Being freed from the consulate with elizabeth mackey and charles foster. Maos last dancer by li cunxin penguin books australia. 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. And when he fell in love, with a young american dance student called elizabeth mackey. Maos last dancer will appeal to a wide range of students at many different levels. Maos last dancer li cunxin believes mistakes teach the. But most of this story is new, startling, and gracefully told, a fitting invitation to a new season of memories from a generation reared in chinese communism s last show of strength. Maos last dancer, based on the autobiography by li. Mao s last dancer, the autobiography of li cunxin, is told in a simple, straightforward manner, principally because english is not the authors native language.
Sep 12, 2014 maos last dancer by li cunxin young readers edition just this week i had finished reading the autobiography novel, maos last dancer by li cunxin. I saw the movie first and i found the book just as fascinating. Years later, he travels to houston in a cultural exchange program invited by the artistic director ben stevenson and he is promoted to principal dancer of the houston. Forced into ballet as a child in maos china, li cunxin defected to the us. Li cunxin is portrayed by birmingham royal ballet principal dancer chi cao simplified chinese. Our young traveller ventures from childhood to maturity, from poverty to plenty, from obscurity to fame.
Until, that is, madame mao s cultural delegates came in search of young peasants to study ballet at the academy in beijing and he was thrust into a completely unfamiliar world. I found the book to be a very interesting read as it was very inspiring and emotional. Because of my book and movie, that had a huge impact around the. Jul 27, 2010 maos last dancer by li cunxin from a desperately poor village in northeast china, to a career that took him across the world, this is the incredible story of li cunxin a story that almost vanished, like so many other peasants lives, amid revolution and chaos. Eventually, li retired as a ballet dancer and he currently lives in melbourne, australia with his family. Apr 02, 2009 buy mao s last dancer by cunxin, li isbn. Maos last dancer is a must read for individuals who are interested in dance, talent development, chinese history, family relationships, and autobiographies. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Maos last dancer by li cunxin book club discussion. He also began a relationship with an aspiring american dancer, elizabeth mackey. May 14, 2010 mao s last dancer is a tale of many journeys all scored in the major key of inspiration. The bandit, chong xiongjun, and li cunxin quickly become best friends and support each other emotionally at madame maos dance academy. 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.
In 2003 li published his autobiography, mao s last dancer. Chi cao meets future love interest elizabeth mackey amanda schull at the. This book is inspiring because he thought he was destined to be a farmerpeasant like his parents but after he heard the story about the frog under the. One day he would dance with some of the greatest ballet companies of the world. Li cunxin, chinese ballet dancer 06121981 houchron caption 03282004. Mar 30, 2004 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. May 02, 2005 li cunxin ao was born in 1961 in the li commune, near the city of qingdao on the coast of northeast china.
It recounts his journey from a young, impoverished village boy destined to labor in the fields of china to a worldfamous professional dancer. It took cunxin a year and a half to write maos last dancer. Mao s last dancer is a memoir written by chineseaustralian author li cunxin and first published in 2003. Chi cao and camilla vergotis in mao s last dancer 2009. Apr 02, 2009 in the end, his chinese citizenship was revoked. Mackey was a dancer for ballet oklahoma, now known as oklahoma city ballet, in the 1980s. Chinese dancer and bride tell of love and a scare the. Maos last dancer is a 2009 australian film based on professional dancer li cunxins. Like millions of other peasants lives, it was a story that nearly vanished amidst revolution and chaos. And when he fell in love, with a young american dance student called elizabeth mackey, he began to consider defection. May, 2010 mao s last dancer 3 out of 4 li cunxin gets plenty of advice before he leaves china for a temporary stint with the houston ballet. From bitter poverty to the stardom of the west this is the extraordinary true story of one boys great courage and determination. Li cunxin continues journey of transformation houston chronicle.
Maos last dancer 3 out of 4 li cunxin gets plenty of advice before he leaves china for a temporary stint with the houston ballet. This fact shouldnt deter anyone from reading this moving account of a chinese peasant boys rise to fame as a ballet dancer and subsequent defection to the west. It goes on to share his eventual defection to the united states as an artistic dancer. Apr 12, 20 li cunxin, chinese ballet dancer 06121981 houchron caption 03282004. Maos last dancer is a marvelous new movie directed by bruce beresford, who did the oscarwinning driving miss daisy and tender mercies. Visit the official mao s laster dancer movie website. These notes accompany the puffin young readers edition. The sixth of seven sons in a poor rual family li s peasant life in chairman mao s communist china changed dramatically when he was chosen by madame mao s cultural advisers to become a student at the beijing dance academy. Elizabeth mackey liz danced with the oklahoma ballet for some years. It is about a young boy who lives in a family with 6 brothers, in poverty in china, and cunxin, his name, is chosen, when he is 11, to be part of the beijing dance academy. Find books like maos last dancer from the worlds largest community of readers.
From a desperately poor village in northeast china, at age eleven, li cunxin was chosen by madame mao s cultural delegates to be taken from his rural home and brought to beijing, where he would study ballet. Bruce beresfords latest movie is based on a true story about a. Ballet star comes home to rocky with maos last dancer. Then, i fell in love with a young dancer called elizabeth mackey and married her. Invision employees share their remote work secrets. In a village of china named quingdao in the book, the eleven yearold li cunxin is. Maos last dancer is a tale of many journeys all scored in the major key of inspiration. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy.
The story is about a boy born into a peasant s family in china where poverty, hard labour in the fields and starvation were the norm, and growing up under mao s regime. For soon he will become a dancer, one of the finest dancers in the. Raised in a desperately poor village during the height of chinas cultural revolution, li cunxins childhood revolved around the commune, his family and chairman mao s little red book. Goodreads members who liked maos last dancer also liked. He is chosen from many thousands of school children to attend madame mao s ballet school at the age of eleven, where he eventually realises that this is his opportunity to be. Told in his own distinctive voice, this is lis inspirational story of how he came to be maos last dancer, and one of the worlds greatest ballet dancers. Li, a chinese ballet dancer, comes to houston as part of the first international arts exchange with the renowned houston ballet. Li cunxin was born in 1961 near the city of qingdao on the coast of northeast china. Mao s last dancer is an biography written by li cunxin which recounts his journey from a young, impoverished village boy destined to labour in the fields to a worldfamous professional dancer. Mao s last dancer feels a bit attenuated at the end. It is an extraordinary tale of his poverty stricken life and his rise above it by being accepted at the age of 11 into madame mao s dance academy and defecting to the united states at the height of his ballet career. In 1987 he married again to australian dancer mary mckendry. He attributes his selfcentredness as a major factor in the failure of his first marriage to dancer elizabeth mackey.
He is currently the artistic director of the queensland ballet in brisbane, australia. Li cunxin continues journey of transformation houston. Seventy years after the historical march took place, sun shuyun set out to retrace the marchers steps and unexpectedly discovered the true history behind the legend. He wrote the manuscript by hand on nights and weekends while maintaining his business as a stockbroker in melbourne, australia. The sixth of seven sons from a poor rural family, his life changed forever when he was chosen to study ballet at the beijing dance academy. His life story was originally published as mao s last dancer, which became an international bestseller. It tells his riveting tale of growing up in a poor family of six boys, living in a village in china under maos reign.
Maos last dancer is a heartwarming autobiography which reflects on the past of li cunxin, the author, who went from living a life of extreme poverty to. It is intended for students in the year seven to year nine levels. This fact shouldnt 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. The sixth of seven sons in a poor rural family, li s peasant life in chairman mao s communist china changed dramatically when, at the age of eleven, he was chosen by madame mao s cultural advisers to become a student at the beijing dance academy. Artistic director of queensland ballet, li cunxin, tells one plus one how his journey from a life of poverty to success as mao s last dancer taught him that lifes most valuable lessons come from. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors.
Chinese ballet dancer li cunxin, wearing a lapel button reading dont let. Since its release in 2003, maos last dancer has sold over 500,000 copies and been turned into a major feature film. Chi cao and camilla vergotis in maos last dancer 2009. Meanwhile he secretly dates and falls in love with the dancer elizabeth mackey. The novel, maos last dancer, was written by li cunxin. He wrote the manuscript by hand on nights and weekends while maintaining his business as a. One day he would be a friend to a president and first lady, movie stars and the most influential people in america. In 1979, the young dancer arrived in texas as part of a cultural exchange, only to.
Ballet star comes home to rocky with mao s last dancer. The book has become a feature film with the same title. Attorney charles foster, 20yearold li and his first wife, elizabeth mackey, leave the u. The narrator of the memoir, who grew up in a destitute rural. Mao s last dancer is a 2009 australian film based on professional dancer li cunxins autobiography of the same name. Lis first wife, who helps him out of his international incident, was elizabeth mackey. Cao chi, australian ballet dancer chengwu guo chinese. May 14, 2004 it took cunxin a year and a half to write mao s last dancer.