Ma and his parents originate from Hunan Province in the Republic of China, with Hakka ancestry, but their ancestral home was in Fufeng, Shaanxi Province. His ancestors had migrated from Shaanxi to Jiangxi and then finally to Hunan. He is a descendant of the Three Kingdoms era general Ma Chao, who was from Fufeng, Shaanxi. Researchers had purportedly visited the old residence of Ma's father, Ma Ho-ling, in Kaiyun Town, Hengshan County, Hunan, where they discovered a genealogy book stating that Ma descended from Ma Chao. His mother was Chin Hou-hsiu (1922-2014). Ma was raised Catholic.