Mao's Last Dancer

Mar 28, 2013 Chrissie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: china, bio, kirkus, text-checked, art, history, kids

I didn't love, love, love this book, but I found it interesting and inspiring. Three stars. I felt much of it read as a young adult book. I in fact stopped my reading to go and check if it was directed toward kids. What do I find? I see that there are two editions, this one, which is for adults, and another one just for kids: Mao's Last Dancer Young Readers' Edition! I have looked into how they differ and have discovered that the children's has less details and less historical facts.

The author...more I didn't love, love, love this book, but I found it interesting and inspiring. Three stars. I felt much of it read as a young adult book. I in fact stopped my reading to go and check if it was directed toward kids. What do I find? I see that there are two editions, this one, which is for adults, and another one just for kids: Mao's Last Dancer Young Readers' Edition! I have looked into how they differ and have discovered that the children's has less details and less historical facts.

The author writes in a straightforward manner. The presentation is dispassionate, and he never dwells upon suffering. Family circumstances during the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution and the Great Famine are related. Communism under Mao, Madame Mao, the Gang of Four and the transfer of power to Deng Xiaoping are briefly recounted, particularly in relation to how the political changes affected Chinese ballet. Events are simply stated, and then the next point is related. An emphasis is placed on positive experiences, be it the flying of kites, New Year's celebrations or family members support and encouragement. I like books that point out what is good even when much is bad, but this book goes a step further. It quite simply feels as if it is written for children, particularly for potential young dancers, to encourage them, to give them a hero in whose footsteps they can follow. A separate book devoid of the historical facts really is not necessary. Please note that according to the book description above this book, not the kids book, has won the Kids Own Australian Literature Award in KOALA).

Teacher Xiao's guiding advice comparing dance to a mango was beautiful and inspiring. Chinese fairy tales too! Yes, he did get help from the American President and his wife and other devoted friends, but don't think success was easy. It wasn't at all!. Chance and then LOTS of hard work and physical pain lie behind what Li Cunxin has achieved. He is now the Artistic Director of Queensland Ballet in Brisbane. I admire what Li Cunxin has accomplished. His determination and hard work makes him a viable role model for young adults, and really, for adults too.

If this book is to be judged as a book for young adults, than I would give it four stars. In that it is classified here as an adult book, and in that I didn't know it was written for young adults when I picked it up, I am judging it on its merits for adults, and thus I give it three. It is wrong to simply remove historical facts and in this manner reclassify a book. It is not just content but also tone that determines classification. Others think the simplicity of the writing is just Li Cunxin's style. I liked the book. I very much admire what he has accomplished, but my stars are for the book, not the person.(less)

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Dec 17, 2011 Mary Etta rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Mary Etta by: Vicky

November book group choice. Loved the film. Vicky recommended the book.

Many reasons to really like this book. It's a remarkable story of an admirable life in unusual circumstances. There is a continuity of influences, the foundation of his parents and family as well as influential teachers and friends, the Chinese fables that encouraged him in very hard times--the mango and the well. Many keeper scenes/quotes.

“Mango is the most wonderful fruit with the most unique taste… Admire the unique shap...more

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Apr 25, 2009 Christie rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is not the type of book I normally pick up, but after reading the first through chapters through my email book club, I requested it from the library. Tim thought it was an unusual choice for me so he picked it up and started reading the middle of the book, as he is wont to do. He told me I would like it and find it fascinating. I already suspected that! This book was pretty hard to put down, and I could only think of two pages that were boring (and they were summarizing what happened over a...more

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Sep 10, 2009 David rated it 4 of 5 stars

Li Cunxin was the 6th of 7 sons born to a poor family in rural China. When Chairman and Madame Mao started their "cultural revolution" and decided to revive the Peking Dance Academy, they sent representatives throughout the country to find promising musical and artistic talent specifically from the children of peasants, workers, and soldiers. Li was chosen at age 11, taken from his family, and sent to the "big city" for rigorous training and indoctrination. He overcomes homesickness, lack of mot...more

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Dec 17, 2010 Jeffrey Crimmel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Finished Mao's Last Dancer today. I saw the movie first and I found the book just as fascinating. The dept of poverty that Li came from and his luck to be chosen and became a dancer meant the stars were lined up for his success in the world. I now see how the Chinese are the best in gymnastics and other events they train for. The dedication that Li gave to dancing when he realized it was his way out of poverty, and the continued level of training he gave to dance after his defection to the state...more

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Mar 14, 2009 Theresa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: listened-to-it

This is the autobiography of Li Cunxin, who as a young boy was chosen from his very poor peasant village in China to attend Madame Mao's Dance Academy in Beijing. This occurred during the Cultural Revolution of the 1960's and 70's, and Li details the brutality of growing up in the very rigid and oppressive environment of Communist China. Yet he also addresses the strengths of family, virtue and culture that lived on despite the harsh realities of the peasant life.
I suppose if I knew anything ab...more

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May 17, 2013 Tifnie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: autobiography

I couldn't get into Women Who Dance with Wolves, so I started this book instead. Much better.

Mao's Last Dancer is about a boy, Li Cunxin, growing up under Chairman Mao in the 1960 and 70's. Our author takes us on a journey of growing up in Qingdao with 7 brothers in a 2 room home shared with not only his family but his grandparents as well. His father making $2.40 a month and living basically off dried yams with no water, no plumbing, and no heat. At the age of 11, Li is chosen to join the Beiji...more

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May 01, 2013 Keely Bamber rated it 4 of 5 stars

I decided to read this book because the cover really intrigued me and someone recommended it to me, so I looked it up on good reads and the ratings were very high.

It fills the "book about another culture" box, on the bingo board. It was interesting because I got to learn about the struggles and hardships China had to face, especially the poor people, and it made me realise how good I have it living in New Zealand. I got a whole different perspective on life.

My favourite quote from the book was "...more

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Apr 26, 2013 Caroline Gurgel rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Adeus, China foi um daqueles livros que comecei sem querer, devido a insistência de meu pai. E que bom que o ouvi!
O começo do livro não me agrada muito, pois é tudo muito "cinza" já que mostra a miséria em que viviam os chineses naquela época, mas concordo que é riquíssimo em detalhes e me fez aprender um bocado sobre o período de Mao.
Como eu não tinha lido a sinopse (geralmente não leio!), não sabia o que me aguardava e a cada capítulo meus olhos se enchiam de lágrimas e minha boca de sorriso...more

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Mar 30, 2013 Maria rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Maria by: Janice Voorhies

Shelves: non-fiction

I read this for last month's reading circle, and I was only about halfway through at the time of the meeting, but this book is so good I had to finish it. I apparently had the unabridged, updated edition, so it was 14 CDs long. It's the story of a boy born in China just before Mao's cultural revolution and communist regime. He is born into an impoverished village, one of seven sons. He is recruited to try out for Madam Mao's dance academy and grows up to be a world-renowned ballet dancer. The st...more

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Mar 14, 2013 Minnie rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Non-fiction, Auto-biography ‘Mao’s Last Dancer’ is an enthralling story of poverty, love, hardships, separation, dedication and most importantly triumphs. It is a wonderful book for many different types of people. If you are interested in history or ballet or just love reading you will find something to love about this book. Set in china in the 1960’s onward in the midst of the Cultural Revolution, Li Cunxin tells us of his strict life under Chairman Mao. He starts his life as a poor peasant...more The Non-fiction, Auto-biography ‘Mao’s Last Dancer’ is an enthralling story of poverty, love, hardships, separation, dedication and most importantly triumphs. It is a wonderful book for many different types of people. If you are interested in history or ballet or just love reading you will find something to love about this book. Set in china in the 1960’s onward in the midst of the Cultural Revolution, Li Cunxin tells us of his strict life under Chairman Mao. He starts his life as a poor peasant boy and works his way out of the deep dark well of poverty to become one of the greatest ballet dancers in Chinese history.
Li's story is of a small peasant boy who was chosen to study ballet at the Beijing dance academy. Leaving his loving family to a life of starvation Li is pushed away from everything he has ever known and loved. Only 11 years old he hated the strict training routines and the strange place he had been brought to. For years he longed to be home with his family, but he finally realises that he has the chance to do something special with his life- and he never turned back. His mother once said ‘My dear son, this is your lucky chance to escape from this cruel world! Go and do something special with your life! I know you have your secret dreams. Follow them. Make them come true...!’
“Mao’s Last Dancer’ is full of the political history of china. It tells us of the great love they had for Chairman Mao, about the great rallies they had in his honour and of the bias ideas and propaganda they were fed on a daily basis. ‘Surely the whole world could hear this! Millions of people shouted, ‘Long, long live Chairman Mao!’ Li tells us of a time when he and his class went to see Mao speak. You can see from what he said how amazing this was for them. Nothing like this would ever happen in our country. He said ‘the excitement was contagious. Emotions were at fever pitch. This was the happiest day of our lives.’ In these quotes li uses strong emotive language to show us how amazing this was for them.
Throughout ‘Mao’s Last Dancer’ Li tells of the great poverty he lived in and the inequality of their lives. An example of this is li’s first encounter with a shower at age 11. He said ‘Hesitantly I followed the other boys into the shower. I was a little afraid, but I’d once heard some adults in our village talking about this thing called a shower.’ It is unimaginable that someone may have this reaction to a shower as this is just everyday life for us. He also tells of the foods that were so rare they were considered luxurious. Foods like eggs, oil, and little bits of pork were added only added on special occasions when li went to the academy he was amazed at the quality of food. He said ‘breakfast was at seven-fifteen: rice porridge, steamed bread and salty pickled turnips. Never dried yams! Sometimes we even had eggs.’ It is hard to imagine this as I have cartons of eggs just sitting in our fridge.’
There are many different people who play a big part in li’s life some of the most important is li’s Niang and Dia. Li’s parents have influenced him in many ways, li would never have achieved so much if he didn’t have his family behind him. Li’s parents have instilled the traits of courage, endurance, determination and most importantly pride. His father once said ‘Although we have no money, no food and can’t buy clothes and although we live in a poor house, one thing we do have is PRIDE.’ Throughout his time at the academy li always found himself thinking about home and his family and he knew that even though he didn’t like it, he had to keep going as this was his only chance at life.
In his time at the academy li became friends with many people, his best friend though was ‘the bandit’ who made life at the academy a little bit easier, they also became blood brothers and had many fun times together. Another friend that he made was with a boy called Chang Xiogjian, they became very good friends and li used to go with him to visit his family on the weekends. Without these friends life at the academy would have been unbearable. Li also became close to Teacher Xiao. Li learned a lot from Teacher Xiao and it was not always ballet. Teacher Xiao helped to teach Li how to overcome problems by telling him a fable of an archer, which he could refer to later in life.
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Dec 22, 2012 George King rated it 5 of 5 stars

Mao’s Last Dancer, the autobiography of Li Cunxin, is told in a simple, straightforward manner, principally because English is not the author’s native language. This fact shouldn’t deter anyone from reading this moving account of a Chinese peasant boy’s rise to fame as a ballet dancer and subsequent defection to the West.

Plucked from the abject poverty of his large family by Mao’s cultural warriors, Li is chosen to be a ballet dancer, primarily because he didn’t scream when his tendons and ligam...more

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Aug 12, 2012 Tisha rated it 5 of 5 stars

I read this book in a little under 24 hours, almost unable to put it down. In this memoir, Li writes of an impoverished childhood in rural China in the 60's and 70's under the Mao Zedong regime. He deals frankly with his everyday realities: disease, starvation, accidental injury and the lack of basic survival needs intertwined with unconditional love, laughter and the incredibly strong value system of a proud family. He writes of being snatched from this world to the only slightly less brutal wo...more

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Jun 12, 2012 Kengo rated it 4 of 5 stars

Mao’s Last Dancer by Li Cunxin is beautiful autobiography about a poor kid in China rising up to the hight of a ballet dancer; a unbelievable story which caught my heart from the very first page.

The story has three parts to it “My Childhood”, “Beijing” and “The West”. The story starts with Cunxin’s early life in a village near Qingdao. He grows up in a family with seven children, himself being the sixth son, born on 26 January 1961. He tells tales about his childhood including how they had lived...more Mao’s Last Dancer by Li Cunxin is beautiful autobiography about a poor kid in China rising up to the hight of a ballet dancer; a unbelievable story which caught my heart from the very first page.

The story has three parts to it “My Childhood”, “Beijing” and “The West”. The story starts with Cunxin’s early life in a village near Qingdao. He grows up in a family with seven children, himself being the sixth son, born on 26 January 1961. He tells tales about his childhood including how they had lived with his dad carrying heavy objects as his job everyday and only getting paid US$4.20 every month. In the latter part of this section, Cunxin starts going to school. It vividly shows the education they had gotten, being brainwashed that Mao Zi Dong is the greatest and that China is the most flourishing country. Cunxin continues to have the same life until his life changing experience occurs. He is tested to see his flexibility to become one of Mao’s Dancers. From there the story enters the section “Beijing”. He is then moved up to take more tests and in the end, is chosen to go to Beijing and to study Ballet over there. He then goes to Madame Mao’s Beijing Dance Academy. Everyday for Cunxin turns out to be a new and exciting experience as he is overwhelmed by everything from food to Toilets. Although he was excited about learning ballet, he is surprised by all the rigorous practice and fails to have any improvement and comes home the next year with bad grades. However when he meets teacher xiao, in his second year, he gradually gets sucked in by the art and improves greatly. By the end of the six years, he becomes the best in his school. There the third and final section “The West” starts. Another opportunity that changes his life forever comes when he is given the opportunity to go to America and learn Ballet there. The experience teaches him the truth that China has been lying to him the whole life and makes Cunxin want to come back so badly that he even pleads to the pride minister to go back. Although the minister rejects at the start, Cunxin finds his way to America with persuasion. The second stay in America completly breaks his trust in China, as he learns even more about how China has been using him like a pawn. A few weeks before he has to go back to China, Cunxin makes a girlfriend called Elizabeth that he is desperate to marry. When the day of departure comes, Cunxin refuses to go back and is captured by Chinese officials. However with the help of his friends, his marriage is recognized as legitimate and Cunxin is set free. The story ends here and an afterword about the life of everyone after that is written.

I had three parts in this book that were my favorite which explains the reason I liked this book so much.

The first part I enjoyed reading was Cunxin’s first official lesson in school. It starts with his teacher teaching the students to respect Mao and to bow to his picture every day saying “Long,long live chairman Mao! Vice-Chairman Lin, good health, forever good health!” I found this part very interesting as it vividly described what life in China those day were like. The lesson continued with the teacher telling them to write “Long live chairman Mao” and a few more sentences about Mao. The difference between how I was educated was very surprising, as they went straight into writing without teaching them the basics at all. I was also intrigued by how everything was about Mao and his superiority.

The second part that I liked was when Cunxin came to Beijing and became homesick. As he reaches Beijing, he is startled by the huge roads, high buildings and cars zooming around. He sees and visits many famous places in Beijing and finally when he came to the academy, he was given so much food that he became so guilty and chooses not to eat. He starts remembering his home and sadness overwhelms him. I found this part connect to me of how I felt when I first came to singapore. I felt so confused, not knowing anyone, not knowing english. Like Cunxin for the first week I kept on wanting to go back to Japan.

The third part I found interesting was when Cunxin went to America. When they get out of the plane, the first thing they see is Ben, their instructor in America. They make their way to Houston ballet academy where they are to practice. Cunxin could not believe what he was seeing, all the gentle smiles, cool air conditioning, etc. I really liked how Cunxin showed his confusion and its description. “This is not what it is supposed to be like. smething is wrong here. They are our enemies. Behind their smiling faces will be a hidden agenda. I’ll find out soon.” (237) It was very funny what Cunxin thought and how he had been told lies all his life about America. It was also interesting how Cunxin’s thought about this slowly change until he trusts Ben.

This book was very interesting as it was a type of book that I would have not read that often and had a different autobiography style of writing. The information about China in the time was also interesting as it was something that I had never imagined. In my opinion the book was a bit lengthy and had quite a few boring parts at the first section making it have a rating of four out of five. I would recommend this book to anyone over the age of 13 because the language is a bit hard and the plot would be a bit boring for non- middle schoolers. This book was unique and very interesting proving to be a great story for me.(less)

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May 06, 2012 Gina rated it 3 of 5 stars

An unlikely (but true!) story about a young, starving Chinese peasant boy becoming a world class ballet dancer. Man, it really was a rotten life out there in the Chinese countryside. Cunxin came from a family of seven boys, and I cannot fathom the strain of feeding seven boys with no food. They subsisted on dried yams. Cunxin got an incredibly lucky break when he was selected to attend Madam Mao's dance academy where to his utter amazement he got to eat rice every single day. Cunxin's talent, in...more

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May 06, 2012 Jeanine Allen added it

Shelves: biography

Jeanine Allen
Biography

Mao's Last Dancer is an autobiography by Li Cunxin who is a world class ballet dancer. This novel tells how Li was living in a poor village in China. Chairman and Madame Mao decided to create a cultural revolution and reopened the Peking Dance Academy. Li he was chosen by representatives of the communist government to be taken from his family to the big city and trained at the dance institute in ballet. Li overcame the isolated loneliness and the physical pain of training h...more

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Apr 06, 2012 Erica Almerico marked it as to-read

Mao’s Last Dancer by Li Cunxin is an awe-inspiring story of a peasant boy in communist China. Li Cunxin grew up in a commune of peasants in rural communist China. From his very first day of school he was taught to love his country’s hero Chairman Mao unconditionally. In school one day he is chosen to try for a dancer’s spot in Madam Mao’s dance school in Beijing and it is a turning point in his life so pivotal his life was changed forever. One of the most wonderful things about this story is all...more Mao’s Last Dancer by Li Cunxin is an awe-inspiring story of a peasant boy in communist China. Li Cunxin grew up in a commune of peasants in rural communist China. From his very first day of school he was taught to love his country’s hero Chairman Mao unconditionally. In school one day he is chosen to try for a dancer’s spot in Madam Mao’s dance school in Beijing and it is a turning point in his life so pivotal his life was changed forever. One of the most wonderful things about this story is all the required twists and turns that got this dancer where he is today.

As a reader, Mao’s Last Dancer gave me a most intimate and unique look into communist China during Mao’s reign. The author shows the use of propaganda and fear used to manipulate its people into a malleable force. The author rarely shows malice for his home country though you can see his frustration in a society with boundaries and the freedom he feels upon defecting to America.

As a teacher, I would seriously consider teaching this book both in an English classroom and a history one. Even in a more specified class like Asian studies would benefit from a look into this commentary of a very interesting time in china’s history. The author’s voice and narration is hypnotizing and worth studying in itself. The contents could be used in a history class to discuss communism or just the pros and cons of differing governmental systems. I could teach the pacing in the book for it is very distinct and alternately speeds up and slows down with the mood of the author. Overall, I think this book could and should be used in many classrooms for various reasons.

I would recommend this book to readers from about 6th grade and up. There is nothing too graphic in it that I would find inappropriate, I just think that the subject matter is complex and takes prior knowledge in subjects like history and government to understand properly. I recommend it to any avid reader and think that it would appeal to a wide range of readership.

Review by Erika Breitkreuz

My comment: This review absolutely encourages me to read Cunxin's story. I am not very well versed in what life was like in communist China, so an interesting autobiography such as this is the perfect way for me to learn while reading. (less)

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Feb 26, 2012 Deborah rated it 4 of 5 stars

A fascinating story of cultural, artistic, and political discovery.

When Chairman and Madame Mao started their "cultural revolution" and decided to revive the Peking Dance Academy, they sent representatives throughout the country to find promising musical and artistic talent specifically from the children of peasants, workers, and soldiers. Li was chosen at age 11, taken from his family, and sent to the "big city" for rigorous training and indoctrination. Li overcomes homesickness, lack of motiva...more

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Oct 04, 2011 Vicky rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A Goodreads friend had seen the film and recommended it so I watched the DVD first and highly recommend it both for the dramatic story and the beautiful dancing (Li Cunxin is played in the movie by a dancer) I liked it so much I went to the library and got book. I am a ballet fan and I am embarrassed to say that I had not heard of Li Cunxin, although he performed with the Houston Ballet for 16 years and made guest appearances with most of the major ballet companies. There are more elegantly writ...more

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Oct 02, 2011 Laura rated it 2 of 5 stars

Recommended to Laura by: Book club

Shelves: book-club

I really wanted to like this book. The story of a peasant in Maoist China gets scooped up and trained to be a kick ass dancer to make a propaganda point by Madame Mao? An eyewitness witness to the culture revolution? A man who saw good teachers purged for being gay? The story of that dancer’s defection to the US that ended up involving George Bush I, Deng Xiaoping, and some truly heroic, apparently pro bono work by a lawyer who only met him a couple of times? The vague sense of fascinating diplo...more

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Jun 08, 2011 Jerjonji rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: asian, asian-american-author, asian-studies, contemporary-lit

"You're going to know more about Mao than most experts," commented my husband after seeing this book on the table.

While I may not have learned a lot about Mao, Li Cunxin did an incredible job sharing his experiences as a peasant child growing up under Mao's heavy hand. Written with a sense of love for his time spent with his family, he made the hardships seem real, but not unbearable with the presence of his family to share the misery. His early years at Madame Mao's School for Ballet were much...more

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Jan 30, 2011 Dianna Kearney rated it 3 of 5 stars

This biography of Li Cunxin's remarkable life in communist China is definitely worth reading. Growing up in a very poor family and then miraculously being chosen to be a dance student in Madam Mao's dance school in Bejing takes this young boy from destitute poverty to a whole new world of opportunities, opportunities that require physical as well emotional pain from a very little boy. He is pushed up against the almost terrifying ironies of China's new form of government and sees the fallible me...more

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Jul 28, 2010 Cameling rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: memoir

A simple and yet beautiful memoir of a ballet dancer, who was taken from his peasant classed family as a young 11 year old boy in Qingdao, and brought to Beijing, to attend a dance school that received the patronage of Madam Mao Tze Dong.

Cunxin takes us through his childhood, growing up as one of 7 sons of poor peasant family during China's Cultural Revolution. They are all subjected to Mao's communist propaganda, believing China to be a glorious nation and that despite the fact that they are po...more A simple and yet beautiful memoir of a ballet dancer, who was taken from his peasant classed family as a young 11 year old boy in Qingdao, and brought to Beijing, to attend a dance school that received the patronage of Madam Mao Tze Dong.

Cunxin takes us through his childhood, growing up as one of 7 sons of poor peasant family during China's Cultural Revolution. They are all subjected to Mao's communist propaganda, believing China to be a glorious nation and that despite the fact that they are poor, often hungry and also overworked, other countries in the West were far worse off then they were. His descriptions of their living conditions as seen through his eyes as a child were matter-of-fact. The commune they live in provide them with a close community wherein everyone in the village shares in one another's joy and troubles. Although they are poor, Cuxin and his brothers are brought up by their parents and grandmother to be dignified, carry themselves with pride, and more importantly, never to do anything that will bring disgrace to the Li name. His descriptions of his family was nothing short of touching in the depth of love that their parents showed each other and their children.

When he's selected among the many students in his school to attend the illustrious dance school in Beijing, he faced loneliness and homesickness for the initial years at the school. He was allowed home only once a year for one month, for the Chinese New Year. He saved what he could of his meager allowance to buy gifts for his family and friends, and also money for his parents.

Through his term at the dance school, he was fortunate to meet teachers who became his mentors and guided and encouraged him to strive to become the best that he could be. What was interesting was that, even as a child, although he was an enthusiastic communist and a Young Red Guard, he provided a blunt look at the many restrictions placed on all their lives during this period in China, and the irrational policies issued by Mao and the Gang of Four that caused greater suffering among the people.

His grit and determination opened opportunities to him beyond his wildest dreams. He was selected as the first of Mao's dancers to represent China together one of his classmates in a cultural exchange with the US. His success during this trip led to another longer stint in the US with the Houston Ballet Academy, his growing success as an acclaimed dancer and his ultimate dramatic defection. This defection will cut him off from the family that he misses and his friends.

His humility and integrity shines throughout the book and we cannot help but cheer him on from the sidelines. What shouts the loudest though from the start to the finish, is that of love. There is so much love and support among his family and his close friends, love that even prolonged separation is unable to dim, and it's the lessons of love he learns from his family's side that I think gives him the strength to be the person he becomes.
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Jul 22, 2010 Immen added it

I read this about a month ago; really, really enjoyed it. It's being made into a movie, which looks distressingly like it's going to hamfistedly push a political agenda, let's not speak of it.

The book, on the other hand has a startling authenticity to it. If it were fictional, I would say it's consummate world-building, but it's actually an autobiography. His impoverished village, the insanity of cutural revolutionary Beijing, the immediacy yet, through his eyes, utter foreignness of the upper...more I read this about a month ago; really, really enjoyed it. It's being made into a movie, which looks distressingly like it's going to hamfistedly push a political agenda, let's not speak of it.

The book, on the other hand has a startling authenticity to it. If it were fictional, I would say it's consummate world-building, but it's actually an autobiography. His impoverished village, the insanity of cutural revolutionary Beijing, the immediacy yet, through his eyes, utter foreignness of the upper class Austin, TX social scene [complete with cameo by Laura Bush:] -- they're all places he knew intimately. How much do I love this book? Let me count the ways.

1. It's remarkably good story-telling: very simple, but vigorous writing.

2. It's a genre mashup, which predisposes me to adore it.

3. On the one hand, it's a prodigy done good story. I don't know what this genre is called, but I mean that deeply earnest Asian "I go to ballet school / tennis school / go (boardgame) school, and succeed through some natural talent and endless determination and sacrifice. Viewer caution: life lessons will be learned" thing which is a super-popular manga subgenre. I really liked 'Hikaru no Go', ok? This one is a ballet school one, and Li does a great job of stringing together folksy wisdom and unwavering filial piety and his ballet teacher's mango analogies into a philosophy on life which is both compellingly illustrated and supplies the daily recommended value of a variety of homilies.

3. It's a commie retrospective. Li gives the POV of the subsistence farmer's kid (think 'To Live', without the traumatizing character deaths). He gives the POV of the fanatical devotee -- he was totally into it, and he wants the reader to see that it made perfect sense from his perspective, and at the same time he was completely bull-shitting his self-criticisms and uncomfortably aware peoples' lives were being ruined by the system. He gives the POV of the back-stabbing deserter, which was very thought-provoking, both sad and heart-racing. Because the book already made me think of 'Hikaru no Go', I was put in mind of some of the things 'Hikaru no Go' says about the virtue of selfishness. In both works, the main character does these things which are selfish and directly detrimental to other characters, and yet arguably the correct and the worthiest choice. The book is necessarily very political, but it's also very personal, about one boy, later a man, the choices he made and the choices made for him.

4. Everyone gets a happy ending. It's a commie retrospective, but also everyone gets a happy ending. This is really important to me, because 'To Live' did a really great job of crushing all hope of happy endings, and ever since I have been wary of commie retrospectives.

5. It's a frog-in-the-well story. This is in reference to a Daoist classic, an old chestnut given life by all the detail work Li put into this book, all the joy and despair of his home life and the terror of his unknown future. The frog is at the bottom of a deep well, and looking up he can only see a dim, circumscribed wheel of sky, and all his will is bent on getting out of that well. I found it well worth reading to see how the frog ends up.

Postscript: I was charmed by the detail of his family naming scheme, but I don't think Li ever explicitly addresses it, so it's probably really confusing to white people? He's the 6th of 7 sons, and they all have a character in common in their formal name; they also all have baby names, and they all have a character in common in their baby name. Each son calls his younger brothers by their baby names and their older brothers by number (first elder brother, second elder brother, and so forth), and the parents call all the sons by their baby names. In conclusion, I don't think anyone in Li Cunxin's life actually calls him by his given name, Cunxin. He goes by 'Li' in English, probably originally for ease of pronunciation, and now because it's his name.(less)

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Feb 21, 2012 Chris Witkowski rated it 4 of 5 stars

Whenever I read a story like this, where someone beats all the odds and becomes an amazing success, I want to urge all young Americans to read it and count their blessings. Born in China during the Cultural Revolution, Li Cunxin is chosen to be sent to Beijing to become a ballet dancer. He leaves behind a life of desperate poverty and deprivation as well as his dear family and, through sheer determination, practice and talent, becomes a star. Li earns the privilege of traveling to Houston to par...more

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Jul 26, 2011 Lynn added it · review of another edition

AUDIO BOOK REVIEW: Amazing story -especially considering it all happened during my lifetime. We take so much for granted in this country. When I was a little girl, mothers would exhort us to finish everything on our plate "because there were children starving in China". This true story of a young man's childhood in Mao's China really brings home just what "starving" means. (Though how our eating everything on our plate would help them, I still don't get) Cunxin Lee grew up in a truly impoverishe...more

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Oct 20, 2011 Wolfman rated it 4 of 5 stars

As a member of the committee that chooses the Davis Reads community reading selection every year, I received a copy of Mao’s Last Dancer in the mail about six weeks ago. It had been suggested by another member of the committee, and we were asked to read it and bring our comments to the first meeting of the school year. I was, however, hesitant to start reading this 445-page book because not only was it an autobiography (i.e., not exciting) of a person who began life as a peasant in the utter pov...more As a member of the committee that chooses the Davis Reads community reading selection every year, I received a copy of Mao’s Last Dancer in the mail about six weeks ago. It had been suggested by another member of the committee, and we were asked to read it and bring our comments to the first meeting of the school year. I was, however, hesitant to start reading this 445-page book because not only was it an autobiography (i.e., not exciting) of a person who began life as a peasant in the utter poverty of communist China (i.e., sad to boot) but, according to the pictures on the cover and the blurb on the back, it was mainly about a subject I have no knowledge of or interest in: ballet. So, the book sat untouched on my desk until a few days ago, and I thought I would probably have to fake my way through the discussion because I doubted I would finish before the meeting. I was pleasantly surprised. The book was not only fascinating in many respects, it was also fairly fast-paced, and I learned a lot about many different topics (besides ballet, which I am still not really interested in) while reading it.

Published in 2003, the book is the life story of Li Cunxin (pronounced Lee Shwin-Sing). It is divided into three sections: 1) his childhood in communist China during the so-called “cultural revolution” of Chairman Mao, 2) his training at Madame Mao’s ballet academy in Beijing, 3) his defection to America and his successful career as a principal dancer in a respected ballet company. The most compelling aspect of the book is the scope of this man’s experience, from the most hopeless and desperate circumstances to a position in which the U.S. President intervenes on his behalf to convince the Chinese government to allow him to return to China to visit his family. I admit that part of what kept me reading was the fact that not a single experience in this book is anything like my own life; I’ve never been that desperate or that successful, and in an odd way I almost feel that he somehow missed out on a “regular” life experience. But it was interesting and educational for me to read about his many non-traditional experiences.

“By the time I was born there was deprivation and disease everywhere…my parents, like everyone else, were desperately fighting for survival” (p. 9). Cunxin was born into a family with six boys (seven if you count the son his parents gave to a relative who was unable to have children of her own). They were peasants in a commune in China just as Mao’s “Great Leap Forward” was in full swing. Surrounded by propaganda praising Chairman Mao and criticizing all western influence, it seems that everyone was brainwashed into believing they had it better than anywhere else in the world despite the fact that they never had enough to eat (dried yams were the only constant), they worked all day every day for mere pennies, their “toilet” was little more than a hole in the ground, and they used human waste to fertilize their small, government-controlled gardens. Cunxin’s niang and dia (mom and dad) are portrayed as eternally hard-working people who have accepted their fate and are doing everything they can for their family. While he has some happy memories of this time period (the games they played, some of the trouble he got into with his brothers), I was always left amazed by his casual descriptions of the horrible living conditions and (to me) strange beliefs and superstitions by which they lived. Most of his schooling related to reciting the political propaganda of Mao, but one day he is selected (among a handful of other very flexible kids) for an opportunity to be tested for acceptance into Madame Mao’s ballet academy. It didn’t matter that he had no knowledge of or love for dance; he was able to bend and stretch his little legs in ways the other children could not, so Cunxin (at age 11) is sent to study dance in Beijing.

Although his family recognizes this as a chance for him to have a better life than that which would be his if he stayed in the commune, his homesickness is overpowering at first. He cries himself to sleep in his dormitory bed for many nights, despite the promises of his (mostly cold and callous) teachers that he will one day bring honor to China and Chairman Mao. Even in the academy, half his time is spent reciting communist propaganda and demonizing the enemies of Mao, but now he is also training to be a dancer. He ends up spending almost seven years there, and it is only during the last couple that he begins to like dancing because of the tutelage of Teacher Xiao, who we sense is a communist in name only; his true passion is his art, and in Cunxin he has found a willing student. Cunxin is recognized as an outstanding talent by a visiting teacher from America (Ben Stevenson), who arranges for him to come to Houston for six weeks of training. At the time, China had anything but an open door policy, so just making the arrangements to leave the country was incredibly complicated affair, but he is finally allowed to go, accompanied by another boy about his age. They do not speak English. They know nothing of “filthy capitalist America” but what they have been told by propagandists. They do not have a clue about American culture or individual freedoms. At one point, he sees a man leave a $100 tip on the table for a waitress, and he realizes that this is more money than his dia would make in his entire working life. He is stunned at the difference in cultures. After six weeks in America, Cunxin does not want to leave, but the Chinese laws are firm, so they return home having had a glimpse of what freedom is. Later, Cunxin is allowed to return to America for a longer stay. He falls in love with a young female dancer and enjoys the dancing for his own purposes rather than for the glory of his communist leaders, which leads to his defection. He refuses to go back, and the ensuing conflict involves lawyers, influential ballet patrons, and (finally) President George Bush. But he does gain his freedom, and his life changes yet again.

In America, under the guidance of his mentor Ben, Cunxin becomes one of the finest principal dancers in the world. His skill allows him many opportunities to travel the world, be part of “high culture,” and enjoy the fruits of living in the free world, but he can not return to China to see his family. The Chinese government is down on defectors, and it has a nasty tendency to make them disappear when they try to go home, so Cunxin is cut off from his family, for which he is tortured by inner guilt even while he is traveling the world, living a life most of us can only imagine. There are many bittersweet moments in the final third of the book, and he never really gets over the stark contrast of where he started out versus where he ends up, but it is ultimately a hopeful and inspiring story.

My favorite passage in the book is part of a wedding toast given by Cunxin’s dia, a man who seldom speaks. What he says of his wife I could also say of mine, and someday I may steal his words for a toast of my own: “…I had married a rare jewel, the most precious jewel I could ever wish for. I treasured and loved her from the time I lifted her veil. I still love her today and will love her for the remainder of my humble life….She taught me everything I needed to know. She made me a better man” (pp. 433-434). These words are especially touching coming as they do from the mouth of a peasant who, by American standards, had no quality of life. He had nothing that we tend to think of as necessary for survival, but he knew better than most of us what really mattered. And it is within this stark contrast of cultures and values that the title character spends his entire life. Reading the book, I reflected a lot on how lucky I am.

I know this book will not be captivating for most of my students, but I would recommend it to anyone who wants to put a face on the differences between communism and capitalism or to anyone who likes inspirational “rags to riches” kinds of stories. One theme the book illustrates nicely is that even from the most miserable and unlikely circumstances, magnificent opportunity can arise. In contrast, however, another theme seems to be that taking advantage of opportunity involves great risk and often loss. In the case of Li Cunxin, it seems that everything worked out for him in the end, one extreme to the other, but he still has no idea what it is like to be a normal person like most of the rest of the world.

Oh, and even though all the French ballet terms were meaningless to me, there is an awful lot about dancing in here, too.
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Jun 12, 2009 Kani rated it 5 of 5 stars

Hooks you right in with the description of his parent's traditional wedding in China. This is a true story of a real person who is still alive and riveted me because he was growing up when I was and living this amazingly different life over there in China. That's the China of "Finish your dinner! Think of all the starving children in China." So it was really insightful for me to listen to a true account of what it was like for this starving child of China. The way Cunxin uses drive and disciplin...more

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Jan 01, 2011 Lynn rated it 3 of 5 stars

Amazing story -especially considering it all happened during my lifetime. We take so much for granted in this country. When I was a little girl, mothers would exhort us to finish everything on our plate "because there were children starving in China". This true story of a young man's childhood in Mao's China really brings home just what "starving" means. (Though how our eating everything on our plate would help them, I still don't get)Cunxin Lee grew up in a truly impoverished home. What it lack...more

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Feb 06, 2010 Jay rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: australian-authors, ballet, books-i-own, historical-recent, non-fiction, biography-chinese, australian-setting-and-characters

I'm not quite sure why it took me so long to read this book. It's very easy to read- the writing is surprisingly simplistic. It may be because my copy (which isn't on Goodreads) is quite tall. But I won't linger on that.

I loved the movie, and had wanted to read the book for a while. Li's biography covers each time of his life- from his time in the commune, to Beijing, to the US and finally while he travels the world with his dance company to finally settling in Australia. The prime focus of the...more

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