Hutong School Hangzhou’s Adventure into the World of Tech

Together with the group of students, we started our day at Alibaba where they first showed us around Alibaba’s cool Binjiang Campus. Here, Alibaba employees have access to a gym, food court, massage and therapy services and their very own post office all located in one hi-tech, state of the art complex. On top of this, the campus is covered with interesting art installations, including a large statue of a fat, naked man (designed by one of Jack Ma’s favourite artists).

After our tour of the campus they briefly introduced Alibaba’s timeline to us, from which we have learned how the company was able to maintain normal operations during the SARS outbreak in China by having all staff work from home. We also got to admire the stylish gold and platinum rings and jade necklaces that Alibaba employees receive as gifts after working at the company for a long time.

After visiting all the facilities we listened to a presentation on Alibaba’s development, its work culture and the Global E-Talent Programme. Following a brief Q&A session, we ate in Alibaba’s canteen alongside staff before heading to our next location: Zijin Town.

Situated a few minutes west of Zhejiang University’s Zijingang campus, Zijin Town is a project run by the university alongside the Xihu Government and other partners, that aims to attract high-level talents and exciting companies to the area.

Not only did we learn about the Zijin Town project, we also listened to presentations on starting your own business in Hangzhou, applying for entrepreneur and intern visas and why you should choose Hangzhou over other cities. Business experts from the world of E-Commerce, Sino-African trade and the stock market also shared some of their experiences.

All in all, it was a very successful day. A big thank you to everyone involved for making this happen!

Interested in learning more about Hangzhou? Read our previous blog post Meet the city of Hangzhou.

Have you become interested in Hutong School after reading this article or are you considering doing an internship in China? Take a look at our  website or feel free to contact us.