In 2016, Jack Ma spent 10 million on a bonsai - what has it grown into today?

In a 2016 Japanese variety show called "Sakurai Ariyoshi THE Yakai," the owner of a gardening shop once revealed that China's richest man, Jack Ma, had made a special trip by private jet to Japan to buy a potted bonsai worth 10 million yen and take it home.

The shop owner's revelation

This expensive Japanese bonsai, called penjing in our country, is not something there are many of in the high-end category, especially centuries-old, unusually shaped old specimens of the pine and cypress type.

The shop owner's revelation

Two years have passed - has this bonsai, bought back from Japan at great expense, grown well? It is said that in high-end bonsai gardens, every bonsai has dedicated horticultural technicians to water, fertilize, prune and protect it from pests each day, and they must carefully observe the bonsai's growth and keep records.

Comparably priced bonsai

Some wealthy households keep several pots of such expensive bonsai at home; they hire professional horticulturists to come care for them, and may even buy high-value insurance for the bonsai.

Pine and cypress bonsai

Under the careful care of professionals, this expensive pine and cypress bonsai has grown very well, and is said to have appreciated considerably in value.