Mao's Last Dancer

Can you imagine life as a young person under Chairman Mao in China? By reading Li Cunxin's autobiography entitled Mao's Last Dancer, the reader can begin to understand what life under Chairman Mao was like.
Li Cunxin was born and grew up in a loving but extremely poor family in a rural village in China's Shandong Province.  He was one of seven children. His parents toiled endlessly to feed their sons.
Li"s life changed forever at the age of eleven when his rural classroom received a visit from Madame Mao's representatives from Beijing. They were there to select talented students to study ballet in Beijing.
Despite fighting homesickness and adjusting to the Academy's rigorous demands, Li realizes that he can never return home. Seven years of punishing training taught Li discipline, determination and perseverance.
Learn about history, especially about living under the Communist philosophies of Chairman Mao and his "Little Read Book."

Watch the trailer for the movie that was made from this book: