Following his father's footsteps, who had emigrated to Australia two decades before, Ma went to New South Wales at the age of 19 to work in a gold mine.

In 1892, Ma founded the fruit trading firm Wing Sang Company with other Christian Chinese form his village.

Ma first met revolutionary Sun Yat-sen, also a Heungshan native, in 1892 during a visit home and was so impressed by his vision of the resurrection of China that he agreed to provide him financial support.

He also helped set up the East Canton Red Cross Society to relieve men wounded in the Wuchang Uprising.

Ma and his wife were vocal critics of the mui tsai system, a form of child slavery prevalent in colonial Hong Kong.