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Mao's Last Dancer (Hardcover)

by Li Cunxin (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Fusion Press; First UK Edition First Impression edition (30 Oct 2003)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1904132898
  • ISBN-13: 978-1904132899
  • Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15.8 x 3.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 67,713 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #9 in  Books > Music, Stage & Screen > Performing Arts > Dance > Ballet
    #9 in  Books > Music, Stage & Screen > Music > Styles > Classical Music > Ballet
    #16 in  Books > Biography > Theatre & Performance Art > Ballet

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Product Description

Product Description

Li Cunxin grew up in a remote commune village in China. His life was one of daily hardships - there was never enough food for him or his six brothers and his only entertainment, especially during the harsh winters, was being told Chinese fables by his father. His life seemed mapped out - he was "the frog at the bottom of the well" who would have to be content with being able to see only a small patch of sky. Then in 1971, at the age of 10, Li was chosen to train as a ballet dancer at Madam Mao's Peking Dance Academy. His selection was based purely on his physique and the fact that he came from a family that had been peasants for three generations - he knew nothing about the art form at all. After seven gruelling years of training, with grim determination and the encouragement of his teachers, Li danced through his pain to become a talented performer who won a rare scholarship to America. It was this experience that lead Li, a fervent follower of Mao and Chinese Communist ideals, to discover the truth behind Chinese propaganda. In 1981 he famously defected, certain that in doing so he would never see his family or his homeland again. Through dance, a poor Chinese peasant child found a new life in America - the frog had escaped the well and could marvel at the expanse of sky.

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Customer Reviews

3 Reviews
5 star:
 (3)
4 star:    (0)
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Average Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An honest rendition of a remarkable journey, 31 Dec 2003
By A Customer
I hardly ever read books, so for me the propsect of sitting down to read a biography of a ballet dancer was daunting. I have to say though, Li's story is amazing, not so much for the journey from physical and poilitical hardship to all the west has to offer, but more for the resolve a small boy had to muster in order to find his way out of the well.

I liked the manner in which the story is told, open, honest and without pretention. It held me from cover to cover. A great read.

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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars "Mao's Last Dancer" Inspiration for the heart., 4 Jan 2004
Being the first biography I have ever read...I was unsure on how I would adapt to the texture of the piece. Raised on Edith Blyton and later fed tales of love and war by ultimate classics like Ludlum and Grisham, "Mao's last dancer" did something that previously I have never really found in books. Sure it would be great to be a walking talking James Bond, or to fulfil my destiny to rid middle earth of 'the ring to rule them all' but in my head they are just dreams. Li Cunxins dreams seemed so impossible, and yet against all odds he became a successor. Living now in a world many light years away from the then China, its almost incomprehensible to me, but yet his story has enlightened the way I see things, and the way I will continue to see things.

From the Chinese prophecies to the details of Cunxin's 'dia' and 'niang', every aspect seem to carry about a balance that draws you in deeper to his life. By the third chapter I was completely hooked and continued reading on and on into the night, until before I knew it, I had finished the book in only one day.

I felt like I was there with him on the entire journey, page to page; and as in any book, this is an important factor. I would like to thank Li Cunxin and those who made it possible for me to feel part of such a wonderfully colourful, yet sometimes dark, life embrace.

I would recommend this book to people of all ages, as I am but 16 and found it inspiring to the heart. 5 out of 5 Stars.

By Bianca Newman

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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Unemotional, 7 Oct 2009
Potentially a great story, but it was written in a style that left me feeling nothing but irritation.
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