Ma has done what some future role models in China could do to help realize the Chinese Dream - use their expertise of China. The Chinese market alone can support a huge number of Chinese enterprises in future-focused, technology-driven industries, including communications, smartphones and e-commerce.

Thinking about the future is what really connects Ma to the Chinese Dream. Speaking about success, Ma once said: "We got successful today - not because we did a great job today. We had a dream 15 years ago that the Internet could help small businesses."

But the Chinese Dream is a collective dream. Some will say that Ma, with his exposure to the US, has followed more of an American dream. Yet they can be reconciled. Ma shares two things in common with Gates. Like Gates, Ma has stood down as the CEO of his company to allow others to lead, and has vowed to also focus on other matters that benefit society. The Gates Foundation is known for its charitable work and Ma is in the process of establishing a charitable trust, which will reportedly receive 2 percent of Alibaba's share options value, that is, up to $3 billion. This way, Ma could further contribute to the achievement of a broader Chinese Dream and become a catalyst for increased donations in China. The Jack Ma story is not yet complete.

The author is director of China Programs at CAPA International Education, a US-UK organization that cooperates with Capital Normal University and East China Normal University.