Li Cunxin

Mao’s Last Dancer

Li Cunxin's personal journey took him from the bitter poverty of his childhood as a Chinese peasant boy, to defection in the United States and into some of the greatest ballet companies of the world.  His story been recorded in his extraordinary autobiography Mao's Last Dancer and brought to life as a blockbuster film by Bruce Beresford.

An inspirational and motivational speaker, Li Cunxin speaks with honesty, dignity and pride. He uses his story to deliver memorable messages about the importance of family values, leadership, goal setting and realizing your dreams.

About Li Cunxin:

Li was born in 1961 in Qingdao, China.  At age 11, he was chosen by Madame Mao's Cultural advisers to study at the Beijing Dance Academy.  He endured 7 years of hard classical ballet training and graduated at the top of his class.  Li was awarded the scholarship to study in the US in 1979 upon his graduation, one of the two first cultural exchange students ever sent to the US under the communist rule. In 1981, Li defected in Houston, Texas and was locked up against his will by the Chinese Consulate for 21 hours.  Li Cunxin's defection became a huge political incident and caused international headlines.  He was finally released after a dramatic standoff between the US and the Chinese Governments.

Li went onto became one of the best dancers in the world.  He won numerous dance awards including two silver and a bronze medal at International Ballet competitions.  He performed all over the world with many top ballet companies.

Li Cunxin and his family moved to Australia in 1995.  He went on to dance as a Principal Dancer with the Australian Ballet for another 4 years.  Li and his wife Mary have three children, and live in Melbourne, where Li was a Senior Manager at Bell Potter, one of the largest stockbroking houses in Australia, until March 2012 when he left to return to the world of ballet as Artistic Director of the Queensland Ballet.

Li's extraordinary autobiography Mao's Last Dancer was published in 2003 and a Young Reader's edition was published in 2005. A tale of talent, faith and determination, the book is a moving account of the moral complexities, personal costs and rich rewards of following one's dreams. The book has been reprinted over 45 times and is sold in over 30 countries.  It was awarded the Book of the Year by the Australian Booksellers Association, the Nielson BookScan (2004) and was named in Amazon.com's Break-Out Books list just weeks after its USA release. It has become an international bestseller.

In 2009, Bruce Beresford bought Li's story to life in a blockbuster feature film, Mao's Last Dancer. Mao's Last Dancer was the Runner Up for the highly coveted People's Choice Award at the prestigious 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. It was ranked the 4^th biggest box office success for the opening week in Australian film history.

Li received Shepherd Centre's 2009 Australian Father of the Year Award and has been Honoured a Doctorate for his contribution to Arts and Literature by the Australian Catholic University.

Li Cunxin speaks about:

The importance of family values; passion; courage; the process of realising one's dreams; rise up to challenges; embracing changes; leadership; goal setting and achieving against impossible obstacles and odds; successful career transition; entrepreneurship.