Michele was our hostess for June's FAB meeting. With her new business, Franken Dog, going so well, she opted to serve us a couple of their best sellers from the menu and one new creation which may be added to the menu. We ate hotdogs called Godzilla, the Dragon, and King Kong. The Godzilla is mentioned first because it was my favorite! It had avacado, tomato, sour cream, cheddar cheese, garlic salt and hot sauce on it. The Dragon, created to honor our author's native land of China, had a spicy pineapple chili sauce, mozzarella cheese and crunchy oriental noodles. The King Kong was a mixture of pineapple, banana, honey mustard, honey, and mozzarella cheese. We all enjoyed sampling the various hot dogs and discovering new flavor combinations on top of a good old American hotdog!
Synopsis:
Li Cunxin is a peasant in China who at the age of eleven years is chosen to attend Madame Mao's Beijing Dance Academy. He must leave his mom, dad, six brothers, and close-knit extended family to live in a dormitory with other boys chosen from all over China to train as a ballet dancer. Li struggles in the beginning to adapt, but when he begins to put his full efforts into the dance program, his skills push him to the top of his class. When he is chosen to attend a ballet program in Houston, Texas, Li experiences a lifestyle and freedom which he did not believe could peacefully exist. This discovery pushes him to defect from communist China and join the Houston Ballet. Li's success as a ballet dancer takes him around the world and eventually reunites him with his dear family.
Comments:
This true story is full of humor, frank honesty, heartbreaking poverty, loneliness, and unfailing devotion and love. Ultimately, it is a tribute to the extraordinary parents who despite their hardships were able to raise their sons in a home filled with compassion and sacrificial love. That foundation is what gave Li the strength and determination to become China's best ballet dancer. "I am afraid of what is waiting for me, yet I know I have to take that first step forward. I can't let my parents down. I can't let my brothers down. I am carrying their dreams as well as my own." (p. 120)
We had a lively discussion concerning what part determination and talent played in Li's success as a ballet dancer. Although we agree that determination and perserverance played a huge role, there had to have been some talent in the form of body build and ability. Li's brutal self-imposed practice sessions amazed us. He was determined to make his family and China proud...and he succeeded.
The extreme poverty in which Li's family managed to live and survive truly amazed us. They slept 4 in a bed, with someone else's feet in their face, used an outdoor hole in the ground as a toilet, ate only dried yams for weeks on end, and yet despite their lack, they willingly gave to one another. Whether it was food, money, or a jacket, they gave up their own portion to give to whom they thought had the greater need. This type of sacrificial love is beautiful and rare. Their genuine poverty made us question, "What do we need to survive, really?!"
Mao's communist regime was extremely infuriating to us, especially when Li went to school for the first time. The repetitive phrase, "I love Chairman Mao! Long, long live Chairman Mao!" being verbally repeated and written was mind-numbing. We talked about how Chairman Mao had replaced religion for them as the teacher told her students, "We should wish him a long long life, because we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him. He is our savior, our sun, our moon. Without him we'd still be in a dark world of suffering." (p. 84) This brain-washing was compared to how Hitler had the youth trained in Germany during his reign. He had believed in the Communist Party enough to participate in Mao's Red Guard as a young boy and later be elected as one of the three committee members of the Communist Youth Party. It's no wonder that when Li visited America for the first time he was confused and shocked when confronted with the lies he had been taught about Westerners and about communism.
The cultural practice in China of men not hugging was a little puzzling to us when we considered how many times tears were freely shared between them and how Li freely hugged his blood brother, The Bandit, and Teacher Xiao, but only shook his father's hand. Along with the idea of Chinese cultural practices, we were haunted by Li's third brother, Cunmao, who was given to his Aunt and Uncle to be raised as their son. Cunmao's anger and hurt over that adoption continued even into adulthood. It saddened us that he felt he could never make peace with it.
It was surprising to see how much China had changed when Li was allowed his first visit back to his country in 1988 after his defection nine years prior. The Western culture has greatly influenced modern China. However, we were impressed with the tight family unit and the great respect shown elder family members and parents in pre-modern China, and we hope that standard has not changed.
Most Memorable Quote:
Li's father may have been a man of few words, but when he did speak, he spoke with wisdom:
"Although we have no money, no food, and can't buy clothes, and although we live in a poor house, one thing we do have is PRIDE. Pride is the most precious thing in our lives....I want every one of you to remember this: never lose your pride and dignity no matter how hard life is." (p. 19)
FAB Rating:
**** (4 out of 5 stars)
We appreciated the honesty of the author, even when it was self-incriminating. Li showed great respect and protection for his first wife when telling their story. His second wife, Mary, was a strong and amazing woman to travel to China, live in the rough conditions, become very ill while there and yet never utter a negative word. Most memorable and worthy is Li's love and devotion to his niang and dia. He credits all his success to their faithful love and support. Li was an ordinary citizen of China granted an extraordinary opportunity. His story is unbelievable in so many ways and we are glad he chose to record it. As one of our ladies said, "It was a satisfying read!"
