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Overview
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. At age eleven, Li was chosen by Madame Mao's cultural delegates to be taken from his rural home and brought to Beijing, where he would study ballet. In 1979, the young dancer arrived in Texas as part of a cultural exchange, wary of class enemies and prepared to "serve glorious communism." It didn't take long for him to fall in love with America-and with an American woman. Two years later, through a series of events worthy of the most exciting cloak-and-dagger fiction, he defected to the United States, where he quickly became known as one of the greatest ballet dancers in the world. This is the remarkable story of his jouney-a "heartening rags-to-riches story [and] a fascinating glimpse into the history of Chinese-U.S. relations and the dissolution of the Communist ideal in the life of one fortunate individual" (Publishers Weekly).
Editorials
Publishers Weekly
This is the heartening rags-to-riches story of Li, who achieved prominence on the international ballet stage. Born in 1961, just before the Cultural Revolution, Li was raised in extreme rural poverty and witnessed Communist brutality, yet he imbibed a reverence for Mao and his programs. In a twist of fate worthy of a fairy tale (or a ballet), Li, at age 11, was selected by delegates from Madame Mao's arts programs to join the Beijing Dance Academy. In 1979, through the largesse of choreographer and artistic director Ben Stevenson, he was selected to spend a summer with the Houston Ballet-the first official exchange of artists between China and America since 1949. Li's visit, with its taste of freedom, made an enormous impression on his perceptions of both ballet and of politics, and once back in China, Li lobbied persistently and shrewdly to be allowed to return to America. Miraculously, he prevailed in getting permission for a one-year return. In an April 1981 spectacle that received national media attention, Li defected in a showdown at the Chinese consulate in Houston. He married fellow dancer Mary McKendry and gained international renown as a principal dancer with the Houston Ballet and later with the Australian Ballet; eventually, he retired from dance to work in finance. Despite Li's tendency toward the cloying and sentimental, his story will appeal to an audience beyond Sinophiles and ballet aficionados-it provides a fascinating glimpse of the history of Chinese-U.S. relations and the dissolution of the Communist ideal in the life of one fortunate individual. 8 pages of b&w photos not seen by PW. (Apr. 5) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.VOYA -
Li Cunxin grew up as the sixth of seven sons in a poor Chinese peasant family where there was often not enough food for everyone. At the age of eleven, representatives from Madame Mao's Beijing Dance Academy chose him to study ballet as a part of Chairman Mao's Cultural Revolution. At first, Li longed to return to his family but he soon realized that he was lucky to be escaping the difficult life and poverty of his rural home. He threw himself into studying to become the best dancer and student at the Academy. During his last year, Li was given the opportunity to study under an American choreographer and was awarded a scholarship to study ballet in the United States. Li discovered that he liked life in the U.S., fell in love with an American girl, and made the difficult decision to defect. Cunxin's tale is a wonderfully crafted coming-of-age story as a young man grows from an impoverished peasant to an international ballet sensation. He paints a clear picture of harsh realities of life in communist China but does so without being overly negative. His story demonstrates how hard work, determination, and courage can help achieve dreams. Photographs provide readers with a glimpse of varying aspects of Cunxin's life, a short note on the history of China, and a time line of China in the twentieth century, including important dates in Li Cunxin's life, helps further explain the historical significance of what Cunxin experienced. Reviewer: Alyssa LauzonChildren's Literature
This is the life story of a boy born into bitter poverty in Maoist China in 1961. His is a life that seems forever destined to be bound to poverty and hunger until a miracle takes place. He is selected from millions to study at the Beijing Dance Academy. In doing so he serves the cause of Mao's Cultural Revolution. Despite this extraordinary opportunity his struggles do not end. He is forced to endure the hardship of separation from his family and finding his place in the world of dance. This is a true story and was written by the man who lived it. This book unfolds with dignity, honesty and humor. The events of his life are awe-inspiring and astonishing. His hard work and dedication to family and dance are full of unguarded emotion. In addition the book sheds some insight into the history of China-U.S. relations. This is an entertaining read and is recommended. Reviewer: Monserrat UrenaLibrary Journal
The life of a poverty-stricken 11-year-old Chinese boy was changed forever when he was selected to attend the dance academy of Madame Mao in Beijing. One of a few youngsters chosen, based upon a suitable physique, he did not even know the meaning of the word ballet. Yet a decade later, Li Cunxin (as former principal dancer of the Houston Ballet and now a stockbroker in Melbourne) would begin his rise to international fame as a ballet star. Li endured seven years of often harsh training as well as academics grounded in Chairman Mao's Communist philosophy, gradually adapting to the regimen and setting the goal of becoming the best dancer possible. He is an expert storyteller, and his memoir-which includes his struggles to perfect his art in the tense political framework, the complex events surrounding his defection, and the heartbreaks and joys of his professional and personal lives-makes for fascinating reading. The portions dealing with his childhood and loving family in Quingdao are especially poignant, and the work as a whole unfolds with honesty, humor, and a quiet dignity. This book has wide appeal, for it concerns not only a dancer's coming of age in a turbulent time but also individual strength, self-discovery, and the triumph of the human spirit. For circulating libraries.-Carol J. Binkowski, Bloomfield, NJ Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.School Library Journal
Gr 6-9
In 1961, just three years after Mao's disastrous Great Leap Forward, Li Cunxin was born, the sixth son in a family of Chinese peasants who eked out a meager existence on a rural commune. During his childhood he endured unimaginable poverty and hardships and witnessed the shooting of 15 "counter-revolutionaries" by Mao's Red Guards. When chosen to audition for Madame Mao's Beijing Ballet Academy at age 11, ballet became his chance for a good job and enough food for life. Many years of training, two U.S. trips, one premature marriage, and a defection later, Li joined the Houston Ballet as a principal dancer, paving his way to international fame. Although told in a rather bland style-mostly in basic declarative sentences-the information about the country at this time and the danger and angst that accompanied the dancer's decision to defect will be of interest to teens. This Young Reader's Edition of the adult book (Putnam, 2004) gives a much fuller portrait than the author's picture-book version, Dancing to Freedom (Walker, 2008). The black-and-white photos, the abbreviated history, and time line will help students place Li's life story into historical context. With the current interest in all things Chinese, and with the immigration debate in full swing, this is a good choice, both to promote an understanding of Chinese culture and to provoke a discussion about the issues facing today's immigrants.-Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, LaSalle Academy, Providence, RI