Li Cunxin
Encyclopedia
Li Cunxin is a Chinese-Australian former ballet
dancer and current stockbroker.
in the Li Commune near the city of Qingdao
in the Shandong
province of People's Republic of China
. At the age of eleven, he was selected by Madame Mao's cultural advisors to attend the Beijing Dance Academy
, where students endured 16-hour days of training, which he attended for seven years.
He was one of the first students from the Beijing Dance Academy to go to the United States with Zhang Weichang.
's Houston Ballet
company as an exchange student. He began to question his allegiance to the Chinese Communist Party, and began a relationship with an aspiring American dancer, Elizabeth Mackey. In 1981, they married so that Li could remain in the United States while avoiding deportation. Li wanted to be able to return to China to visit his family, but the Party detained him at its Houston Consulate. This caused a 21-hour international incident at the Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in Houston, when the Federal Bureau of Investigation
surrounded the consulate while American and PRC diplomats debated the issue. Li was eventually allowed to stay, but his Chinese citizenship was revoked.
in 1995, joining the Australian Ballet as a Principal Artist.
Li retired from ballet in 1998 at the age of 37.
Currently Li works as a senior manager for a large stockbroking firm in Melbourne and is also a popular motivational speaker. He was named the 2009 Australian Father of the Year.
Mao's Last Dancer was adapted into a 2009 feature film of the same name
by director Bruce Beresford
and writer Jan Sardi
.
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
dancer and current stockbroker.
Early life
Li was born into povertyPoverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
in the Li Commune near the city of Qingdao
Qingdao
' also known in the West by its postal map spelling Tsingtao, is a major city with a population of over 8.715 million in eastern Shandong province, Eastern China. Its built up area, made of 7 urban districts plus Jimo city, is home to about 4,346,000 inhabitants in 2010.It borders Yantai to the...
in the Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
province of People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. At the age of eleven, he was selected by Madame Mao's cultural advisors to attend the Beijing Dance Academy
Beijing Dance Academy
Beijing Dance Academy , also known as Beijing Dance Institute, is the only institution of higher education in dance in China. There are three specialties: performance, choreography and dance studies. It offers Master's degrees and Bachelor's degrees....
, where students endured 16-hour days of training, which he attended for seven years.
He was one of the first students from the Beijing Dance Academy to go to the United States with Zhang Weichang.
International incident
In 1979, Li joined Ben StevensonBen Stevenson
Ben Stevenson, OBE , is a former ballet dancer with Britain's Royal Ballet and English National Ballet, co-director of National Ballet in Washington, D.C...
's Houston Ballet
Houston Ballet
The Houston Ballet, operated by the Houston Ballet Foundation, is the fourth-largest professional ballet company in the United States, based in Houston, Texas. The foundation also maintains a ballet academy, the Ben Stevenson Academy, which trains more than half of the company's dancers...
company as an exchange student. He began to question his allegiance to the Chinese Communist Party, and began a relationship with an aspiring American dancer, Elizabeth Mackey. In 1981, they married so that Li could remain in the United States while avoiding deportation. Li wanted to be able to return to China to visit his family, but the Party detained him at its Houston Consulate. This caused a 21-hour international incident at the Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in Houston, when the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
surrounded the consulate while American and PRC diplomats debated the issue. Li was eventually allowed to stay, but his Chinese citizenship was revoked.
Career
Li moved to MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in 1995, joining the Australian Ballet as a Principal Artist.
Li retired from ballet in 1998 at the age of 37.
Personal life
Li Cunxin married the Australian dancer Mary McKendry in 1987. They have three children: Sophie (1989) Thomas (1992) and Bridie (1997).Currently Li works as a senior manager for a large stockbroking firm in Melbourne and is also a popular motivational speaker. He was named the 2009 Australian Father of the Year.
Mao's Last Dancer
In 2003 Li published his autobiography, Mao's Last Dancer. It has received numerous accolades, including the Australian "Book of the Year" award. In 2008, the children's version of this book, Mao's Last Dancer: The Peasant Prince (illustrated by Anne Spudvilas), won the Australian Publishers Association's Book of the Year for Younger Children and the Queensland Premier's Literary Awards Children's Book Award.Mao's Last Dancer was adapted into a 2009 feature film of the same name
Mao's Last Dancer (film)
Mao's Last Dancer is a 2009 Australian biographical film, directed by Bruce Beresford, based on ballet dancer Li Cunxin's autobiography Mao's Last Dancer. Li Cunxin is portrayed by Birmingham Royal Ballet Principal Dancer Chi Cao , Australian Ballet dancer Chengwu Guo and Huang Wen Bin...
by director Bruce Beresford
Bruce Beresford
Bruce Beresford is an Australian film director who has made more than 30 feature films over a 40-year career.-Early life:...
and writer Jan Sardi
Jan Sardi
Jan Sardi is an Australian screenwriter. In 1997 he was nominated for a Academy Award for Best Writing , for Shine. He has also written and directed Love's Brother, and adapted The Notebook, based on a novel by Nicholas Sparks....
.