SANYA, January 8. /TASS/. Alibaba founder Jack Ma's foundation held the 5th annual award ceremony for teachers from rural China in southern Hainan. According to www.hinews.cn, 100 teachers and 20 directors of rural schools  were awarded for outstanding achievements and doing a good job.

The ceremony was held on January 6 in Sanya; Jack Ma, as well as a number of Chinese celebrities, including actors Jet Li, Li Sun, Gao Xiaosong and several others, took part in the ceremony. Award winning teachers came from different regions of China. All of them were praised for devoting their lives to teaching in poor rural mountainous areas. The average age of the laureates was 39 years.

Jack Ma launched that educational project in 2015 along with the creation of a charity foundation worth 10 million yuan (about $ 1.4 million). Funds were allocated to scholarships for the best teachers teaching in rural schools and remote provinces of China.

During the work of the program, the foundation directly subsidized a total of about 500 teachers and 60 directors of rural schools, as well as about 200 students of higher education institutions. During this time, the foundation, the news outlet reports, supported the education of almost 100,000 children living in rural areas.