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Mao's Last Dancer

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anthony

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From a desperately poor village in northeast China, at age eleven, Li Cunxin 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, only 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 his story, told in his own inimitable voice.

Book Club

This book begins on April 01, 2012 for discussion. Testing a further discussion rate, this book is open for complete discussion right from the opening date.

If your post is giving something away in the opening week, please just highlight that point in bold to not read the post or such if you're not up to a certain point, or completed the book
 
Started reading this last night on going to bed... about a third of the way through, and I have to say I actually quite like it. A little slow to start, but it quickly gets going through the struggles of his childhood, family and community dynamics in regional communist China rule.

It is amazing when reading, how close the families are with such poverty, as they have nothing else to really hold onto other than one another vs. my thoughts on poverty in westernised countries at the same period in the 60's / 70's and how dramatically different families functioned.

Seems a lot more could have been learnt from China even during those harder times, pride, loyalty, family, protecting one another and taking care of the elderly, not seeing them as a burden, but instead caring and respecting them for growing old and being far wiser due to age.

I really like this diversity of reading and now looking forward to continuing this book.
 
Started reading this last night on going to bed... about a third of the way through, and I have to say I actually quite like it. A little slow to start, but it quickly gets going through the struggles of his childhood, family and community dynamics in regional communist China rule.

I hate to say I told you so, but I said it was good:eek:. I love the diversity of choices, these are books I'd never have chosen on my own in a month of Sundays.

I'm at the stage where he has just arrived in Beijin. I enjoyed his telling of life in povety, my grandparents used to tell me about going to collect coal from the railway tracks and there he was still living like that.

Yes, they were extremely poor but they were admired by all for their good name. For the way they conducted their lives.

I'm looking forward to reading more.
 
I read that part last night when him and his friend scurried along the ditch with baskets to dig out coal from under the airport runway... too heavy to lift, his friend stood up and they got shot at, dropping their baskets and shovels, running for their lives. All just to try and get some heat in -15 Celsius temperatures. Some hard times experienced...
 
Sorry haven't gotten round to reading yet. What with the moving over a couple of weeks and sending my stuff back to Australia.

Will start today and catch up tonight a bed time.
 
Who said non-fiction is boring? This book is amazing... I continued reading it last night in bed, and near devoured 200 pages before Nicolette come to bed. Talk about addictive reading.

I am now up-to where he just reached America. Absolutely amazing the change China went through from one president to the next, breaking down communism enough to atleast acknowledge a world outside their own country. Whilst the cities in China are anything but communistic nowadays, it is a little sad that country areas can still be very much the opposite, with enforced communism due to local factions.

I was getting so enthralled in the book last night, what he had overcome from when starting a Mao's dance studio with average results, to his complete change in attitude, introductions to what other dancers from other countries were achieving. I was kind off surprised that they were obviously not coming close to that level, yet by seeing the level set and what can be achieved, through determination and extremely challenging hard work, he overcame everything to be one of the worlds best in ballet.

It kind of gives me a little perspective though when he arrived in America. With everything he had been told about how bad these people are, their western attitude and the dangers, how China is powerful, etc etc... then when they arrived it was nothing like it, people lived better, more freely and openly... it must have been quite difficult to accept what was being experienced.

They went and got a couple pair of tights each for dancing, costing more than what could be earned in their village in near a lifetime, gone for just a couple pair of tights each and some other basic clothing.

Li Cunxin is certainly someone to look toward as a global inspiration of overcoming the terrible that life can throw a persons way, to making his own more prosperous future... using the past to make a better future.
 
Easy tiger, you are way ahead of me:eek:.

For me it is still early days at the academy. He is so lonely, scared and homesick. I'm looking forward to his thoughts on the west. He is still so brainwashed into Maos regime, it is beyond his comprehension that there is another way.
 
I just finished this about 15 minutes ago... got out of bed and turned the computer back on, as Nicolette is still working... so I figured I would share further my thoughts on my interpretation.

Still inspired by Li Cunxin... he must have been seriously terrified when held against his will in the Chinese Embassy whilst in the USA back in the 80's... China and America were still having issues politically compared to nowadays, where things are more diplomatic.

I had to admire his friends willingness to help him, that he had made in such a short period in the US for doing what they did for him, literally putting their own lives at risk to ensure the safety of his. His wife was just not leaving, even though they parted later in life and he met his current wife who he has three kids with and living here in Melbourne today, working in a large global finance firm.

I have nothing but the utmost respect and admiration for Li. To come from the life he was born, to succeed against all odds and to be free of communistic rule, eventually settling in Australia with his family, as his wife is a born Australian citizen, even though they met in the US, both being in ballet.

His reconnection with family members was so touching to read. Not much has that kind of impact on me, yet reading his story did. He lived it, he wrote it... and without embellishment, I would guess he downplayed the severity of many aspects he faced during his earlier years struggling in China.
 
Haha Anthony, as your tag line is 'Confucius'. Does that make us flies around the sh*t. I read that page last night and the references to Confucius made me think of you.
 
I will wear the hat of shit with pride... confucius! :poop: :laugh:

Yer, I also chuckled reading that part. In reading other elements of the book, I learnt that Chinese religions rules was based on confucius for over 2000 years. Learnt something new today...
 
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