I have shared Alibaba’s charity story and jersey story with you before. This time I will share with you the story of Alibaba’s “wine culture”. That is, Alibaba compares the growth of its employees to the process of making wine. Everyone knows that wine gets better as it ages.

There is a legend in Alibaba called "One year of fragrance, three years of mellowness, and five years of aging."

Students who have been employed for one year are called "one-year fragrance". One year of success, the fragrance of wine is overflowing, and only by staying true to one's original intention can one succeed. The commemoration of a year of fragrance is a badge outlined with a smiling face, witnessing the road we have walked together for a year and that we will continue to walk happily for a longer time in the future.

Students who have reached the third anniversary of joining the company are called "Three-year-old". From the inside out, they have a mellow wine taste and have integrated into Ali, becoming adults in three years. Dad Ma once said a "famous saying": If you have not stayed at Alibaba for three years, don't come to me to make suggestions. Don't make suggestions after three years. If you can stay in a company for three years, you can have a deeper understanding of the company's culture, values, etc., and begin to truly integrate into the company. Only in this way can the suggestions you make be constructive. The commemoration of three years is a pendant carved from white jade, shaped like Ali's 10th Anniversary Crossing the River to Solitaire. It embodies the essence of Ali people.

Students who have reached the fifth anniversary of joining the company are called "five-year-olds". They control internally and externally, intoxicate others, and inheritance is the best gratitude. In the past five years, I have definitely experienced a lot of joy of success and experienced a lot of growing pains. I believe, persist, and continue to pursue my dreams. To commemorate Chen’s fifth anniversary, he received a privately customized ring with the names of his classmates on it. It was a gold ring for women and a platinum ring for men. At present, Alibaba has given away more than 15,000 rings. There are four ordination ceremonies every year. Students who are ordained are invited back to the Hangzhou headquarters to be ordained. Dad Ma or company executives perform the ordination ceremony in person.

Gifts in the old culture are not a kind of welfare, but a kind of recognition and encouragement. One year, three years and five years represent "identity", "integration" and "inheritance" respectively.

Alibaba also has a "classmate reunion" culture. Employees who have resigned from Alibaba can participate in Alibaba's "classmate reunion" every year. Alibaba will have senior executives to share the growth and development of Alibaba this year. Students who want to return to Ali can have a chance to meet Ali again. Everyone who joins Alibaba will have a job number, and this job number will be retained for life. But if you leave Alibaba again, you will have no chance to return to Alibaba. Unless your company is acquired by Alibaba, you can become an employee of Alibaba again.

This is Alibaba’s “wine culture”. Do you like it?