Ma Xiangbo

Ma Xiangbo (traditional Chinese: 馬相伯; simplified Chinese: 马相伯; pinyin: Mǎ Xiàngbó; Wade–Giles: Ma³ Hsiang⁴-po²; April 7, 1840 – November 4, 1939) was a Chinese former Jesuit priest, scholar and educator in late-Qing and early-Republican China. He was one of the founders of Aurora University, Fu Jen Catholic University and Fudan University.^[1][2]

Ma Xiangbo
Native name	Ma Liang
Orders
Ordination	1870
Rank	Priest
Personal details
Born	(1840-04-07)7 April 1840 Dantu, Jiangsu, Qing dynasty
Died	4 November 1939(1939-11-04) (aged 99) Lang Son, Tonkin, Indochinese Union
Buried	Lang Son 1939-1952, Shanghai 1952
Nationality	Chinese
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Alma mater	Collège Saint-Ignace, Shanghai

In this Chinese name, the family name is Ma.

Ma Xiangbo
Traditional Chinese	馬相伯
Simplified Chinese	马相伯
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Mǎ Xiàngbó Wade–Giles Ma3 Hsiang4-po2

Ma Xiangbo's statue at Xuhui High School

Ma Xiangbo's original given name was Jianchang (建常) but was changed to Liang (良). "Xiangbo" was his courtesy name. He also adopted the Catholic name Joseph.

Biography

Ma Xiangbo was born in Dantu, Jiangsu province to a prominent Catholic family. At the age of 11, he enrolled in a French Jesuit school in Shanghai, Collège Saint-Ignace (now Xuhui High School),^[3] where he remained first as student and later as teacher until 1870. In 1870, he was ordained priest in the Jesuit order.^[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:

• Aurora Academy (1903)
• Fudan Public School (1905)
• Fu Jen Catholic University (1925), in co-operation with Ying Lianzhi

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.

Ma Xiangbo and his brother, Ma Jianzhong, also led significant political lives. Ma Jiangzhong was a prominent official in the Qing government and Ma Xiangbo served as a diplomat from 1881 to 1897 in various postings in Asia including Japan (Tokyo 1881, Yokohama 1892), Korea (1882-1885?), Europe (Britain and France 1886–1887) and the United States.^[5]