improvement plan including new public sports facilities and fitness centres, to boost the population’s fitness through 2020. There is also the hangover from the 2008 Beijing Olympics, which helped boost interest in sport, particularly athletics.

    Meanwhile, many Chinese people are travelling or studying overseas, in countries where sports participation is encouraged and athleisure is already an established fashion trend. “This exposure has contributed to a more open-minded Chinese woman, willing to stretch her long established definition of beauty,” says Brian Buchwald, co-founder and chief executive officer of consumer intelligence firm Bomoda. “In past years, most Chinese women had little interest in sport or fitness. Their perception was the equation of beauty and a skinny body to the point where they feared muscle development. But in recent years, their attitudes have been markedly changed.”

    Physical and mental well-being are equally important to Chinese consumers.
    Celebrities such as Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid — who are often photographed in “athleisure” looks and share their food and fitness regimes on social media — are frequently featured on Chinese fashion blogs and social media, helping to drive fitness-friendly fashion and beauty trends.

    More generally speaking, China’s rapid economic development has led to rising incomes and increased leisure time among the country’s middle class. “They have more spending power, and more choice. Their spending power has attracted more sportswear companies to fulfil a growing market for many types of sports participation,” says Crabbe.

    International sportswear giants are already doubling down on the opportunity. Adidas and Nike both posted double-digit revenue growth in Greater China in 2015, which Adidas attributed partly to "rising sports participation, strongly supported by the Chinese government." Nike is the market leader with a 20 percent market share, and sales in Greater China of $3.8 billion for fiscal year 2016. The company is riding the wave of government investment in sports and has teamed up with the Chinese Ministry of Education on a three-year schools sports plan.

    However, Adidas is catching up: Mintel estimates its 2016 market share will be about 18.8 percent. In fiscal year 2015, the company posted sales of €2.47 billion ($2.75 billion) and earlier this year announced plans to open 3,000 new stores in China by 2020. The company is also investing in the market, hiring actress Zhang Jun Ning as an ambassador. “Zhang was well known prior to her appointment as a workout warrior and relatable to the large population,” says Buchwald. “For brands, hiring popular and on-trend KOLs is a great way to attract the Chinese consumer.”

    But there’s still everything to play for. China's per capita consumption of sportswear is low — lower than Malaysia, Brazil, Germany and the UK — leaving a lot of untapped potential, and according to Brian Buchwald, “the Chinese people’s attitudes toward fitness are still in transition.”

    To tap the opportunity, sportswear brands need a sharp focus on product design, as many Chinese consumers prioritise form over function in fashion products. “Their challenge is convincing the Chinese consumer they are on-trend and fashionable. Hiring fashion key opinion leaders and partnering with fashion designers are great paths to bridging that gap,” says Buchwald, pointing to Adidas Originals as successfully using “hero products” like Stan Smiths and NMD trainers to create social media and marketing buzz in China.

    Indeed, paying attention to cultural attitudes is also a good way to connect with Chinese consumers, particularly through sports like Tai Chi, which prioritise mental balance as well as physical fitness, in the traditional holistic approach to health in Chinese society. Indeed, a 2010 martial arts clothing collaboration between Adidas and martial arts film star Jet Li eventually led to Li launching a lifestyle brand of his own, Taiji Zen, alongside Alibaba founder Jack Ma. “Physical and mental well-being are equally important to Chinese consumers,” says Crabbe, pointing to this as one of “main reasons that there has been a recent resurgence in people doing yoga.”

    Lululemon has put particular emphasis on tailoring stores to local markets within China. The company has stores in Hong Kong but currently only operates showrooms in Shanghai and Beijing, and sells online in China via Tmall. “We start with our showroom model, where our team can build brand awareness, test product, create authentic relationships and learn what is important to a community before we open a permanent store,” says Ken Lee. “We don’t push ourselves on a community, we open stores when they pull us in.”

    However, Crabbe warns that an internationally-renowned brand name is not a guarantee of success in China’s activewear market. “Foreign brands should not underestimate the significance of Chinese cultural influences and Chinese brands’ understanding of their local markets and consumers. Companies cannot assume strong market growth will mean strong growth for them — there is a lot of competition going on out there.”
    I'll copy this to the Yoga thread too. The funny thing about Lululemon to me is that the fashion line only fits people with chiseled bodies, and that doesn't fit so many yoga practitioners today.
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  10. #40
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    Jetli.com

    Still not sure what happened to Taijizen.com but if that dead horse don't trot, beat it some more.

    Chinese Kung Fu Actor Jet Li Launches Martial Arts Video Platform
    PAN YUE
    February 22, 2017 — 11:34 HKT



    Jet Li, a Chinese Kung Fu champion and film actor, has launched an online video platform, Jetli.com, to nurture and develop martial arts around the world and gain entry into the booming sports sector in China.

    Li announced the official launch of the video site yesterday via his Weibo account. Jetli.com, English-language website, aims to tell the story of Kung Fu and Kung Fu masters, as well as other martial arts, including extreme sports, boxing and Taekwondo.

    "Founding Jetli.com is a continuation of my dream, not something I did from an impulse," Li wrote in an earlier Weibo post. "Kung Fu is not just about the movements of arms and legs, it is also about pursuing your dream with persistence and patience."

    Chinese investors have poured billions into sports ventures, as people in China become more health-conscious. A total of 63 investments with an aggregate deal value of RMB11 billion were recorded in the sports sector during the first half of 2016, up nearly 300% in terms of deal value compared to the RMB3.6 billion registered for all of 2015, according to data from ChinaVenture.

    Sports video took the largest share in terms of total deal value, driven by a RMB8 billion series B round completed in April by LeSports, LeEco's sports unit. CMC Holdings, IDG Capital, Legend Capital and Everbright Sports Culture Fund are some of the most active investors in sports.

    Jetli.com, which translates into Jie Li (street power) in Chinese, will strive to discovery and help young people pursuing their dreams and share their spirit with others, Li wrote.

    Jet Li's video portal is operated by a commercial entity, Shanghai-based Zaomengzhe Development Company that was established last April with RMB2 million (US$280,000) in registered capital.

    The business is permitted to operate in multimedia design, website design and computer technology, according to the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System.
    Gene Ching
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  11. #41
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    Chinese Billionaires & Tai Chi

    I'm posting this initially on our Jet Li's TaijiZen International Cultural Development Company but I'm also going to copy it over to a new indie thread 'Chinese Billionaires & Tai Chi' in hopes that it trends and turns into a major sponsor for us . This is the first we've heard of Guo Guangchang's interest.


    Jack Ma practices tai chi in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, May 10, 2013.

    Profit from peace
    ASEAN+ August 07, 2017 09:12 By China Daily/ANN

    China's billionaires and successful entrepreneurs are embracing tai chi, a homegrown gentle exercise or martial art characterized by rhythmic circular movements, to boost not just personal well-being but company profits, launch new products and services, and transform corporate cultures.

    For instance, Guo Guangchang, president of Fosun Group, and Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba Group, are among the prominent personalities championing the cause of tai chi.Elite tai chi clubs comprising business-people are not uncommon in China these days. Well-known entrepreneurs in white silk garbs can be found going through the slow motions at private parks.After practising it for over three decades, Ma has made tai chi part of Alibaba's organizational culture. Tai chi workshops are part of staff training.

    In his 2009 "State of the Union" address, US President Barack Obama called tai chi one of the best aerobic exercises of the world.For long, tai chi has been practised by senior citizens as a morning or evening ritual as it is believed to help practitioners to balance positive and negative inner energies. That philosophy is now being applied in business to boost profits.
    "It is a nice trend that influential entrepreneurs are doing tai chi, since it plays a positive role in promoting inner peace," said Li Longxin, a Brazilian startup owner in Beijing."I also think that in terms of cultivating a good character, tai chi is better than activities like muay thai."Ary S, a Russian public relations manager in Beijing, said: "Tai chi is typical 'Eastern stuff ', and I'd like to learn it. I see foreign media love to write about Chinese CEOs performing tai chi with their employees."In just a few years since its commercialization, tai chi has acquired the status of a management technique that can help better manage oneself, one's team and business, potentially boosting profits.Besides, tai chi is seen as a potential revenue booster for the tourism industry. Since the 2008 Beijing Olympics, explorers of foreign cultures and backpackers alike have been taking to it with gusto.On Trip Advisor website, a US tourist shared his experience of an introductory tai chi session in Beijing. He wrote the teacher initiated the tourist group into tai chi slowly, and patiently explained its meaning and benefits. "We loved every minute. What a great experience."Tai chi presents a contrast to other combat sports like kick-boxing, kung fu or muay thai that require speed and strength.Although it was designed to be a self-defense skill, tai chi's modern practitioners feel it can help reduce stress and calm the mind.The philosophy of balancing inner energies is similar to managing a company, Ma once said. He also said he developed leadership abilities from Taoism, management skills from Confucianism and inspiration to live a normal life from Buddhism. "And tai chi is what combines all separate parts together."Fosun Group's Guo, another Chinese billionaire, is also passionate about tai chi. "It doesn't require large spaces or a whole set of equipment like golf. It is a more sustainable exercise. I used to be very irritable and constantly yelled at my team. We've that anger in our belly and we need to calm it down."So, Guo applied tai chi in his work. "It doesn't teach you how to be fast but how to react faster. In investing, one can never always stay ahead of the market reaction. But tai chi made me react more spontaneously to change."In 2011, at a Fosun branding event on Wall Street, Guo pitched tai chi to entrepreneurs. Ever since, he has been performing tai chi at the group's annual dinner in New York.He also introduced tai chi to his friends such as Dai Zhikang, founder and chairman of Zendai Group.Tai chi itself has become an intellectual property and has spawned many businesses, products and services.In April 2012, famous kung fu actor Li Lianjie, known in the West as Jet Li, and Alibaba's Ma jointly founded Taiji Zen International Culture Co Ltd by investing 50 million yuan ($7.3 million). Taiji Zen developed tai chi-related cultural products and services.Four years later, it set up a cultural institute that provides not only martial art tutorials but 18-day courses in philosophy for entrepreneurs that can cost up to 99,800 yuan."Promoting tai chi is not only a challenging career for me but a way to show my gratitude and give back to my predecessors, teachers and the whole martial arts world," said Jet Li."Tai chi can provide a guideline for those running a business," Alibaba's Ma said. "Copying Western management system isn't enough to run an enterprise in China, it needs supports from its deep Eastern cultural roots. That's why, we set up the tai chi school."Huang Zhongda, the first person to commercialize tai chi and founder of i-Tai Ching, said he realized tai chi has huge potential when he was studying for his senior management consultant certificate."Entrepreneurs usually suffer from suboptimal health, so practising tai chi can help improve mental and physical health," said Huang."But those entrepreneurs don't like hanging out with senior citizens in a public park. Instead, they need exclusive high-end spaces to practise," he said.Soon after he picked up the martial art, Guo invested in i-Tai Ching and co-founded i-Tai Ching Sports Development Co Ltd in 2010. The i-Tai Ching elite clubs have spread across China's top-tier cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou.Monthly memberships of such clubs can cost 35,000 yuan. In a sense, this turns the tai chi schools into elite social clubs that are becoming popular among even expatriates."Tai chi can help people to relax and harmonize their life, bring peace and balance, which transcends elegantly into company management. I would recommend trying it to everyone," said David B. Allen, CFA, a Canadian in Shanghai.Lin Shuyun, a Thai student of the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, said: "Tai chi can calm people down, and it's not too difficult to learn. There are no limitations related to space and time. I think tai chi helps practitioners, including entrepreneurs, to keep healthy and to learn some values of life."Indonesia's Bagas Deka Kurtianto, Lin Shuyun's university mate, said: "Many entrepreneurs appear to be under too much stress. Tai chi can eliminate their bad emotions and pressure. It can also help them to cultivate patience and inner calm, which should help in company management. An even-tempered manager can win respect of employees while a short-tempered manager would terrify staff."The bottom line is, Chinese martial arts are becoming popular across the world. The Mei Quan Academy of Taiji, a London-based tai chi club, now has 48 branches from hipster center Camden Town to affluent Chelsea and central district Russel Square. It also has a presence in Australia, Japan, the US and Europe.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
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    Jet returns to the UN with more Wushu



    Jet Li Gave Speech in United Nations and New York Times Square to Promote Wushu and Taiji
    By jetli.com 1 day ago in Jet Li


    Chinese Wushu Delegation participated in cultural exchange last week in the United States. This activity was organized by General Administration of Sport and International Wushu Federation (IWUF). This was the 2nd time that Chinese Wushu delegates performed in the United Nations since 2011. The theme of the event was “Harmonious, Healthy, and Sharing”.

    Jet Li Promoted Wushu and Taiji in United Nations



    Jet Li, as the ambassador of IWUF and China Wushu Association, gave a speech in both United Nations and in New York Times Square.



    Jet Li first visited the United States in 1974, when he was one of the members of the Chinese Wushu Delegation. He had the chance to perform wushu in front of President Nixon (Former US President) and Henry Kissinger (Former United States Secretary of State) at the White House.



    In 2011, China Wushu Association and Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the United Nations organized an event “Peace, Friendship, Healthy” at the United Nations Headquarters. That was the first time Chinese Wushu delegates performed in the United Nations. At that time, Jet Li once again expressed his thoughts about wushu philosophy and promoted Taiji to the world.



    Jet Li Promoted Wushu and Taiji in New York Times Square



    Jet Li believes Taiji is a representation of wushu. It is not only a healthy exercise, but also learning Yin Yang philosophy as well as heaven and earth, peace and balance. He strongly believes that practicing wushu can make a person happier and healthier.

    “Currently there are more than 100 million people practicing Taiji around the world. As an ambassador for IWUF and China Wushu Association, what I did in the past was not enough and I will continue to promote wushu to the world,” Jet said.




    Been looking for news on this but the only thing I've found was on Jet Li's own website. That's been much more active since TaijiZen went dark.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
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  13. #43
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    The Art of Attack and Defence (Gong Shou Dao)

    Alibaba’s Jack Ma stars in short kung fu movie to promote tai chi
    Jet Li and Donnie Yen also feature in film to be released next month
    PUBLISHED : Sunday, 29 October, 2017, 8:50pm
    UPDATED : Sunday, 29 October, 2017, 8:50pm
    Alice Shen



    Alibaba founder Jack Ma Yun will make his big-screen debut alongside action stars Jet Li, Donnie Yen and Sammo Hung Kam-bo in a short kung fu movie released next month.
    Ma’s appearance was to promote tai chi, a traditional Chinese martial art that Ma has pursued for decades, Alibaba said on Saturday. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.
    The movie Gong Shou Dao, or The Art of Attack and Defence, will be released on November 11, the date of an online shopping extravaganza known as Singles Day in China.
    But Alibaba said the two events were not linked.
    Ma assembled the team to realise his decade-long dream of becoming a tai chi master, the company said.
    Wu Jing on Wolf Warrior 2’s record-breaking run, his cinematic roots in Hong Kong and Wolf Warrior 3’s story direction
    He unveiled the movie’s poster on his microblog account, showing him surrounded by the other stars.
    “That night ... that dream,” Ma wrote in the post, without giving details of the plot.
    The movie will also feature Wu Jing, whose Wolf Warrior II reset box office records in China.
    Other big names in the movie include champion boxer Zou Shiming, Thai actor Tony Jaa, and retired Mongolian sumo champion Asashoryu Akinori.
    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 Art of Attack and Defence (Gong Shou Dao)
    Alibaba
    TaijiZen
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
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  14. #44
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    Premieres Saturday


    BroadTones
    Kung Fu Superstar Jet Li: How I’ll Bring Tai Chi to the Olympics
    The iconic actor hopes to light up future Games with an innovative take on traditional martial arts.
    Nov 06, 2017
    Lu Hongyong
    Lu Hongyong is an editor at Sixth Tone.

    This Saturday will see the premiere of a new martial arts movie, “Gong Shou Dao.” With a run time of just 20 minutes, it certainly wasn’t made for its box office potential. The short film, which stars Jack Ma — the founder and executive chairman of Alibaba, China’s largest e-commerce platform — brings together 11 of China’s best-known martial artists and will premiere during the eighth annual Singles’ Day shopping event, when hundreds of millions of the world’s consumers will scour Taobao, Alibaba’s shopping platform, for deals.

    The man behind the film is Jet Li, a celebrated actor whose movies include “Shaolin Temple,” “Fist of Legend,” and “Hero.” Li and Ma are co-founders of Taiji Zen, a lifestyle company that promotes wellness through a combination of tai chi and meditation. Central to the company’s ethos is gongshoudao (GSD), a new form of tai chi that Li and Ma hope will elevate Chinese martial arts to Olympic status.

    Sixth Tone sat down with Li to talk about the power of tai chi, his friendship with Ma, and his future hopes for GSD. The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

    Sixth Tone: What is special about GSD compared to other forms of martial arts, and how does it relate to the Olympics?

    Jet Li: I was just 8 years old when I began studying martial arts. I’m 47 now, and over the past four decades or so, I’ve been fortunate enough to make something of a name for myself, acting in Hollywood movies and traveling the world giving talks on this distinctly Chinese form of combat. Countless Chinese dream of the day that martial arts are officially recognized as an Olympic event, but so far, we have been unsuccessful.

    A key reason for our failure to date is the fact that there is no consensus on the standards or categories of the various forms of wushu — martial arts. There are simply too many styles and variations to merit inclusion in the Olympics just yet. Use your fists, and people call it boxing; use your legs, and they call it taekwondo; throw your opponent to the floor, and people call it judo. How, in the end, should we codify something as broad as Chinese martial arts? Jack [Ma] and I hope that GSD will at least define it for the purposes of international sport.

    Sixth Tone: You have mastered several different martial arts styles. Why did you choose to base GSD on tai chi?

    Jet Li: About seven or eight years ago, I read a Harvard University study that looked at 800 published medical papers devoted to the relative merits of tai chi, some of which concluded that it could provide relief for sufferers of heart disease, high blood pressure, arthritis, and depression. This level of discussion is almost nonexistent in China, where we tend to take it for granted that tai chi is good for us. Yet even if it is good, that doesn’t mean it’s a magical cure-all or that it obviates the need for medicine. We must keep putting our faith in science.

    I used to believe there were only four things that mattered in life: fame, money, power, and love. Now, I know that I must gain a clear perspective on what life is really about.
    - Jet Li, actor
    Around the same time, Jack and I met to talk about his dream of shooting a film to help popularize tai chi. Having practiced tai chi for 30 years, he sees it as a symbol of traditional Chinese culture. Two years later, we founded Taiji Zen together. Our shared goal is to get Chinese martial arts — specifically GSD — enshrined as an Olympic event. To this end, we have drawn up detailed rules for GSD, with an eye toward making it more combative and watchable. Domestically, the first GSD tournament will be held in Beijing on Nov. 15.

    Sixth Tone: In the past, China has failed to convince the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to include traditional martial arts at the Games. How do the prospects look now?

    Jet Li: In January, Alibaba put its name to a 12-year partnership with the IOC. Covering the next three Olympic cycles, the contract establishes Jack’s company as one of the IOC’s premier global partners and doubtless gives GSD a leg up in the fight for Olympic status. In fact, Jack personally explained GSD to the IOC’s current president, Thomas Bach, in August.

    I don’t doubt that the Olympic spirit is a good thing. Yet even as the quest to be higher, faster, and stronger has allowed us to redefine humanity’s limits, it has also damaged athletes’ bodies. In our attempts to push ourselves, we’ve lost sight of an important part of the sporting mindset: balance. The world today is changing at an extraordinary pace, so it’s only natural to feel off-balance. But to paraphrase one of Jack’s most quoted comments, it pays to slow down if we want to live happy lives.

    In 1997, around the time I was filming “Once Upon a Time in China and America,” I found myself overcome with doubt for the first time in my life. Ever since I was a little boy, I had always believed that if I simply worked hard, respected the law, and did my best, there was nothing I couldn’t accomplish.

    However, at that point, I realized that in spite of all my wealth, I was still eating the same things I had always eaten and drinking more or less what I had always liked to drink. The only difference was that when I was younger, I’d relieve myself in Beijing’s public restrooms, where other guys stood in lines ****ing all over the urinal trough. Now, though, I lived in a big home with something like eight bathrooms. That was the grand sum of all my achievements: a different bathroom for each day of the week.

    Fundamental to tai chi is a spirit of peaceful coexistence — the belief that in you, there is a piece of me, and in me a piece of you.
    - Jet Li, actor
    I used to believe there were only four things that mattered in life: fame, money, power, and love. Now, I realize that’s not the case, and I know that I must gain a clear perspective on what life is really about. Not long ago, I found myself chatting with Yang Xingnong, Taiji Zen’s CEO and the dean of our academy. Over the course of two hours, we talked about everything from movies and martial arts training to charity and altruism, yet we kept circling back to the same questions: What is life? What is pain? What is love? What, at the end of the day, is the point of living?
    continued next post
    Gene Ching
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    Continued from previous post

    Sixth Tone: How does your adaptation of tai chi capture those moral revelations?

    Jet Li: GSD combines physical training with the sort of meditative self-reflection you might expect from Zen Buddhism. Over the past few years, I’ve spent six hours a day meditating, searching for the answers to these questions. I’ve tried going without life’s mundanities — I once went over a week without showering — and attempted a couple things more grandiose, such as when I spent several years staring into caves high in the Nepalese Himalayas. I’m happier than I’ve ever been, because today, my thoughts and purpose are fully aligned.

    When people hear the name Jet Li, they tend to think of the martial artist, the kid who started studying when he was 8 before becoming a national champion and entering the film industry. My first movie, “Shaolin Temple,” came out in 1982 and broke Chinese mainland box office records for a Mandarin-language film. Though I went on to enjoy a successful career in Hong Kong and Hollywood, that Jet Li has now stepped out of the public eye.

    These days, I spend my time thinking about how I can help people live better, including through charitable work. Ten years ago, I launched the One Foundation, a charity focused on helping communities recover from disasters, protecting and educating children, peer support, and innovation.

    Sixth Tone: Your 1982 film debut, “Shaolin Temple,” made Chinese viewers fall back in love with martial arts. Are you expecting to leave a similar impression with GSD?

    Jet Li: I like to say that while “Shaolin Temple” revived interest in martial arts, it failed to capture their essence. The action-packed movie inspired a generation of kids who dreamed of one day being martial artists, but ended up as security guards. My current hope is that Taiji Zen will cultivate a generation of Zen practitioners, thinkers, and warriors — a generation in which everyone has their own thoughts and outlook on life, and everyone is receptive to feedback and willing to support one another. No more children will grow up dreaming of becoming mere fighters; they will also know the value of Zen as a guiding path to self-realization.

    China’s national character is scarred by memories of fighting foreign aggression. But the tide has turned. Today, there’s no need to go around talking about how strong the Chinese people are. Fundamental to tai chi is a spirit of peaceful coexistence — the belief that in you, there is a piece of me, and in me a piece of you. All of us share this spirit, regardless of ethnicity. At present, there are about 150 million tai chi practitioners around the world, and the global influence of Chinese martial arts is something I am immensely proud of.

    I hope tai chi, in the form of GSD, has a good chance of becoming an Olympic sport. Two of the characters in its Chinese name, gong and shou, stand for “kung fu” and “defense,” respectively. China has been an agricultural civilization for centuries, and although the country is now industrializing rapidly, different forms of kung fu, including tai chi, play a vital — I would even say foundational — role in Chinese culture as a means of protecting our homes, land, and territorial integrity. In the future, I hope to see GSD become a symbol similarly deserving of our pride in China’s martial heritage.

    Translator: Kilian O’Donnell; editors: Lu Hongyong and Matthew Walsh.

    (Header image: A still frame of Jet Li’s character in the 2006 film ‘Fearless.’ VCG)

    The Art of Attack and Defence (Gong Shou Dao) = The Olympics & Wushu + TaijiZen & ONE Foundation.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
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