Jack Ma (M), the founder of the Jack Ma Foundation, poses for a photo with winners of the 2019 Jack Ma Rural Teachers Award at a ceremony held in Sanya, Hainan province on Jan 6. [Photo/zj.zjol.com.cn]

The annual Jack Ma Rural Teachers Award ceremony was held in Sanya, Hainan province on Jan 6, marking the 5th anniversary of the founding of the award.

Since the award was initiated by the Jack Ma Foundation in 2015, a total of 500 teachers working in China's countryside have received the recognition.

During this year's award ceremony, 100 teachers from rural areas in 24 provinces and autonomous regions across the country received the award, with the winners' average age being 39 years old.

This year's event was as popular as usual, attracting more than 1,500 entrepreneurs, stars, volunteers, and people from all walks of life.

Over the past five years, the Jack Ma Foundation has developed a comprehensive support system for Chinese rural education.

Statistics show that the foundation has to date subsidized 500 teachers from rural areas, 60 principals from rural schools, and 200 college students majoring in education. Around 100,000 children in the countryside have benefited from the foundation's rural education improvement program.

The foundation launched the award in the hope of bringing more public attention to teachers working in rural areas and improving rural education.

A number of pop stars and Jack Ma (M) pose for a photo with winners of the 2019 Jack Ma Rural Teachers Award at a ceremony in Sanya, Hainan province on Jan 6. [Photo/zj.zjol.com.cn]