Asia Tech Wire (July 11) -- Jack Ma returned to Hangzhou on July 6 after a several-day trip to London, appearing at Alibaba's (9988.HK) headquarters, according to pictures circulating on the Internet.

One photo shows Ma looking radiant in a formal suit that day. Alibaba employees and fans were pleasantly surprised by his sudden appearance and greeted the business leader enthusiastically.

Many took out their smartphones and chased after Ma to take photos. Jack Ma responded with smiles and warm greetings.

They may be wondering what impact this appearance by Ma will have for Alibaba.

It was on March 27 that the billionaire entrepreneur last made a public appearance in China.

The day after his appearance, Alibaba announced the most important organizational change in its 24 years of existence, launching the "1+6+N" organizational restructuring.

In addition, Daniel Zhang, then Chairman and CEO of Alibaba, announced that he was stepping down and that Joseph Tsai and Eddie Wu would take over as Chairman and CEO, respectively.