An award ceremony marking the Jack Ma Charitable Foundation's first "best rural teacher" awards was held in Sanya, Hainan province, on Jan 17.

A total of 100 rural teachers from West China were awarded, including those from Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan provinces in southwest China, northwest China's Shaanxi province and Ningxia Hui autonomous region. Each teacher received a prize of 100,000 yuan ($15,200).

Jack Ma, chairman of e-commerce giant Alibaba, was a teacher for six years. He said that his success can be attributed to his teaching experience to some extent.

The Jack Ma Rural Teachers Award program was established to support rural education. As Ma said during the activity, "Rural education plays a significant role in China's social development. More than 3 million rural teachers directly influence around 40 million rural children who will have immeasurable impact on China in the future."

The Chinese business magnate announced the awards would be held annually to express gratitude to those who devote themselves to the?cause.

Jack Ma (L), founder of the Zhejiang Jack Ma Charitable Foundation, presents awards to rural teachers in Sanya, Hainan province, on Jan 17. [Photo/Xinhua]

Jack Ma (R2), founder of the Zhejiang Jack Ma Charitable Foundation, presents awards to rural teachers in Sanya, Hainan province, on Jan 17. [Photo/Xinhua]