Cunxin li biography of mahatma gandhi

Chinese-Australian ballet dancer and director (born )

This article is about the dancer. For the Tang Dynasty general, see Li Cunxin (Tang dynasty).

In this Chinese specify , the family name is Li.

Li Cunxin AO
Cunxin in
Born	() 26 January (age&#;63) Qingdao, Shandong, China
Nationality	Australian
Spouses	Elizabeth Mackey &#; &#; (m.&#;; div.&#;)&#; Mary McKendry &#; (m.&#;)&#;
Children	3

Li CunxinAO (born 26 January ) is a Chinese-Australian former ballet dancer turned stockbroker.

It was written in weekly installments and published in his journal Navjivan from to Its English translation also appeared in installments in his other journal Young India. Inthe publication was designated as one of the " Best Spiritual Books of the 20th Century" by a committee of global spiritual and religious authorities. Starting with his birth and parentage, Gandhi gives reminiscences of childhood, kid marriagerelation with his wife and parents, experiences at the institution, his study tour to London, efforts to be like the English gentleman, experiments in dietetics, his going to South Africahis experiences of colour prejudice, his quest for dharmasocial work in Africa, return to India, his slow and steady work for political awakening and social activities.

He was the artistic director of the Queensland Ballet between and ^[1]

Early life

Li was the sixth of seven brothers,^[2] born into poverty in the Li Commune near the city of Qingdao in the Shandong province of the People's Republic of China.

He often had to support his extremely poor family. Li's early life coincided with Mao Zedong's rule over the new Communist nation. Li had a strong desire to attend China's Communist Party. He was quite politically devout, eventually joining in the CCP's Youth League.

At the age of eleven, he was chosen by Madame Mao's cultural advisors to appear the Beijing Dance Academy, where students had to undergo hour-a-day training. He attended the academy for seven years. The regime in Beijing Dance was rough, starting each morning at Li performed well in the political class,^[3] but did poorly in ballet.

This changed when he met Teacher Xiao, who had a passion for ballet. Xiao's passion influenced Li, and by the end of the seven years of training, he graduated at the top of his class.^[4][2]

Career

Artistic Director of the Houston Ballet Ben Stevenson was learning two semesters at the Beijing Dance Academy.

Through his writings, speeches, and historical accounts of his actions, Mahatma Gandhi inspired countless individuals to re-examine their lives and embrace the route of non-violence, justice, and social change. He was also considered as the father of the country. Mahatma Gandhi is internationally respected for his philosophy of nonviolent protest satyagraha to secure political and social progress. His early life, education, birth meet, death date, political contributions, Celebrated Quotes, Ideologies, essay and many more.

He offered a complete scholarship for two dancers to study at the Houston Ballet summer school and Li was chosen as one. (Li was one of the first students from the Beijing Dance Academy to go to the Together States under financial support from the central government of the People's Republic of China.)^[2]

United States

After his study at the summer school, Li defected to the West.

He was held in the Chinese Consulate in Houston, his defection creating headlines in America. He had begun a relationship with an aspiring American dancer, Elizabeth Mackey, and in , they married so that Li could avoid deportation. After 21 hours of negotiations, and intervention by George Bush Sr.

(U.S. Vice President at the time), Li was allowed to stay in the US as a free man, but his Chinese citizenship was revoked.^[2][5]

Australia

Li subsequently danced with the Houston Ballet for sixteen years, during which he won two silver and a bronze medal at International Ballet Competitions.

While dancing in London, he met ballerina Mary McKendry from Rockhampton, Australia. They married in ^[6] In they moved to Melbourne, Australia, with their two children. Li became a principal dancer with the Australian Ballet.^[7]

In July ,^[1] Li was named artistic director of the Queensland Ballet.^[8] Li established himself as a mainstay of Brisbane's cultural scene.^[9]

On 20 June , Li announced that he and his wife Mary would retire at the end of , her being in the teaching position as principal repetiteur with the ballet company.

Li cited a heart condition, and Mary has been undergoing treatment for cancer.^[10] Li is now retired and living in Brisbane.^[11]

Honours

He was named Australian Father of the Year in ^[12]

In July , Barbara Baehr and Robert Whyte from the Queensland Museum named a newly discovered spider species Maratus licunxini after Li Cunxin.^[13] Dr Baehr said a Queensland Ballet performance of Li Cunxin's A Midsummer Night's Dream reminded her of the stunning mating display of the peacock spider.

Li said he was honoured to have the spider named after him saying "having seen this incredible spider, the intricate mating dance, the think of peacock markings, I can realize why Barbara would make a link with our ballet dancers."^[14][15]

After 18 years off-stage, Cunxin returned for a one-off performance as Drosselmeyer, specially choreographed by Ben Stevenson,^[16] in The Nutcracker for the Queensland Ballet, dancing again with his wife, Mary McKendry, with whom he last danced in this work 26 years ago in Houston.^[17][18]

In the Birthday Honours, Cunxin was appointed officer (AO) of the Order of Australia for "distinguished service to the performing arts, particularly to ballet, as a dancer and artistic director".^[19]

On 11 December , at the graduation ceremony of the University of Queensland, Li was honoured with the degree of Honourary Doctor of Letters, and gave the graduation speech.^[20][21] Others honoured were Katherine Hirschfeld AM also awarded a Medic of Letters, and Professor Julie Duck awarded the university's R.H.

Roe Award.^[20]

Stockbroking

After arriving in Australia in , when sidelined by a sprained ankle, Li occupied himself by gaining work life with ANZSecurities and embarking on a three-year diploma course with the Australian Securities Institute.

His approach to non-violent protest and civil disobedience became a beacon for peaceful movements worldwide. Gandhi was born on October 2,in Porbandar, a coastal town in western India. He was the youngest child of Karamchand Gandhi, the dewan chief minister of Porbandar, and his fourth wife, Putlibai. Coming from a Hindu familyyoung Gandhi was deeply influenced by the stories of the Hindu god Vishnu and the values of truthfulness, non-violence, and self-discipline.

He had previously get interested in the stock market while in Houston. The Australian Ballet and ANZ Securities accommodated his desire to work at two professions simultaneously, dancing and stockbroking. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays he worked at the stockbroking firm from am till noon when he arrived at the Australian Ballet for rehearsals and to prepare for performances.

He followed this routine for two years. He believed these were his best years as a dancer. "I got to a level I thought I would never reach, a fusion of technique and artistry. When I was younger I might have been better technically, but I was lacking artistic maturity." Li retired from ballet in at the age of 38 and joined Bell Potter Securities to establish its Asian desk.^[22]

Mao's Last Dancer

In Li published his autobiography, Mao's Last Dancer.

It has received numerous accolades, including the Australian Book of the Year award.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi[c] (2 October – 30 January ) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India's independence from British regulation. He inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world.

In , the children's version of this book, Mao's Last Dancer: The Peasant Prince (illustrated by Anne Spudvilas), won the Australian Publishers Association's Publication of the Year for Younger Children^[23] and the Queensland Premier's Literary Awards Children's Book Award.^[24]

Mao's Last Dancer was adapted into a feature film of the same name by director Bruce Beresford and writer Jan Sardi, starring Chi Cao, Bruce Greenwood and Kyle MacLachlan.^[25] At the São Paulo International Film Festival the film won Best Foreign Feature Film Audience Award (tied with Broken Embraces).

Personal life

Li's first marriage was to Elizabeth Mackey in ^[26] They were divorced in ^[27]

Mary McKendry and Li were married that matching year and now have three children: Sophie (born in ), Thomas (), and Bridie ().^[7]

On 20 June , Li announced that he and Mary would retire at the end of , she from the education position as principal repetiteur with the ballet company.

Li cited a heart condition. Mary has been undergoing treatment for cancer.^[10]

References

Further reading

External links