6. "Be in love with the government, but don't marry them"

Jack Ma said he has never taken any money from the Chinese government, and his relationship with the authorities is "very interesting."

"Be in love with the government, but don't marry them." He gave an example of when Alibaba worked together with the government to upgrade 12306.cn, the official online train ticket booking platform, to help millions of Chinese migrant workers buy tickets to return home for the upcoming Spring Festival.

Jack Ma, founder and executive chairman of Alibaba Group, waves as he meets local officials during the China Green Companies Summit in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, April 21, 2014. [Photo/IC]