William Alexander Parsons Martin (1827–1916), known in Chinese as 丁韪良 (Ding Weiliang), was an American Presbyterian missionary sent to China. He lived in China for 62 years (with a four-year absence from 1850 to 1916) and served for a long time as the head of the Tongwen Guan (School of Combined Learning) in Beijing, earning a reputation as one of the foremost Western sinologists of his time.

In 1898, he was appointed by the Qing emperor as the first President (Zong Jiaoxí / 总教习) of the newly established Jingshi Daxuetang (京师大学堂), the precursor to Peking University.

Martin translated “Elements of International Law” by the American scholar Henry Wheaton into Chinese, which drew the attention of Prince Gong (Yixin) and was published with funds allocated by the Qing government.

On December 31, 1898, when Jingshi Daxuetang officially opened, Martin publicly bowed to Confucius in front of both Chinese and foreign guests. To many Westerners, this act branded him as a traitor to the Western church.

In 1900, at age 73, Martin personally experienced the Boxer Rebellion. In 1902, after the Qing government restored Jingshi Daxuetang, Martin was reappointed as Chief Instructor of Western Learning, resuming his leadership role in introducing Western knowledge to China.