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Mao's Last Dancer

li cunxin

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An extraordinary memoir of a peasant boy raised in rural Maoist China who was plucked from his village to study ballet and went on to become one of the greatest dancers of his generation.

In 1961, three years of Mao's Great Leap Forward-along with three years of poor harvests-had left a rural China suffering terribly from disease and deprivation. Li Cunxin, his parents' sixth son, lived in a small house with twenty of his relatives and, along with the rest of his family, subsisted for years on the verge of starvation. But when he was eleven years old, Madame Mao decided to revive the Peking Dance Academy, and sent her men into the countryside searching for children to attend.

Chosen on the basis of his physique alone, Li Cunxin was taken from his family and sent to the city for rigorous training. What follows is the story of how a small, terrified, lonely boy became one of the greatest ballet dancers in the world. One part Falling Leaves, one part Billy Eliot, Mao's Last Dancer is an unforgettable memoir of hope and courage.

null pages, Paperback

First published January 1,2003
Literary awards
kids own australian literature awards (koala), australian booksellers association book of the year, 
Places
beijing, 

This edition

Format
null pages, Paperback
Published
January 1, 2005 by Vision Paperbacks
ISBN
9781904132752
ASIN
1904132758
Language
English

More editions

About the author

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li cunxin

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Li Cunxin (pronounced “Lee Schwin Sing”) is a remarkable man borne of a remarkable story. He has published a remarkable book about his extraordinary life. In his runaway best selling autobiography, Mao' s Last Dancer, Li recounts his determination, perseverance, vision, courage and hard work, and in particular, the sacred family values and integrity that he learned in poverty-stricken China, which has driven him to become one of the best dancers in the world. He tells of how the sixth of seven sons born to peasants grew up worshipping Mao Zedong before defecting to the United States.

Read more: http://www.licunxin.com/

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Community Reviews

Rating(4 / 5.0, 99 votes)
5 stars
30(30%)
4 stars
35(35%)
3 stars
34(34%)
2 stars
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1 stars
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99 reviews All reviews
Profile Image for Kimberly .
topfloorboss45
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Li provides an amazing view into a world that feels difficult to imagine. I felt like I'd have whiplash going through his life. I cannot imagine how strong he must be to have made so many courageous changes to his life. His lifetime feels as if it were two separate lives in one. How could one person experience so much? Truly an incredible story, and he did an excellent job of weaving in stories from his childhood that held symbolic importance. I'd give it three stars only because, I personally don't feel I'd ever read it again. Perhaps it's so unique a story that I don't always feel a connection to it. Nevertheless, I think the most relatable aspect of his life is how much he loves his family. To have a happy ending at the end was a lovely surprise.
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ssx
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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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 diplomatic machinations? An eyewitness account of someone who danced on the knife edge of history? The first hand account of a man who walked between worlds multiple times? Great potential.

Great unrealized potential. It’s just not that deep of a text. This guy’s got a fascinating story, but he only shares the surface details. He says he loves freedom, but he never seems to interrogate what that means. All his eloquence is reserved for descriptions of material wealth. I want to believe that there was a little deeper level he chose not to share, but there’s not a lot of textual evidence. His conversion to Catholicism, for example, was half a page of “Oh, I do believe in god, and if I convert, I can marry this woman in her parents’ church,” which made me roll my eyes hard enough to metaphorically hurt.

I’m sure he’s a good guy who did the best he could, but this was not The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Would not have finished it but for the fact it was the reading group book o’ the month.
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Ghostkumo
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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I feel really sad for Li Cunxin, because he had to leave his family to go to Beijing. He was glad that he is going to meet chairman Mao but sadness over wrapped the happiness. The last day that he was spending with his family, I had a connection with his feeling. He said that he should have spend more time with his brothers. I have thought the same thing as him before in my life. When I heard that I am moving to Malaysia, I really thought that I should have spend more time with my friends.

I think Li Cunxin is going to be a great dancer in the future because there were some people said that he had 3 long toes. I think it is a gift from when you were born. I can tell this because I also do dancing. Its good to have a git like that because if your not born with it, you have to work harder to be able to get same toes as a person who have them naturally.
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Noomde
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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I really enjoyed this book overall! I especially appreciated seeing another perspective from behind the scenes of communism and how it hurts everyone, especially the poor. Makes me even more grateful to live with and fight for freedom. The only reason it doesn't get five stars is because it is drawn out in the beginning and end. Loved the middle!
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HoloisHolo
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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I got this book from a friend --- when he brought it back to me from Australia. My friend was leading a 'trading' workshop, and this author was in his course. The book was sooooooooo good. I never saw the movie. Has anyone? You, Susan?
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cynamonkaa
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Look I read this years ago so probably can’t write a proper review without rereading, but I know I enjoyed this when I did read it. Very fascinating and well told (occasionally tragic) story.
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tiggernits
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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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.
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EisenhornPuritus
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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This is a wonderful memoir of a young man’s life during the Mao’s regime.
He lives in a very poor village in North East China. He is given the opportunity to go to Being to study ballet. He is only eleven years old and must leave his beloved family. He is the 6th son in a family of 7 sons. He misses his family dearly and is very homesick. His training is very rigorous and he succumbs to many painful injuries, but his determination prevails.
This is Li Cunxin’s own story and is truly remarkable. It is a story of courage and strength and the love of his family.
He never would have dreamed that one day he would dance with the greatest ballet companies of the World.
This is truly an inspirational story. It should be read by all.
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