Ma Xianda (traditional Chinese: 馬賢達; simplified Chinese: 马贤达; pinyin: Mǎ Xiándá; 1932 – 17 June 2013, Xiao'erjing: ﻣَﺎ ﺷِﯿًﺎ دَاْ), wushu Ninth Duan, was a prominent Chinese martial arts master known for championing the combat and fighting aspects of traditional Chinese martial arts and sanda, as opposed to the performance aspects of modern wushu. Ma was a leading practitioner of his family's martial arts system, Ma Style Tongbeiquan (not to be confused with the distinct style Tongbeiquan, in which "bei" is a different Chinese character), which is composed of four traditional styles of wushu: Fanziquan, Piguaquan, Bajiquan, and Chuojiao. As of May 2002, when Kung Fu Magazine interviewed him around his 70th birthday, Ma was one of only four living masters (and the youngest) to have achieved the highest level of wushu, Ninth Duan.[1]
Compared to most Chinese martial arts masters, Ma was unique in that he was one of the first Chinese to study the western martial sports of boxing, wrestling, and fencing.[1] He often drew parallels between traditional Chinese and western principles of combat.
Ma was recognized as one of China's "Top Ten Professors of Chinese Martial Arts" in 1995.[1]
As a leading practitioner, dedicated teacher, and influential scholar, Ma Xianda made a profound impact on the theory and practice of Chinese martial arts that continues to pervade the wushu community today.