Impossible is Nothing

Mao's Last Dancer

In 1961, three years of Mao's Great Leap Forward--along with three years of poor harvests--had left rural China suffering terribly from disease and deprivation. Li Cunxin, his parents' sixth son, lived in a small house with twenty of his relatives and, along with the rest of his family, subsisted for years on the verge of starvation. But when he was eleven years old, Madame Mao decided to revive the Peking Dance Academy, and sent her men into the countryside searching for children to attend.

Chosen on the basis of his physique alone, Li Cunxin was taken from his family and sent to the city for rigorous training. What follows is the story of how a small, terrified, lonely boy became one of the greatest ballet dancers in the world. One part Falling Leaves, one part Billy Eliot, Mao's Last Danceris an unforgettable memoir of hope and courage.

The above was taken directly from:

http://www.bookbrowse.com/reviews/index.cfm?book_number=1388

Mao's Last Dancer is a luminous story of the persistence, courage and determination of a young boy. Cunxin, the protagonist, is the sixth child in a family of seven who live in one of the poorest provinces of China. His family had been reduced to eating dried yams which would get stuck in their throats when consumed. His mother and father would work over twelve hours a day to earn a mere 17 cents; a scarce amount to support a family of 9. Though they were poor, Cunxin’s parents always taught him to keep his dignity and pride. When Madame Mao sent her men to the countryside to find people for her academy, Cunxin proved his worth by withstanding the immensely difficult stretching the men made him do. He refused to scream out in pain, even when they tore his hamstrings. Cunxin is accepted into the academy in Beijing, and is overwhelmed by his first experience with city life. For the first few years he feels like a fish out of water, but eventually develops a passion for the art of ballet, and plunges into a frenzy of practicing over 5 times a day. His effort earns him a scholarship to the Houston Academy of Ballet, and Cunxin goes down in history as the first official exchange artist between China and America since 1949. After much political issues, Cunxin settles abroad and discovers the freedom he is offered there is far greater than that of a communist country. He goes on to become one of the most notable performers of ballet in the world. Cunxin’s story truly shows that nothing is impossible if you set your mind to it. His life is a tribute to the fact that you can be world famous even if you are born in the slums. He inspires all of us, through all ages and cultures, to pursue our dreams and shows us that anything is possible if you set your mind to it. Cunxin's story will forever serve as an example to the saying, impossible is nothing