Stumble upon Hupan University, created by founder of Ali Baba, Jack Ma while visiting West Lake Hangzhou

Hupan University is located in West Lake, created by the founder of Alibaba, Jack Ma. During our visit to Hangzhou, we visited Hupan University. It is not the traditional University that you see, elsewhere. It is a non-profit and aims to train new generations of entrepreneurs with an entrepreneurial spirit in the era of new business civilization. The target students are mainly entrepreneurs who have been in business for more than three years.

Well, if you didn’t read the wording in the stone, you don’t even realize that this is actually a University. There are trees and gardens surrounded the school, hidden deep in the green forest.  The place is quiet and elegant. You will also experience a zigzag bridge in the courtyard too, truly nice Jiangnan garden.

The first principal is Jack Ma and the first batch of students start classes in 2015. Hupan University is more like a graduate school, something like MBA. Wait, not exactly like MBA as you must have fulfilled certain criteria in order to enroll.

The prerequisite to getting into Hupan University is you must have been in business for more than three years and have at least 30 people or more working under your team.  Not everyone can apply for Hupan University.  First, the school will send in the invitation to the students and then students have to fill in a set of the questionnaire survey. After the students were being shortlisted, the interview will be conducted.

In 2015, the first 35 CEO from different fields gather in Hupan University Hangzhou to listen to the lecture of Principal of Jack Ma.

Jack Ma has always wanted to go back to be a teacher and after he retired he started Hupan University in 2015. Hupan University received many applications but only about 40 applicants are shortlisted. It was said that the acceptance rate is only 4%, which is lower than that of Harvard and Stanford University, and the tuition fee is RMB 36,000 (SGD 7258).  The course of study is 3 years and the study is concentrated every two months, 4 to 5 days each time and it was taught by Jack Ma and the rest of the school co-founders.

Many people love to listen to Jack Ma’s lecture, he once emphasized the philosophy of Hupan University, not to teach how to make money, how to grow and succeed, but to teach how to create value, how to grow your business and how to learn from failure.  Many felt excited after listening to his lecture.

Final thoughts:

The building inside are simple but yet elegant with ancient architectural style. At the front, there is a river flowing through. A unique view indeed in early winter.