Mao's Last Dancer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Mao's Last Dancer is | |
 Cover of Mao's Last Dancer (Young Reader's Edition) |
|
| Author | Li Cunxin |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Auto-biography |
| Publisher | Penguin Books Australia |
| Publication date | 2003 |
| Media type | print (paperback & hardback) |
| Pages | 326 pp |
| ISBN | 0-14-330164-0 |
Mao's Last Dancer is an auto-biography written by Chinese-Australian author Li Cunxin and first published in 2003. It recounts his extraordinary journey from a young, impoverished village boy destined to labour in the fields to a world-famous professional dancer.
[edit] Storyline
Mao's Last Dancer follows the inspiring story of a young Chinese boy living in a poor family who tries to follow his dreams and succeeds against all odds.
Li Cunxin started off living in a poor Li family commune in the town of Qingdao in the Shandong Province. He and his family of 6 brothers lived in unbelievable poverty, with barely enough money to put some bread on their table. Although he was constantly reminded that he belonged in the fields as a labourer, Li Cunxin had always dreamed of doing something else with his life. When some inspectors from Madame Mao's Dance Academy arrived at his school looking for students for ballet, Li saw his chance and grabbed it with both hands. After passing through tests of flexibility and strength, he was finally admitted to the academy to learn ballet. The academy was not easy, but after many years of hard work Li Cunxin finally graduated from the academy as a professional ballet dancer. But then when he was in America he married a young woman and was disowned from his country.
Li has come a long way since then. He has toured the world performing for many different organisations. He is currently working as a senior manager for a large stockbroking firm and is also a popular public speaker.
[edit] Public Reception
When Li Cunxin first released Mao's Last Dancer it was received enthusiastically by the public. It received numerous awards and recommendations, and has been praised by numerous organisations for its unique writing style and captivating storyline.
