Customer Reviews

Mao's Last Dancer

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

There seems to be no end of stories by and about people who came of age during the darkest days of the Cultural Revolution. This book is different from most of them in a couple important respects. First of all, Li Cuxin's family were peasants. Perhaps it would be a bit strong to say that they "missed" the revolution, because Li Cuxin does describe one particularly graphic scene where he witnessed an execution. But they were not personally struggled against. The peasants were the idealized heroes of the Cultural Revolution. Li Cuxin's suffering was poverty, pure and simple. But there are lots of poor people in the world. Secondly, the benefits Li Cuxin was given were unique in that they were not given him by the country he went to (America). They were given to him by the People's Republic of China. And the life he went to was really unreal. Most Americans do not live like the people Li met when he came to America. So this book is not a classic story about a persecuted person who somehow managed to find freedom in the West. As such, I must admit that I often had mixed feelings while reading this book. I don't want to spend too much time on that, but I want to address it, because it is central both to what is right and what is wrong in this book.

For me, the centerpoint of this book is Li Cunxin's decision to defect to the West. He married one of his fellow dancers secretly, and told his benefactor from the Houston Ballet that he was not going to return to China. It is this decision that really defines this story, because everything that happens before it can in some way be considered an influencing factor. And everything that happens after it is a result of it. And it is this decision that causes me to have so many mixed feelings about this book, because I believe the decision was a mistake. It was a mistake, but I have mixed feelings, because while part of me is disgusted with him for doing something so stupid and self serving, it is hard to be to angry with him, given the way he was treated by the Ministry of Culture.

This was my problem reading this book. In one sense, one is inclined to feel sorry for a kid whose dreams could be so casually dashed to pieces by one bureaucrat who just happened to be a jerk. Yet, as I said, this book is not a classic story of a persecuted dissident who escaped to the West to find freedom. Li Cunxin was privileged. Very few young people in America or Australia have the privileges he was given by his government to go to Beijing and study in the top dance academy in the nation. And Li's decision to skip the program and defect was not an act of heroism. It would have been more heroic in this case, for him to go back to China. He says his country lied to him. True, but he lied to them, too. The report he wrote for his superiors after he returned from his first trip was full of exaggerated condemnations of the West that were written to impress, not to give a true account of his experience. I think there is a very good possibility that the blatant insincerity of this report played a big part in the Culture Minister's decision not to let him return to the States. And there is certainly nothing of religious persecution in this book. Li doesn't seem to have had much interest in the things of God, although he did become a nominal Catholic to please his future inlaws. Bottom line: When the chips were down, Li Cunxin did what was good for Li Cunxin.

OK, perhaps I am a little hard on him. An emotionally vulnerable young man, drawn in by a needy young woman. Would I have done differently if I had been in his shoes? I really do try to understand, but my ability to understand is limited, because my experience was not like his, and because there is so much difference between the China I live in and the China he grew up in that they cannot really be called the same country. There are times, in today's China, when I sit at a banquet, or something, and just shake my head at the bounty. It's hard to believe that anyone ever starved in this country. And it is only fair to point out that, while I may disagree with his decision to defect when he did, there is a lot that Li Cunxin did right. His success was not just luck or good fortune. He worked very hard. He took nothing for granted. This, really was his strong point.

Recommendation: Five stars. This is without exception the best account I have read about growing up peasant in the countryside of China. And the story is told with integrity. Mind you, I am not backing down from my original statement. I think he screwed up. But he is honest about his failure--you have to give him that. And while I do not believe his defection was an act of heroism, there is plenty of heroism in this book. He tells us of his brother, who is forced to stay in his home community and forbidden to marry the woman he loves. One cannot help but be moved by the strength of character that overcomes bitter fate by enduring it bravely. Or his other brother, who is given away at birth, and destined to grow up as an "outsider" even though he lives right next door. He, too, decides to accept his fate, and do the honorable thing. I stand in awe of such men. Li Cunxin also speaks honestly about his feelings of guilt at his phenomenal success. This guilt, of course, is misplaced. He did nothing wrong. No one can fault him for wanting to succeed. And his success was a blessing to his family. And a blessing to us; we would not have this story otherwise. This book is well worth reading.

When my wife and I moved to Texas in the early 1980's, the Houston Ballet's performances were a refreshing antidote to the Southwest's unrelenting commercialism and fixation with football and barbecue. Under Ben Stevenson's lively direction, this troupe of superb athletes pushed the bounds of gravity with grace and verve. Among the foremost in their number was a supple young oriental dancer who was obviously feeling his way toward familiarity with American culture, but always showed uncommon spirit, sensitivity, and vitality in his approach to movement. This was Li Cunxin (pronounced Shwin-Sin). He became our favorite male dancer, and his photos are on our walls today.

This marvelous autobiography by Mr. Li opened our eyes to the unimaginable gulf he had to leap in order to appear before us. When he was plucked from among millions of other peasant children to attend Beijing Dance Academy, the train ride to Beijing was his first. His meals at the Academy were the first time he'd ever had enough to eat. His untrained tendons and muscles were ruptured repeatedly by the contortions he was forced into. Beijing's approval for him to leave China on scholarship to Houston Ballet Academy was China's first such concession to an artist in almost forty years. The first time he ever felt air-conditioning was on the plane to America. His first automobile ride was from the Houston airport to Ben Stevenson's house. And so on - the simple dance outfit purchased for him upon his arrival cost the equivalent of two years of his father's salary in China.

The book contains hundreds of poignant reminders of the risks Mr. Li took in breaking the bounds of his peasant heritage and infuriating both the Chinese government and his American friends when he defected. His indomitable will to survive and succeed is an inspiration to all those who have seemingly impossible aspirations. He tells the old fable of a frog trapped deep in a well, yearning to jump out and see the world beyond but knowing it will never happen. Mr. Li made it out of his well, and became a prince among dancers. His triumphant return to China to perform Romeo and Juliet, with his wife Mary McKendry dancing as Juliet, his entire family in the audience, and half a billion Chinese watching on television, is a spine-tingling culmination to his career.

Li Cunxin in a Chinese Frank McCourt: with vivid detail and warm humor, he describes growing up cold, poor, hungry, and surrounded by a big family and memorable neighbors. But Li's life journey is even more improbable. Against the backdrop of the Cultural Revolution, Li moves from rural poverty to defection, then international acclaim as a ballet dancer, and finally a reconciliation, of sorts, with his homeland.

Although it was written for adults, my 5- and 7-year-old kids loved the storytelling about Li's mischievous childhood in the first third of the book. The chapters about his rise in the ranks of international ballet were less entertaining. I've read dozens of China memoirs, and this is among the best.

Li Cunxin has had a somewhat different life. He was almost doomed to obscurity like the vast majority of people in this world, living the life of a poor peasant in rural China, but for a stroke of luck when his teacher suggested him as a potential ballet student. This changed his life from one type of hardship to another with markedly different challenges, but one which left him lonely, confused about the dogma he had so wholeheartedly embraced and geographically isolated from his family.

It is interesting to read as the young man goes from blind adoration of Chairman Mao and all the things that come with Communism, to a dawning awakening that the West is not the den of inequity that he has been led to believe. But is is the latter half of the book that has led me to offer 4 stars instead of 5 - I felt it was a little rushed, especially his well publicised defection, and efforts to settle in the west and raise a family. I guess we in the West are more interested in his early struggling years, but the challenges he faced as an adult are nonetheless fascinating.

There is no doubt that this is a sincere and amazing story. It is written with a wry humour that makes the tales of wrenching poverty readable (I have no desire to ever taste dried yams!), and gives us an interesting insight into how difficult life was in China under Communism. Mr Li seems a happy and settled man now with a lovely family - I would say he has had a fair fight to get there.

I must join in on the praise for this wonderful memoir. Li Cunxin's account of his early life in China was so vivid that I literally shed tears for him. Later,I found myself cheering his brilliant successes in the ballet world. I could not put this book down, as I felt compelled to find out what was happening to Li Cunxin. The pages of pictures contained in the book added much to the telling of this story. You must read it.

I agree with the other reviewer-this was a most addictive read! I saved it for vacation and was so happy I did-I simply could not put it down. One of my all time best books.

Having studied in China for one summer in the 80's, I wish I'd had a better understanding of the peasant life and hardships the people in China faced as described in this book. The government was very careful as to what we were told and what we could visit during our studies. It is a beautiful country, made even more so by this book.

We adopted our daughter from China in 1999 and I am so anxious for us to make a return visit so she can see her country and share the pride of their hard work and efforts as described so well by Li Cunxin.

The first part of the book deals with his childhood and family. Li Cunxin's remarkable recounting of his childhood in China is so vivid with details that I could feel and taste the food and items he describes. Because of the great details, I became so emotionally attached to the family. I found myself crying each time he mentions how he missed his family (in part 2 and 3 of the book). His pain and longing were so real.

Against all odds, he becomes a successful ballet star in America (Part 2). He describes our extravagance and lavish living conditions and the cultural shock to him. I laughed out loud at some of these instances! He recounts with humor his amazement at being served food on the airplane, feeling guilty someone was serving him, and asking the flight attendant if he could help her wash dishes. As he shares his delight in the simple things we take for granted (taking a bath), he gives great insight into what was going on in his mind as he experiences freedom for the first time.

His recounting of his defection and possible punishment from China (Part 3) depicts all that is at stake when a person chooses to leave communism behind. His realization of Mao's propoganda, and how he gave his life to the beliefs of communism make Li Cunxin a new person. He becomes a man without a country. He puts all of his energy into what he knows best-dancing. His hard work and focus take him to great places, but all the while he longs for his family.

Li Cunxin does a phenomenal job in sharing our most basic values and needs. This is an excellent read!

I bought this book without any inkling that it will such an engaging read.

I tried to read other autobiographical books of life during the Cultural Revolution. Many describe how the authors/ characters suffered but few depict how one actually benefitted from it.

Li Cunxin was born into a very poor rural family of 7 boys. The family was extremely poor. The parents gave away the fourth son to one of the uncles. This allows the given son a chance at survival. This is also a sign of how important it is for a Chinese couple to have a son to continue its ancestral name.

The author and his family slept in a very small house in a village called Li Village in Qingdao, the sunny town off Northeast coast of China which produces the world-famous Tsingtao beer. They rarely had enough food on the table, fed on dried yam most of the time and had small amount of meat once a year. Everyone would try to pass the better food to the next member of the family, a subtle display of family affection. Li's parents are honest and hardworking peasants who instil very strong values of integrity, hardwork and discipline to the boys in the family. They are old-fashioned but surprisingly, there was ample display of affection between Li and his mother whom he highly respects. They hug eac other quite frequently. Rare for a conservative Chinese family. One can read about his deep love for his mother throughout the book.

Li was fortunate to be chosen as part of a ballet class of Beijing Dance Academy at the age of 11. As fate would have it, this was the turning point of his life. He had the opportunity to go to Beijing, met Madam Mao, made some lifelong friends, tutored by strict but good ballet teachers and in the end, managed to be invited to the US for a short stint.

Interestingly, many books on Cultural Revolution are written by people who suffered during that period and how they detested the times then. Li is not considered as one and he does spice the book with his own thoughts and gratitude towards Chairman Mao for permitting him to have a shot at ballet and in the process, see the US.

While he was in the US, he realised the propaganda of the Chinese communist government. He was a smart boy. He did not show his yearning for the capitalist world but he persistently fought for a second chance to return to the US. Return he did but he went a bit further by falling in love with Elizabeth, a fellow dancer and married her. That was when he wanted to defect. The drama that his defection created in the Chinese consulate in the US makes interesting reading.

Li managed to win the cause and stayed in the US but that meant that he could not return to China to see his beloved parents for many years. His family in China also suffered by the shame that this episode brought- many felt that Li was ungrateful.

In the meantime, he flourished in the world of ballet. He divorced Elizabeth as it seemed that the marriage resulted from infatuation and cultural & value difference drove the two apart.

Li later met Mary, another ballerina and remarried. They finally returned to China to attend his youngest brother's wedding ceremony. By then, all the 7 boys of the Li family are doing well. They are successful businessmen and happily married. The elder Lis finally see the fruits of their hardships. Both are still living in the Li Village and are into their eighties.

Li retired from ballet and became an investment advisor. As fate would have it, his eldest daughter was born deaf. But after all the hardship he experienced, Li managed to take that in stride and his daughter later had an operation to correct it. Now blissfully married and living in Melbourne, Li is truly a boy who made it good and in a way, benefitted from the stint at the course in the dancing academy which would otherwise not been formed if communism hadn't engulfed China.

There are many touching passages in the book that would bring tears to one's eyes. One is the description how during one of his visits to his village while he was still studying in the academy, Li's father used his hard-earned money to buy a fountain pen to encourage his son to work hard and improve his grades at the academy. Another is when he was in the US for the first time, how he saved his pocket allowance for his family. Li always measured the consumerism in the US to how much it would be equivalent to his father's wages.

What also strikes me is the fluency and clarity of the language that this book was written in. It is amazing that Li mastered English and mastered it so well. Though there are rare grammatical errors, it is very commendable.

Go on, read this book and you will be rewarded by its touching story and easy prose.

Li Cunxin skillfully, yet simply reaches out and tugs at our hearts with this unforgettable memoir about growing up in China during the Cultural Revolution. With poverty and starvation a constant concern, the Li family warms our heart by illustrating that sharing and caring for each other is the fundamental breath of life, while happiness is being together. Young Cunxin is granted an opportunity to go to dance academy and make something of himself. Little does he know the changes and challenges that lie ahead. Once I opened this book I couldn't find the will power to set it down. I felt as if I'd become part of the family. This read will definently draw tears, smiles, and laughs. Add this one to your collection!

I found this to be an extraordinary memoir. The book traces Cunxin Li's life growing up as a child under conditions of severe poverty in a small village during China's Cultural Revolution. Li's account of the hunger and deprivation during his early childhood offers a vivid glimpse of rural life under state socialism. The story moves from here to the discipline and perhaps even the cruelty of the Peking Dance academy where Li spent his teenage years. Finally, we follow the author to the United States where he embarks on a remarkable career as a principal dancer for the Houston ballet. For those interested in Chinese life, the immigrant experience, the Chinese-American community, ballet and the arts, and even political intrigue, this story is a gripping must-read.

An endearing portrait of a dancer who finds success against all odds, told in a warm, funny, and elegant voice.