Mao's Last Dancer Quotes

Socially, China has been impacted greatly from the introduction of silver into their nation. In document 1, Ye Chunji, a Ming Dynasty county official, spoke about the differences between the “frugal” and “extravagant” man in an order limiting expenses. He states that a frugal or poor man understands his limitations and can live off very little unlike a wealthy or extravagant man

The autobiography, Mao’s Last Dancer written by Li Cunxin, is effective in raising awareness of the injustice the Chinese people experienced during Chairman Mao’s Cultural Revolution and later communist policies in China. When Li’s parents got married in 1946, they were not living in poverty. However, when the Japanese invaded China during WWII and forced all the civilians into communes, Mao then kept these communes and the Li family lost their wealth—they faced injustice and marginalisation. The Chinese population were marginalised by Mao’s use of communist principles and propaganda. They were forced into believing Mao’s views—that the West (Capitalist countries) were filthy and bad, while China was good. Li’s visit to America was an eye-opener.

Good morning ladies and gentlemen, today we will celebrate the life of an individual who achieved the impossible through perseverance and mental strength. Also, I will convince you why the film Mao’s Last Dancer MUST be screened at this year’s film festival. Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, “In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved.” This insightful quote ultimately embodies the notion of working hard for your freedom instead of waiting for it. So, precisely, one will only have the strength to gain freedom by persevering throughout life’s obstacles and hardships. Li Cunxin did not expect freedom to arrive at his doorstep; he was acutely aware that freedom and success are born from hard work; he suffered through blood, sweat and tears throughout his whole journey to earn his freedom.

The novel ‘Mao’s Last Dancer’ by Li Cunxin explores various themes. Two of the main themes displayed are perseverance and self-discipline. Perseverance and self-discipline are significant themes in the novel because they were the attributes that enabled Cunxin to amount to great success.

In The Red Scarf Girl, the author Ji-Li, Ji-Li talks about her life growing up in China during the time of the Chinese Cultural Revolution. As a young smart and talented girl, Ji-Li gets invited to audition for the Liberation Army Dance group, but unfortunately, Ji-Li is not able to audition because her family was very wealthy. Chairman Mao proposes to get rid of the Four Olds which triggers the Cultural Revolution. Ji-Li’s life turns completely upside down; she no longer can go to her school, people make fun of her because her grandpa was a landowner, and her dad gets arrested. Mao believed in communism and Ji-Li’s family did not fall under an ideal communist family. Ji-Li supports the ideas of the Cultural Revolution, but when the government requests for her to testify against her

The novel, “Mao’s Last Dancer”, was written by Li Cunxin. It tells his riveting tale of growing up in a poor family of six boys, living in a village in China under Mao’s reign. It goes on to share his eventual defection to the United States as an artistic dancer. His childhood was filled with both hardships and joys. But both helped him to grow as a resilient person to achieve once-thought impossible goals.

The mental struggle had more of an impact on Li than his physical struggles as he is

There are some common ways in which different cultures express their values. Cultures value different things. Some ignorant people think that this also means all cultures do not have similarities to teach or express values. In “Struggle For Smarts? How Eastern And Western Cultures Tackle Learning” it conveys how a professor recorded how American families talked about intelligence being something people are born with. In contrast, in Eastern families they talked about how hard work brought intelligence (Spiegel). This passage shows extremely different values, but when examined, researchers can see they both were expressed through speech. This discovery is not surprising

I was always hopeful for Li, and felt lucky that my son, out of all other promising students in Qindao, had been chosen to dance for Chairman Mao. Although the luck of the Cunxin family had changed, it was difficult to adjust to life in the commune without Li’s presence as a guiding light, or a helping hand. Having 7 sons while living our

Today, throughout most of China, the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution is realized as one of the most chaotic and deadly times in chinese history; often referred to as the “ten lost years.” However, during the revolution, many hopeful individuals sought after change and looked toward Mao as

Autobiographies, as a narrative non-fiction text, generally rely on the conventions of factual historical evidence while presenting a personal point of view. Non-fiction texts therefore, rely on objective detail and a subjective perspective. Throughout the autobiography Mao’s Last Dancer the composer Li Cunxin offers a personal evaluation of actions and speculates on the significance of certain actions and events. To engage and entertain the responder the composer uses opinionative language and

The actions Wang Lung takes in the southern city of Kiangsu show how desperation can manipulate anyone’s actions and corrupt their values. In the beginning of the story, Wang Lung has a set of strong morals-- he detests stealing, prizes hard work, and respects his elders. However, due to a famine, Wang Lung and his family are forced to move to Kiangsu. In this great, ostentatious city with “...food spilling out of the markets, ... the streets of the silk shops flying brilliant banners of black and red and orange silk to announce their wares, …[and] rich men clothed in satin and velvet…” (Buck 120), Wang Lung, who comes from a poor farming village, feels like a foreigner.

He was selected by Madame Mao's Beijing Dance Academy to become a classical ballet dancer at the age of 11. The moment dramatically changed his peasant life forever. Somewhere deep down inside he knows that his "family's unconditional love will always keep him forward" and their courage pushes him onward and upward.

Li Cunxin from the book ‘Mao's last dancer' thought that he couldn't change his destiny and that he belonged as a labourer in the fields. His destiny had changed from his experiences and the people around him. His family and Teacher Xiao were pushing him to do well and to enjoy ballet. The encouragement of his parents worked because he no longer hated ballet, instead he was in love with it. He was practicing a lot and became very good at dancing and was then chosen to go to the US. It was there he learned what little freedom he had in China. He was determined to go to the United States for the second time, although initially rejected to return, in the end, he was able to go but didn't want to come back after meeting Elizabeth. When he first

Though Mao Zedong would argue the people wield the power to change history, they do not. Perhaps they should, but that concerns epistemological questions. And while elements of Mao’s perspective—that the people comprise the “motive force in the making of world history”—wafted around in compelling the U.S. to intervene in Iraq in 2003, it is not a sufficient explanation. The people did not form the chief reason for the Iraqi campaign, and certainly did not originate the intervention “alone”, as Mao’s philosophy would suggest. Alternatively, Scottish philosopher Thomas Carlyle contends, “The history of the world is but the biography of great men.” He rightly locates the locus of watershed moments in history: great men. At the very least, a few powerful men ultimately control the people’s destiny—both near to and far from home. In reality, a small, elite group of individuals set the agenda for world order. As evidenced by the 2003 Iraq War, a tight circle of plutocrats—the president, his advisors, and those with skin in the financial game—can steer the course for two entire nations for a decade.