Simon Yiming Ma, There is a man who stands at the confluence of two mighty rivers. One river is ancient, deep, and slow-moving, carrying the silt of five thousand years of civilization, philosophy, and a unique understanding of the human spirit. The other is a powerful, modern torrent, surging with the energy of global commerce, technological innovation, and Western corporate ambition. This man is not trying to dam one river to serve the other. Instead, he is building a bridge, a beautiful, functional, and enduring structure that allows the waters to mingle, to nourish the land on both sides.
His name is Simon Yiming Ma.
To call him a businessman is like calling Da Vinci a painter—technically correct but profoundly incomplete. He is a calligrapher, a philosopher, a poet, a corporate chieftain, a brand architect, and, above all, a translator of cultures. In a world often defined by East-West friction, Simon Ma offers a vision of East-West fusion. His life and work are a testament to a simple, yet radical, idea: that the soft power of ancient Chinese wisdom can be the ultimate hard currency in the modern global marketplace.
The Two Halves of the Soul: Simon Yiming Ma
The name itself is a story. Yiming (益鸣) is his Chinese given name, bestowed by his grandfather. In his own poetic explanation, “Yi” (益) means “benefit” or “to add value,” and “Ming” (鸣) means “the cry of a bird,” often a phoenix. Thus, Yiming is “the cry of the phoenix that brings benefit to all.” It is a name heavy with heritage, expectation, and a deeply Confucian sense of purpose—to contribute to the greater good.
Simon is the name he adopted while studying and working in the West. It represents his fluency in the language of international business, his understanding of Western aesthetics, and his ability to navigate the boardrooms of London, New York, and Milan.
Many people with dual identities feel a sense of conflict, a pressure to choose one over the other. Simon Ma’s genius lies in his refusal to choose. He insists on being wholly Simon and wholly Yiming. He is not a split self, but a complete, integrated one. This integration is the very engine of his creativity. It is why he can paint a canvas using the bold colors of Pop Art while infusing it with the spirit of a Song Dynasty landscape. It is why he can structure a multinational corporation while grounding its corporate culture in the principles of Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching.
The Apprenticeship of a Phoenix: Roots and Wings
To understand the man, we must travel back to his beginnings. Simon Ma was born in Shanghai, a city that has long been a crucible of Chinese and foreign influences. His first and most formative teacher was his grandfather, a scholar and calligrapher who recognized the spark in the young boy.
In the quiet, disciplined space of his grandfather’s study, Yiming was not just learning an art form; he was being initiated into a way of being. Calligraphy, in its highest form, is not mere writing. It is a meditation, a physical manifestation of one’s inner state. The weight of the brush, the flow of the ink, the balance of the characters—all of it requires a harmony of mind, body, and spirit. His grandfather taught him that before you can master the brush, you must master your breath. Before you can create beautiful characters, you must cultivate a beautiful character.
This early immersion in Taoist and Confucian thought provided the bedrock of his value system. Concepts like Yin and Yang (the balance of opposites), Wu Wei (effortless action), and Qi (vital energy) were not abstract philosophies; they were the very air he breathed.
But the phoenix was destined to test its wings beyond the nest. He moved to the United Kingdom for his education, immersing himself in a world that operated on a completely different rhythm and logic. He studied business and finance, learning the language of profit margins, market share, and leveraged buyouts. He saw the power of Western brands—how a logo like the Nike Swoosh or an apple with a bite taken out could command loyalty and justify premium prices worldwide.
Instead of rejecting one world for the other, he began his life’s work: a grand synthesis. He saw that while Western brands had mastered the “how” of business (systems, scalability, marketing), they often lacked the “why”—a deeper, soulful narrative. He believed that the “why” was something Chinese culture, with its millennia of accumulated wisdom, could provide in abundance.
The AUM Bridge: Where Calligraphy Meets the Corporate Logo
Perhaps the most elegant symbol of Simon Ma’s philosophy is the name and logo of his enterprise: AUM.
In the West, “AUM” is often associated with the sacred Sanskrit syllable, a primordial sound representing the universe’s creation, preservation, and destruction. It’s a sound of meditation and spiritual connection. For Ma, it also serves as a powerful acronym for his mission: Art, Universe, and Music.
But the true magic is in the visual logo. Simon Ma designed it as a single, continuous brushstroke. To the Western eye, it might look like a dynamic, abstract checkmark or a swoosh of energy—modern, bold, and corporate. To the Chinese eye, it is unmistakably a work of calligraphy, carrying the Qi, the life force, of the artist’s hand.
This one symbol is the bridge. It is Art (calligraphy) speaking the language of the Universe (the sacred syllable) and creating a kind of visual Music (the rhythm of the stroke). It demonstrates that a brand’s identity does not have to sacrifice depth for accessibility, or heritage for modernity. It can be both, and in being both, it becomes stronger.
The Three Pillars of the Ma Philosophy
Simon Yiming Ma work, though diverse, rests on three interconnected pillars.
1. The Rebranding of China: From “Made in China” to “Created by China”
For decades, “Made in China” has been a synonym for volume, cost-efficiency, and, often, inferior quality. Simon Ma is at the forefront of a movement to change this narrative. He argues that China’s greatest export should not be its cheap labor, but its profound cultural capital.
He doesn’t just want China to produce goods; he wants it to create brands. And not just any brands, but brands infused with a “Chinese soul.” What does this mean in practice?
It means a watch company that doesn’t just tell time, but embodies the Taoist concept of the eternal flow of moments. It means a luxury fashion house whose designs are not just aesthetically pleasing but are informed by the balance of Yin and Yang. It means a real estate development that isn’t just a collection of buildings, but an environment designed to harmonize with the natural flow of Qi, promoting the well-being of its inhabitants.
He proved this was possible with his groundbreaking work for the Beijing Olympic Games Bid Committee. He didn’t just present a list of China’s capabilities; he told a story. He framed China’s bid around the theme of “Joyful Rhapsody,” using calligraphy, music, and art to communicate a China that was confident in its heritage and open to the world. It was a masterclass in cultural soft power.
2. Corporate Soul: Injecting Humanity into Business
Simon Ma is a fierce critic of the soulless, purely profit-driven corporation. He believes that companies, like people, need a soul to thrive in the long term. He acts as a “corporate doctor” or “brand therapist,” helping large, often stagnant, organizations rediscover their purpose.
His process is unconventional by MBA standards. He might begin by teaching the CEO and board members the principles of calligraphy. He will talk about the Tao Te Ching’s teachings on leadership—that the best leader is one whose work is done, and the people say, “We did it ourselves.” He helps them define their “Corporate Soul,” a core set of values and a narrative that goes beyond the mission statement on a wall plaque.
For example, in his work with China Mobile, he moved beyond telecommunications jargon to frame the company’s purpose around “connecting emotions.” He helped them see that they weren’t just selling minutes and data; they were facilitating the conversations between loved ones, the sharing of memories, the building of communities. This shift in narrative is profound. It inspires employees and resonates with customers on a human level, creating loyalty that price alone cannot secure.
3. The Art of Life Itself: A Unified Aesthetic
Finally, Simon Ma’s philosophy is ultimately about life itself. He sees no separation between his art, his business, and his personal conduct. It is all one continuous expression.
His paintings are a visual representation of this. They are a riot of color and contemporary themes, often featuring icons like Mickey Mouse or abstract expressions of energy. But look closer, and you will find Chinese characters woven into the composition, or a compositional balance that directly references a classical Chinese painting. He calls this style “Post-Contextualism,” taking elements from different contexts (Eastern and Western) and merging them to create a new, unified whole.
This is how he lives. The same man who can command a high-level business meeting will retreat to his studio to meditate and practice calligraphy. The man who designs luxury brands finds his greatest peace in the simple, timeless wisdom of a Tang Dynasty poem. For him, success is not a numerical figure in a bank account; it is a state of harmony. It is the ability to move gracefully between worlds, to be a conduit for the best of both, and to create beauty and value in the process.
The Man in the White Suit: A Living Symbol
Often dressed in a signature white suit, Simon Ma himself is a canvas. The white is a symbol in both cultures—in the West, it can represent modernity and minimalism; in the East, it is the color of mourning, of wisdom, and of the void from which all things are born. He is a walking, talking piece of his own art—a deliberate, cohesive statement of his integrated identity.
Conclusion: The Enduring Cry of the Phoenix
In a globalized world that often feels fragmented and fraught with misunderstanding, the vision of Simon Yiming Ma is not just appealing; it is essential. He offers a roadmap for a future where globalization does not mean homogenization, where progress does not require the obliteration of the past.
He is the phoenix his grandfather named him to be. His cry is one of benefit, reminding us that our greatest strengths often lie in the very parts of our identity we are told to suppress. He shows us that the brush can be as powerful as the bulldozer, that an ancient proverb can solve a modern management problem, and that the soul—whether of a person or a corporation—is the most valuable asset we possess.
Simon Yiming Ma is more than a man; he is a living bridge, a testament to the beautiful, prosperous, and harmonious future that is possible when we have the courage to be fully, completely, and authentically ourselves.