Mao’s last dancer an autobiography by Li Cunxin (a famous chinese ballet dancer). Li cunxin was born into bitter poverty in rural Qingdao,china. Despite the harsh reality of life, his childhood was full of love. The compassion and admiration that Li’s parents gave him filled Li with hope, strength and courage to keep moving on. I think that li’s poor upbring was more valuable than a rich western upbring because of how much harder he had to work for everything, training Li to work harder at all aspects in his life. Value by western standard is materialistic eg; physical comforts/material possessions. Value by chinese (eastern) standard are personal qualities such as integrity,love and compassion etr. “Although we have no money,no food,and can't buy cloths,and although we live in a poor house,one thing we do have is PRIDE”. This quote in the book talks about the one thing the family does have ‘pride’. …show more content…
being brought up with such established morals the li family followed everything by the book. When Li got chosen to dance with the beijing dance academy his family was overjoyed,This could mean the way out of poverty ,But it was hard for Li to stay committed focused and determined throughout his journey. he knew That he had to for the future of his whole family It all lay on Li’s shoulders. Whereas in an enriched western culture people wouldn't have had to of jumped at the first opportunity that came their way they would have a whole different aspect on
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
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
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.
Furthermore, Ji-li also proclaims, “Now, I was no longer sure that it was still true.” Because of the dreams she once had. This tells me that Ji-li felt like her dreams, hopes, and beliefs were crushed because of her family “true” facade. Although the Cultural Revolution affected many people in China, they were exposed to “old ideas, old culture, old customs, and old habits”. Ji-li Jiang, PG52, a.k.a.
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.
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
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
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
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.
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
The mental struggle had more of an impact on Li than his physical struggles as he is
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’ 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.
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.
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.