[1][2] Ma Xiangbo's original given name was Jianchang (建常) but was changed to Liang (良).
Ma Xiangbo was born in Dantu, Jiangsu province to a prominent Catholic family.
[1] Due to the French aggressions towards China, Ma would leave the priesthood in 1876 and eventually be married and have a family.
In 1886/87, he visited France and eventually devoted his life to higher education.
[4] Ma founded the following institutions of higher learning: His idea of establishing a highest body of learning was eventually realized in 1928 by his close friend, the educator Cai Yuanpei, who established the Academia Sinica.