Luohantang's 300 year mission has not yet been fulfilled. The whereabouts of Chen Long, the "soul" figure, has become a mystery

Recently, it was rumored that Luohantang, an open research institution under Alibaba, was closed. On the evening of October 9, Alibaba publicly responded to the rumor that the organizational relationship, team composition and work priorities of Arhat Hall had been adjusted

Recently, it was rumored that Luohantang, an open research institution under Alibaba, was closed. On the evening of October 9, Alibaba publicly responded to the rumor that the organizational relationship, team composition and work priorities of Arhat Hall had been adjusted. The research work on digital economy and the research ecology of Luohan Hall would continue to be carried out by Luohan Digital Economy Research Institute, and the brands of Luohan Hall and Luohan Hall would continue to exist. At present, preparations and progress are being intensified for the launch of new teams and new work.

Luo Hantang was founded by Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba, in June 2018. He hoped that the organization would last for 300 years.

The First Finance reporter learned exclusively that Chen Long, president of Luo Hantang, chairman of Alibaba's Sustainable Development Management Committee and president of Alibaba Group's strategic planning, had left Alibaba at the end of September. He was Luo Hantang's "soul".

In response to Chen Long's whereabouts, the relevant person in charge of Luohantang replied to the First Finance reporter that Chen Long had recently left Alibaba, but would continue to be responsible for the work of Arhat Digital Economy Research Institute. A source told reporters from First Financial that Chen Long will start a business after leaving, but as of press release, Chen Long himself has not responded to this.

Chen Long's last public appearance as Alibaba was on September 19th this year at the opening ceremony of the School of Economics at Fudan University. Chen Long, a former finance professor at Changjiang Business School, shared his career experience. At the time, he said, "Most people in the world who can think are not very down-to-earth, and most people in practical work in this world are not very thoughtful

Chen Long said that in order to try to bridge this gap, he founded Luohantang in 2018 with the support of Alibaba. It is a social science community that attempts to combine theory and practice, breaking the boundaries of schools, and has invited seven Nobel Prize winning economists to join, "he said.

Luo Hantang's strategic adjustment took place after Alibaba's latest personnel changes. Alibaba's new CEO Wu Yongming stated in a letter to employees last month that Alibaba will focus on two major directions: "user first" and "artificial intelligence driven", seeking new growth in the constantly changing internet landscape.

Since its birth, Luo Hantang has supported research projects on topics including "privacy and data governance", "measuring the new economy" and "future finance". In June this year, Luo Hantang also held the annual digital economy conference in Hangzhou, bringing together scholars and economists from the United States, Europe and China for a two-day discussion on the theme of "exploring the evolving digital future".

At the Luohantang Annual Conference on Digital Economy in June 2019, the reporter from China Business News interviewed international participants including Thomas Sargent, the winner of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Economics. The partners of the Arhat Hall meeting in those years also included the Ali Dharma Academy and Lakeside University.

Within Ali, the Arhat Hall has a close relationship with the Dharma Hall. Ali Damo Academy was established in October 2017. Chen Long once revealed that Alibaba Dharma Institute mainly explores cutting-edge technology, but rapid scientific and technological progress will be accompanied by changes in economic and social forms, social governance, etc. These topics will be studied by Luo Hantang. "To put it simply, Dharma Hall is an advanced productive force to study and solve future problems, and Rahantang is to study the production relations that follow," he said.

It is also understood that both Rahan Hall and Dharma Hall are supported by Ant Financial. Ant Financial promised in 2017 to invest 100 billion yuan over three years in exploring cutting-edge technology at the Dharma Academy; The research of Luohantang scholars is also supported by Ant Financial.


Disclaimer: The content of this article is sourced from the internet. The copyright of the text, images, and other materials belongs to the original author. The platform reprints the materials for the purpose of conveying more information. The content of the article is for reference and learning only, and should not be used for commercial purposes. If it infringes on your legitimate rights and interests, please contact us promptly and we will handle it as soon as possible! We respect copyright and are committed to protecting it. Thank you for sharing.(Email:[email protected])