HONG KONG -- Three years ago, on Nov. 11 -- the date of Singles' Day, the Alibaba-led shopping extravaganza -- Jack Ma released a short film. A slick, 22-minute production titled "Gong Shou Dao," it follows the diminutive Ma as he encounters a series of ever-more towering opponents, from screen idol Jet Li to a Mongolian sumo wrestler.
Too visible, too wealthy: Tensions between the Chinese Communist Party and Alibaba's Jack Ma had been building even before the doomed Ant Group listing. © Getty Images
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