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.

Wow. This was such a beautiful and inspiring story—equally heart-wrenching and heartwarming. I was holding back tears for the entire afterword

This amazing story is rather simply told, but I greatly appreciated the honest insight into this man's childhood experience in China and later defection to the United States. I couldn't put it down! And it was hard to believe that all of this took place in MY lifetime, rather than decades (or even centuries) ago as it would seem. If you've ever been the least bit curious about Communist China and the life of an "everyday" person living there, this is a good one to read.

*For my more conservative friends, it contains some language and a bit of mature content - but nothing graphic and (at least in my opinion) tastefully told.

This is a good book, intriguing in what life was like to grow up as a kid in a communist country. the story builds when a young boy decides that he doesn't want to work in the fields like his dad and he wants to do something with his life and show what he is capable of. it was a great book to show what it is like to go from rags to riches in a story of hard work and how hard you want to work!

It was an interesting book. I knew so little about Chinese culture when I read this book. The author told his life story through vivid detail imagery. He began with his parents wedding, the birth of his brothers and himself, poverty, government, and traditions. His love for ballet is evident on every page.

For me this was one of the best memoirs I have read. Li Cunxin shared his love of dance, hid naive acceptance of the propaganda he was fed despite the fact that he saw the disparities just by looking at the devastating poverty of his family. He shared the wide-eyed optimism and surprise that came into his life when he visited America for the first time. He shared the stories of his life with candor and respect. It was a fascinating story, full of inspiration. It also read easily and quickly in the way of fiction, which I liked.

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 long period of time so that's understandable). Everything else was fascinating. I highly recommend it, even if it's not the kind of thing you normally read.

Most boring book ever.

I have an interest in China and a fondness for its people and culture ever since my daughter and family spent three years there and we were fortunate enough to visit twice. This book chronicles the life of ballet dancer Li Cunxin from the marriage of his parents to his defection and finally his return to his home village in 1988 -- most of this time from the end of the Cultural Revolution through the Great Leap Forward and including the death of Chairman Mao and the Open Door Policy of Deng Xiaopeng. The story is inspiring, frightening, heartbreaking and uplifting.

Li Cunxin overcomes life's challenges and through sheer discipline, drive and the motivation to break through the shackles of communism, does just that. Born in a commune in northeast China, Li's impoverished family struggled to put food on the table, making sacrifices for each other as the bare essentials for basic living were virtually nonexistent. Despite the challenging conditions of everyday life, his parents taught him the values and principles that became his life compass as he overcame the harsh obstacles and struggles of Mao's regime, and against all odds became an international ballet dancer in the western world. From early childhood, despite their intense poverty, his parents instilled in him a sense of pride, self-determination and responsibility. His break comes in the form of a delegation from Madame Mao's Dance Academy - he's selected at the last second for a ballet program in Beijing at the age of 11. Separated from his family, thus begins his lonely quest to excel through sheer determination, focus, hard work and the knowledge that ballet is the key to his destiny...and it is. A story of sacrifice and success, endurance and emotion, of family and friendship, Mao's Last Dancer is a contrast of two worlds, simply told but yet moving and motivating. A remarkable life and one to be admired.

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 motivation and understanding, accidents, and other obstacles to eventually become a world-class ballet dancer. Along the way, there are some interesting insights into Communist ideologies and the history of US/China relationships. After a cultural exchange visit to the USA, Li's eyes are opened to the difference between the propaganda version of western capitalism and the opportunities he actually viewed. Then he falls in love, and decides to marry an American and defect, knowing the profound impact it will have on his own life and the lives of family and friends. We follow the years of joy in his exploding career but the agony of separation from his family and homeland, until there is a poignant reunion and reconciliation. Though occasionally sentimental, it's a fascinating story of cultural, artistic, and political discovery - whether you're a ballet fan or not!

4.25
Incredible stuff