China Tech & Business Decoded
vol.045：SARS's Legacy: Alibaba, JD.com, and Chinese E-commerce
07 Nov 2025
The text provides a detailed overview of the origins and development of e-commerce in China, focusing on how the 2003 SARS epidemic served as a major catalyst for its growth. Written by IT journalist Takafumi Makino, the piece explains that the widespread fear and resulting social isolation during SARS forced consumers to seek alternative shopping methods, allowing companies like Alibaba (Taobao) and JD.com to emerge and thrive by solving the immediate social challenge of inaccessible retail. The article contrasts the different business models of Alibaba (a platform/marketplace) and JD.com (a retailer handling its own logistics) and further suggests that studying the success of these companies during SARS offers lessons for navigating the current COVID-19 pandemic, noting contemporary trends like "at-home services" and the "retailization of restaurants."
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