Mao's Last Dancer

From beginning to end, this is an engrossing read. The pace is gentle and pleasing in the opening chapters, where Cunxin relates the story of his childhood, when everything was in short supply except siblings, cousins, and familial love. Like any good nonfiction thriller, even though the outcome is already known, the suspense propels the reader rapidly from one page to the next during the telling of his detention in the Chinese Embassy in Houston. It's always a bit intriguing to peep into the life of someone who has hob-nobbed with the rich and famous, but Cunxin has much more than that to offer. Rich descriptions of Chairman Mao's China, both in the poorest sections of the remote countryside and in the relatively more affluent cities, show more put forth a glimpse into the lives of the people who lived inside a system that has long been a mystery to Western readers. Cunxin builds a bridge between the idealists who embraced the communism that was touted as the cure for hunger, injustice, and inequality and the people on the other side of the world who viewed the great experiment as a one-dimensional threat to democracy. He has successfully revealed the humanity on both sides. show less

This is a tremendous book for anyone who wants to understand life in the dying days of Mao's regime in China. Li Cunxin's story is one of hardship and poverty which, through sheer effort of will and a few lucky breaks, becomes one of freedom and fame. It's told with engaging honesty as Cunxin comes to realise that everything he has been taught to believe in by the Mao regime is based on a lie. Through it, he questions the essence of Marxism and the future of his country. But though the political context is critical to his story, it never dominates because first and foremost this is a story about one man and his ambition to rise to the top of his chosen profession. At times it's a painful story as Cunxin endures physical and mental show more anquish but its balanced by the strength of affection and love given first by his parents in China and then by his second family in the ballet world.

Highly recommended. show less

Winding up 2006 with our book club brought us to the biography, Mao's Last Dancer by Le Cunxin. This amazing story follows the poor peasant boy Li Cunxin through Mao's Red China to fame and fortune in the west as a world renowned ballet dancer.

This is the first biography our club has read together, so it was interesting to see what sort of discussion it provoked. Not as lively as some of our others, but noteworthy none-the-less.

First of all, Joan was quick to point out that the writing of this book lacked passion, even though the story itself was fascinating. Most everyone agreed. We were all interested in what life was like for Cunxin and his family as peasants under Mao's communist regime, but the story and its characters were a show more little one dimensional, which, with a story such as this is not unusual. Cunxin is a dancer, not a writer.
Shirley brought up the question of the children's diet within Cunxin's commune and how they managed to be as healthy as they were. They seemed to have so little to eat but there was few references made to the degree of fatalities due to health issues. Did Cunxin purposely avoid this aspect, or was their diet really not so bad? In today's western society maybe we are made to believe we need more than we really do!

The strong family bond of the peasant Chinese was also mentioned, as was the Chinese culture itself and how these people accepted their fate. But without a doubt the strongest point this book brought to all of us was the form of brain-washing Mao's cultural revolution performed on its people, especially the children. We all found this appalling, and those of us who have read Wild Swans recoginised similar observations of this time in China. Tera was able to give us some first hand experiences of her visit to China in 1987, which helped to put this complex country and its people into even clearer perspective.

A few of us, myself included, felt that the hype this book received when first released put expectations a little high, but generally it was agreed that it is a worthwhile read that imparts remarkable knowledge of this time in China's history. And of course, at its core, it is a rags to riches fairy tale. Something none of us can resist! show less

I enjoyed this story of the life of a young boy who becomes a world-famous dancer. This isn't great writing, but it's not bad and the story is gripping. At age 11, Li Cunxin is chosen to attend Madam Mao's dance school. He becomes an excellent dancer and defects to the US as a young man.

I wonder how typical his story is. He is able to send money to his family and return to visit them several times. His parents are even allowed to visit him in the U.S. I think his high international profile afforded him and his family some privileges that other defectors and their families would not have access to.

Worth reading. And find clips of Li dancing on line -- he really is amazing.

A fascinating insight into the life of a child growing up first of all in a peasant family and then in one of Mao's ballet schools at the end of the Mao era. It shows an individual and family with remarkable strength.

A very interesting book about a young peasant boy who is chosen to go to Madam Mao's dance school and eventually becomes a principle dancer in the US. The most interesting thing is the first hand account of what it was like to grow up in Communist China: the lack of food, the children's attitudes towards Mao, and the Chinese value system.

This book is so good, so inspiring.
The story follows Li Cunxin's journey from desperately poor peasant boy to the darling of the west as he is chosen from among hundreds of children to join Madame Mao's dance school and learn the artform of ballet.
Despite the subject matter, I loved this story. Cunxin is a natural born story teller. It goes along at it's own pace but it's never boring or repetitive. There wasn't anything I really disliked about this book except the sadness the circumstances evoked. Some of the stories Cunxin told are absoloutely hilarious (it'll take me a while before I can see a muffin as food!)
Anyone who is in the depths of despair should read this book. You'll feel instantly better (& you'll never look at a sweet show more potato the same way again) show less