Chinese businessman Jack Ma returned to the NSW city of Newcastle on Friday and gave the university $US20 million as a tribute to a local man, Ken Morley, who helped him on his journey from penniless youth to e-commerce tycoon worth $US28 billion.
The money will fund a scholarship scheme to remember Mr Morley, a Newcastle electrical engineer who met the 15-year-old Mr Ma in Hangzhou while on trip to China in 1980 and became his friend, teacher and mentor.