Mao's Last Dancer

Li Cunxin grew up in a remote commune village in China.

His life was one of daily hardships - there was never enough food for him or his six brothers and his only entertainment, especially during the harsh winters, was being told Chinese fables by his father.

His life seemed mapped out - he was "the frog at the bottom of the well" who would have to be content with being able to see only a small patch of sky.

Then in 1971, at the age of 10, Li was chosen to train as a ballet dancer at Madam Mao's Peking Dance Academy.

His selection was based purely on his physique and the fact that he came from a family that had been peasants for three generations - he knew nothing about the art form at all.

After seven gruelling years of training, with grim determination and the encouragement of his teachers, Li danced through his pain to become a talented performer who won a rare scholarship to America.

It was this experience that lead Li, a fervent follower of Mao and Chinese Communist ideals, to discover the truth behind Chinese propaganda.

In 1981 he famously defected, certain that in doing so he would never see his family or his homeland again. Through dance, a poor Chinese peasant child found a new life in America - the frog had escaped the well and could marvel at the expanse of sky.