Alibaba's Taobao and Tmall Organizational Restructuring and Future Strategy

Recent discussions on Chinese social media compare modern smartphone usage to the style of the classic novel "Zhen Xue".

WeChat and Douyin are highlighted as entertainment platforms, while Taobao is described as a love‑hate app that often empties users' wallets.

Taobao, an Alibaba e‑commerce platform, along with its sister site Tmall, is set to "split" after the announced resignation of Yang Guang, the current president of the Taobao‑Tmall Industry Development and Operations Center, known by the nickname “Chui Xue”.

Following his departure, the center will be divided into three new departments:

Industry Development Department 1, led by Wang Hai (formerly in charge of Taote and 1688), covering B‑system (1688), Taote, and apparel.

Industry Development Department 2, led by Liu Peng (formerly head of Tmall International), covering electronics, fast‑moving consumer goods and other five major industries, driven by brand.

Industry Development Department 3, led by Liu Yiman, focusing on food, fresh produce and supermarket‑type businesses, integrating Tmall Supermarket, TaoCaiCai, and TaoXianDa.

The last major reorganization of Taobao occurred in 2011, when it was split into three entities: Taobao.com, Taobao Mall (later Tmall), and the shopping search engine OneTaobao.

Netizens note that Chui Xue’s departure is not due to the restructuring itself, but a personal decision made before the changes.

During the era of Alibaba’s CEO Jiang Fan, Chui Xue, along with Tang Xing, Kai Fu, and Jia Luo, were known as the “Four Great Kings of Big Taobao”. Two of them have already left.

Commentators suggest that such internal shifts may lead to new opportunities and are a natural part of Alibaba’s evolution.

Within Alibaba’s broader “1+6+N” organizational reform, the split of Taobao’s development center is seen as a strategic move.

Alibaba has reaffirmed that the Taobao‑Tmall business will remain wholly owned by the company.

Taobao’s 2023 strategic priorities are live streaming, private domain traffic, content‑driven commerce, local retail, and price competitiveness.

According to the latest financial report, Taobao and Tmall’s GMV of physical goods fell slightly in Q4 2022, while competitors Pinduoduo and JD.com saw growth.

Alibaba plans to invest heavily in user growth, market expansion, and new industries in 2023, avoiding price wars.

Meanwhile, JD.com announced a shift from a business‑group model to a business‑unit model, granting more autonomy to category leaders.

Under the new structure, POP and self‑operated businesses will be fully integrated under unified category leadership, aiming for traffic fairness.

Images illustrating the discussion and organizational charts are included throughout the article.