Ma Xiangbo

Ma Xiangbo (1840-1939) was a famous Catholic scholar, political activist and educationist in China.

He was born in a Catholic family in Jiangsu Province and entered a mission school in 1851 to study traditional Chinese culture and western languages and science.

After the failure in the imperial examinations, he began to concentrate on theology. In 1870, he became a priest and began to missionize in Anhui and Jiangsu provinces. In 1881, he acted as the counselor in China's embassy in Japan; then he assumed the office of consul.

In 1903, he established the Zhendan College; later, he founded the Fudan College.

During the Anti-Japanese War, he called on all the Chinese to resist the Japanese invasion, and won appraises from the public.

In 1937, he became a senior official in the then central government. Two years later, he died.