Mao's Last Dancer

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Summary: An Inspriational Story of Escape from Poverty
Review: I found this to be an extraordinary memoir. The book traces Cunxin Li's life growing up as a child under conditions of severe poverty in a small village during China's Cultural Revolution. Li's account of the hunger and deprivation during his early childhood offers a vivid glimpse of rural life under state socialism. The story moves from here to the discipline and perhaps even the cruelty of the Peking Dance academy where Li spent his teenage years. Finally, we follow the author to the United States where he embarks on a remarkable career as a principal dancer for the Houston ballet. For those interested in Chinese life, the immigrant experience, the Chinese-American community, ballet and the arts, and even political intrigue, this story is a gripping must-read.

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Summary: an unforgettable journey
Review: Li Cunxin skillfully, yet simply reaches out and tugs at our hearts with this unforgettable memoir about growing up in China during the Cultural Revolution. With poverty and starvation a constant concern, the Li family warms our heart by illustrating that sharing and caring for each other is the fundamental breath of life, while happiness is being together. Young Cunxin is granted an opportunity to go to dance academy and make something of himself. Little does he know the changes and challenges that lie ahead. Once I opened this book I couldn't find the will power to set it down. I felt as if I'd become part of the family. This read will definently draw tears, smiles, and laughs. Add this one to your collection!

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Summary: From Yams to Beijing
Review: Mao's Last Dancer is the best book I've read in a while. It's a book that grabs you and pulls you into thier celebrations, and their traditions. Li Cunxin is an excellent story teller and makes you invision what is going on in his life. I would recomend this book to anyone. It's a feel good boook, you want him to do right by his family name and become someone his village to be proud of. Pick this book up, you won't be disapointed.

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Summary: An inside look through a young man's eyes in China under Mao
Review: Since we adopted our daughter from China I am trying to read anything about her birth country. I really enjoyed this book and I'm not even a huge ballet follower. After reading this I hope one day I might have the chance to see him dance and appreciate all of his hard work and his humble beginings.

This book takes you back to when China was under Mao's rule and how the people of China spent their day to day lives trying to survive, and the wonderful oppertunity Cuxin Li had for a better life all because of a teacher pointing him out. I really enjoyed this book!

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Summary: Heart warming book about overcoming poverty and communism.
Review: What a great find! This story is so well written, it makes you feel as though you are in China yourself. It gives you a clear view of communism and life under Chairman Mao. Li has a chance to train at the ballet academy and although this is not easy and at times very wretching, he is able to overcome this and become one of the top dancers there. This allows him to travel to Houston to work at the Academy there for 6 weeks. I live in Houston, and remember this clearly, know some of the people in the book and locations. It is truly a great story of overcoming poverty and making a place in this world.

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Summary: Superb account of a glorious life
Review: When my wife and I moved to Texas in the early 1980's, the Houston Ballet's performances were a refreshing antidote to the Southwest's unrelenting commercialism and fixation with football and barbecue. Under Ben Stevenson's lively direction, this troupe of superb athletes pushed the bounds of gravity with grace and verve. Among the foremost in their number was a supple young oriental dancer who was obviously feeling his way toward familiarity with American culture, but always showed uncommon spirit, sensitivity, and vitality in his approach to movement. This was Li Cunxin (pronounced Shwin-Sin). He became our favorite male dancer, and his photos are on our walls today.

This marvelous autobiography by Mr. Li opened our eyes to the unimaginable gulf he had to leap in order to appear before us. When he was plucked from among millions of other peasant children to attend Beijing Dance Academy, the train ride to Beijing was his first. His meals at the Academy were the first time he'd ever had enough to eat. His untrained tendons and muscles were ruptured repeatedly by the contortions he was forced into. Beijing's approval for him to leave China on scholarship to Houston Ballet Academy was China's first such concession to an artist in almost forty years. The first time he ever felt air-conditioning was on the plane to America. His first automobile ride was from the Houston airport to Ben Stevenson's house. And so on - the simple dance outfit purchased for him upon his arrival cost the equivalent of two years of his father's salary in China.

The book contains hundreds of poignant reminders of the risks Mr. Li took in breaking the bounds of his peasant heritage and infuriating both the Chinese government and his American friends when he defected. His indomitable will to survive and succeed is an inspiration to all those who have seemingly impossible aspirations. He tells the old fable of a frog trapped deep in a well, yearning to jump out and see the world beyond but knowing it will never happen. Mr. Li made it out of his well, and became a prince among dancers. His triumphant return to China to perform Romeo and Juliet, with his wife Mary McKendry dancing as Juliet, his entire family in the audience, and half a billion Chinese watching on television, is a spine-tingling culmination to his career.

Rating:
Summary: Heartwarming story
Review: Whilst this wasn't a great work of literature, the story was tender and embracing. I couldn't put it down and even on closing the book I was still left with the emotion of Li's life story.