Customer Reviews

Mao's Last Dancer

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Li Cunxin accurately portrayed the differences between life in rural China and life in the United States. The difference between city life and rural life in China differs greatly. A great point in the story is when Cunxin was leaving home for the first time, and his brother gave him two Yuan that he had been saving for two months. I also enjoyed reading about Cunxin's life in America and how it greatly differed from his life in China. I was amazed by his change from being a poor farm boy to an international star. That took years of hard work and determination. The story teaches the lesson that no matter what your family background is, it is always possible to leave this path and seek a better life. Overall, this book is well written and I recommend it to people of all ages. Even though the novel does not reflect the lives of all people in China, it gives readers a perspective of rural life in China.

This book is one of those that you cannot put away till the end. Li Cunxin writes in a simple way, but with that rare skill of keeping you baffled through all its chapters. It traces Cunxin early life in a peasants' commune in rural China, suffering abject poverty, to his eventful obligatory trip to Beijing, to study ballet at the Beijing Ballet Academy, under China's strict communist discipline and rules, where he completes 7 years of training. Initially Cunxin hated ballet, but after several years, he learned to appreciate its beauty and artistic value. That turning point made him work harder, and the rest is history: he became one of the best dancers of the world of his time. It is a very touching book. Also very interesting because besides Cunxin' personal life as it relates to the ballet world, one learns about Mao Tse Tung's Cultural Revolution in China through the eyes of a poor peasant child who turned into an international star, not without before having caused a diplomatic conflict between China and USA. I recommend this book for all ballet lovers and to those who have an interest on China's history under Chairman Mao's communist rule and its impact on China's education and social life of that time.

this book is about a young man who is selected from an impovrished farm family to become a ballet dancer by a dictatorial regime in china and how he strives for success in this competitive field. i thought so much of this book, i gave it to my granddaughter (10 years old)and who loves to dance.

When I ordered this book, I did not realize that it was a "Young Reader's Edition." I was disappointed when I received the book , but decided to read it anyway. As I read, I did not feel that the content and style of the book were greatly "dumbed down" from what the adult version would be. I saw the movie first and thought that reading the book would illuminate some scenes in the movie that I did not fully understand, and that it did.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Young Reader's Edition, and it made me want to order the regular, adult version, which I plan to do. This is a fascinating story set in a culture that we Americans need to know more about.

This book kept my interest all the way through. It was a very telling look into how it was to live in Communist China after the revolution and under Mao.

Interesting history of how Mao's China worked and affected the pesant peoples. Li Cunxin story is inspiring and was a joy to read.

I had no idea how things were done in China, but now have a greater understanding. This book is very interesting, and it is also a learning experience. It kept me reading, wondering what was going to happen next, until I finished the book. I will keep this one in my library, to re-read. An update would be very welcome to the story though.

Mao's 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 becoming an international dance star. In particular, this novel stresses the importance of rising against the odds of your place in society to achieve even the most far-reached and impossible dreams.

Li Cunxin was born to a poor Chinese family living under the harsh communist rule of Mao. Oftentimes, his family didn't have enough food to go around the table, and there was absolutely no money to spare for extras, like toys or pencils. In addition, the future of most children was similar to that of their parents: bleak and colorless. As niang (his mom) is quoted saying on page 15, "We are born with a hopeless fate."

Despite the low chances of success, Li Cunxin was presented a rare opportunity when, at 11 years old, he was offered a slot in the Beijing Dance Academy. Whilst leaving his family at such a tender age was tough, niang said, "My dear son, this is your lucky chance to escape from this cruel world. Go, go and do something special with your life!" Hence, he began his journey through the dance world.

At the Beijing Dance Academy, Li Cunxin attained a high standard, and even had the chance to dance with numerous ballet companies worldwide. After many years, he grasped a chance to stay in the Western World. In the 1970's, he defected to the United States and joined the Houston Ballet Company--the ultimate proof that the tables can be turned if you give something your all.

The themes and central ideas of this book remind me especially about the movie Seabiscuit. Set in the midst of the Great Depression, the plot details about a young man named Red Pollard who jockeys a prized racing horse named Seabiscuit. They are said to be the winning pair, destined for success. During a race, though, Red falls off his horse and fractures his leg, while at the same time, Seabiscuit is injured. The doctors were adamant that neither the jockey or horse will ever be able to race again. However, together, using their similar personalities as a passageway to bonding, Seabiscuit and Red heal with each other, in the end collecting the most-wanted horse racing prize of the year.

Even though one story is mainly about a poor dancer and the other about an injured horse and jockey, the two share a commonality. In both plots, the protagonist must overcome some big obstacle--in the case of Mao's Last Dancer, adversity and a trapped future, and in Seabiscuit, severe injury. One final closing quote very fitting to both plots follows, "A pessimist sees only the dark side of the clouds, and mopes; a philosopher sees both sides, and shrugs; an optimist doesn't see the clouds at all - he's walking on them." --Leonard Louis Levinson

This book is excellent. The story is captivating and it's very hard to put this book down. Getting to know all of the experiences passed by Li during his life and how the Chinese lived during Mao's rule was very interesting and surely makes us analyze our life and how fortunate we are to have been raised in democratic countries. Comparing our way of living and what we currently call "necessities" is inevitable once we see how little really is needed.

Wonderful story of an 11 year old boy rising above poverty with determination and discipline backed by the love of his family.