Mark Ji Tianxiang was a Chinese doctor, a husband, and a father. He was also addicted to opium. For years, he kept returning to the drug, even as he continued to pray and hold on to his faith.

Because of his addiction, he was barred from receiving Communion. Still, he did not walk away from the Church or stop praying. His life was not a clean story of struggle followed by an easy victory. He carried his weakness with him, and he remained faithful through it.

In 1900, during the Boxer Rebellion, Mark and members of his family were killed for their Christian faith. He is remembered as a martyr and honored as a witness to faith that endured through addiction, shame, and suffering.