In real life, Ma was almost the opposite of the elegant and graceful women she often portrays on screen. She's more of a tomboy. She listens to Rock music, drives a jeep and reads Plato. Still, her sensitivity is acute. She is an adept at picking up the feelings of others. and thus is able to play complex characters on screen.

In "Strive" Ma got a chance to play herself. She played Ma Lin, a passionate, direct and optimistic young woman, born after 1980. She played a character much like herself. Success came easily as she characterized the thoughts of the young generation. That was where Ma met her husband, Wen Zhang.