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Mao's Last Dancer
Staggeringly vast and a land of great diversity, China, the world's
most populous and third largest nation is more like a continent in
itself than a country. With that huge population and a long history,
China has made itself become a glorious and controversial country
during one hundred years, especially from 1949 when China was finally
at peace after decades of war, a China under China Communist Party
(CCP) and Mao Zedong. There was actually a lot of changing in society
as well as in particular people’s lives. Li Cunxin, a dancer and the
author of the book Mao’s last dancer - a huge bestseller in Australia
and the thirty-fourth book of “Australia’s 100 favourite books” of the
year, has his life changed clearly and dramatically which is explained
emotionally in his book. Mao's last dancer touches every reader’s
hearts by its beauty, its honesty and exhilaration. Through this book,
we are able to learn more about China from a different side and
obviously about Li Cunxin’s life – a life within a burning desire for
higher achievements.
Li Cunxin was born into an extreme poor peasant family in Qingdoa in
1961, Northern China. He is the sixth son in the family of seven sons,
living in a small house with relatives. 1961 is the third year of
Mao’s Great Leap Forward “which had left rural China suffering
terribly from disease and deprivation”. But when he was eleven years
old, Madame Mao decided to revive the Perking Dance Academy and sent
her men into the countryside to find suitable children. And Li, thanks
to his teacher pointing out, without any former experience, was chosen
to become a dancer - one of the best dancers in the world. After seven
years of hard training at Beijing Dance Ac...
... middle of paper ...
...s and
aspirations. His delivery was powerful and effective and he certainly
had the audience with him all the way, conquered, inspired and
enriched.
Reference:
[1] Mao's last dancer by Li Cunxin – Book Summary and Book Reviews,
http://www.bookbrowse.com/reviews/index.cfm?book_number=1388, 17/08/05
[2] Li Cunxin – An interview with author,
http://www.bookbrowse.com/author_interviews/full/index.cfm?author_number=995,
17/08/05
[3] Li Cunxin, Dancer Magnificent,
http://www.anovelview.com/li_cunxin_dancer_magnifique.htm, 17/08/05
[4] Li Cunxin – An interview with author,
http://www.bookbrowse.com/author_interviews/full/index.cfm?author_number=995,
17/08/05
[5] Li Cunxin, Dancer Magnificent,
http://www.anovelview.com/li_cunxin_dancer_magnifique.htm, 17/08/05
* Li Cunxin, Mao’s Last Dancer, New York : Putnam, 2003.
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