ALIBABA founder Jack Ma recently gave his first lecture at Tokyo College as a visiting professor, triggering discussions on Chinese social media.

Ma, who was formerly an English teacher before becoming one of China’s most successful internet tycoons, taught students at a special two-hour seminar on the evening of June 12, about management philosophy and how they can achieve success. Formerly an English lecturer at Hangzhou Normal University, Ma has always been keen on education. He founded an unconventional university for entrepreneurs back in 2015.

It’s not unusual for business leaders to be keen on education, which is a worthy cause that has huge impacts for a nation’s future. Apple CEO Tim Cook currently serves as chair of the advisory board of the School of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University. Ma’s tenure with Tokyo College was probably one of his dream jobs. Ma has a more visible focus on researching and teaching these days. In April, the University of Hong Kong announced he would join its business school for the next three years.

The successful businessman’s other focus has been on the sustainable development of agriculture. It is reported that he previously visited the Netherlands, Spain and Japan to study farming and fisheries. Hopefully, Ma’s enthusiasm for education and agriculture, coupled with his ability to leverage the resources across a wide array of fields and countries, will help with sustainable agriculture and food production and facilitate international cooperation in those fields.

It’s high time that Chinese entrepreneurs focus on social responsibility and paying back to society after they have made considerable fortunes in the past decades.

Mike Xiao via email