Super Short Summary

Mao's Last Dancer recounts Li Cunxin's journey from poverty in rural China to becoming a celebrated ballet dancer. Selected at eleven for the Beijing Dance Academy, Li's hard work leads him to an opportunity with the Houston Ballet, where he experiences a new world of freedom. He eventually defects to the U.S., gaining global attention, and later marries and achieves renown before retiring to work in finance. The memoir includes graphic descriptions of violence.