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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
I found it fascinating that Li was able to remember so much detail about his childhood. It was interesting to learn so much about living in China, and how politics affected his life. The writing was okay, easy to read but nothing spectacular.
This was a very interesting and insightful book. It takes you through the early life of a Chinese peasant boy to American/Australian man. He recounted what it was like to live through the cultural revolution on a personal level and how it affected himself and his family. He got the break of a lifetime though. Madame Mao's dance recruiters chose him to join the Beijing Dance Academy. At 11 years old he moved from his very poor countryside hometown, his friends and his family all alone to Beijing and started a very strict lifestyle of dance and young communist party meetings. This man, Li Cunxin, led a very interesting life. It makes you feel so grateful for what you have been blessed with.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
He had a fascinating story from a unique perspective of Communist China. The story was a bit repetitive for my tastes, but moving as well.
SPOILERS
This is the story of a Chinese man who grew up in China in 1961, during the time of Mao Zedong. He was sent to a ballet school from the age of 11, where he spent the next 7 years learning ballet. He describes how Mao Zedong had always told the chinese people that Americans were evil, they were poor, they slept on the streets and they enslaved those people of colour.
This author finally won a scholarship to dance in Texas and in 1979 off he went to Texas for 6 weeks, to study the great western ballets which he had never previously known. While he was in Texas he realised that Mao Zedong has essentially lied to the 1 billion chinese people. Although he was required to return home, he later began a campaign to return to the USA to study for 1 year. In 1980 he was successful and returned to Texas to study Ballet for 1 year.
In 1981 when it came time to return to China, he refused to go home. He was held prisoner at the Chinese consulate in Houston, Texas for several hours until he was finally released and allowed to stay in America as long as he did not write about his life in China. Fast forward 20 years and he decided that it was time to tell his story. He now lives in Australia. And there was a movie about his life story released around 2009.
This is the story of a Chinese man who grew up in China in 1961, during the time of Mao Zedong. He was sent to a ballet school from the age of 11, where he spent the next 7 years learning ballet. He describes how Mao Zedong had always told the chinese people that Americans were evil, they were poor, they slept on the streets and they enslaved those people of colour.
This author finally won a scholarship to dance in Texas and in 1979 off he went to Texas for 6 weeks, to study the great western ballets which he had never previously known. While he was in Texas he realised that Mao Zedong has essentially lied to the 1 billion chinese people. Although he was required to return home, he later began a campaign to return to the USA to study for 1 year. In 1980 he was successful and returned to Texas to study Ballet for 1 year.
In 1981 when it came time to return to China, he refused to go home. He was held prisoner at the Chinese consulate in Houston, Texas for several hours until he was finally released and allowed to stay in America as long as he did not write about his life in China. Fast forward 20 years and he decided that it was time to tell his story. He now lives in Australia. And there was a movie about his life story released around 2009.
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
Hugely inspirational autobiography, Li Cunxin shares about growing up, from being picked by Madame Mai’s advisors to train at the Beijing Dance Academy through to a life in America and eventually Australia as a ballet principal. He is only 11 when he leaves his parents and 6 brothers - and only returns annually, sometimes less, during the harsh times under communist Mao.
Una magnífica muestra de cómo era la China de los 60's y hasta los 2000's. Maravillosamente narrado y la historia es bella como ella sola, muchas gracias por traer este tipo de relatos Penguin Australia.
I found this book very fascinating. Mr. Cunxin has had quite a life and I am thankful he decided to share his experiences with everyone. Not knowing much about dance and only knowing the rudimentary basics about China under chairman Mao, I was quite enthralled. I would have liked a little more detail about Mr. Cunxin's experiences as the writing was fairly simple and 20 years went by extremely quickly. All in all though, it was a unique insight into the world of dance and the time period and situation in which Mr. Cunxin grew up. I am happy to have read it.
I am reviewing this about 6 yrs after reading it, but I remember absolutely loving it. I have recommended it to many people.