Alibaba tops Fortune China’s list of most admired firms  

(ECNS) -- Chinese E-commerce giant Alibaba Group has taken the top spot on Fortune China's list of the country's 50 Most Admired Companies in 2014. The company also ranked first in 2013 and 2011.

Alibaba was followed by internet search provider Baidu and telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies in second and third.

Fortune China said on its website that the ranking was voted by 1,037 senior executives and based on nine criteria, including quality of management, quality of product or service, innovation and ability to attract, develop and retain employees.

Alibaba founder Jack Ma also has supplanted property tycoon Wang Jianlin at the top of the Hurun China Rich List 2014, released on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the country's number of nouveau riche has swelled by about 10,000, as current and former Alibaba employees each hold shares worth an average $4.22 million.

Ma's story has become the stuff of business legend. There's already a fully scripted feature film on Jack Ma's life completed by American screenwriter Bruce Feirstein, best known for his contributions to the James Bond series, foreign media said, and film producer Janet Yang is seeking investment for it.