Grandmaster Xie Zhongxian was one of the last great Fujian White Crane masters. Master Huang Xiangxian was sent to him at the age of 14. There he was taught, Chinese Medicine, White Crane gongfu, Confucian Classical philosophy and Daoist Energy Cultivation. Our main source of knowledge about him is from the stories Master Huang Xingxian told of learning under him.

"At one stage Xie Zhongxian lived in a small room over a 'coffin shop'. Chinese coffins have lids made from large slabs of timber and are very heavy. Xie Zhongxian would stand one of these lids against the wall in an unstable position. Each time it fell towards him he would receive it on his forearms, then throw it back against the wall. As a result Master Huang said Xie Zhongxian would sometimes hold his arms outstretched and ask Master Huang to swing on them, but they would not move."

"Once while enjoying a 'smoke' with an Eagle Claw master, Xie Zhongxian refused to accept that one art was necessarily better than another, insisting that it mattered more how well trained the particular fighter was. To prove his point the Eagle Claw master suddenly attacked with a claw to the stomach. Xie Zhongxian drew in his stomach while pulling the man's hand first towards him then round to return the force and throw the Eagle Claw man across the room. While convincing, so close was the claw to his stomach that Xie Zhongxian had his money along with its pocket in the front of his tunic, torn away and scattered across the room."


There is good evidence that Xie Zhongxian was, Ryu Ryu Ko, the teacher of Kanryo Higaonna (1853-1915). Higaonno was the teacher of Chojun Miyagi (1888-1953). Miyagi established the Okinawan and Japanese karate systems.