Stockbroker's Amazing Past Inspires Thousands

Media Release April 2009

Leading Australian Stockbroker's Extraordinary Past Inspires Thousands

One of Australia’s top stockbrokers, Li Cunxin (pronounced “Lee Schwin Sing”) has been invited to speak to some of the most successful companies and influential business, presidential and national leaders of our times, and for a brief couple of hours will be in New Zealand to exclusively address the Brokers Independents’ Group (BIG) networking breakfast at the Ellerslie Convention Centre on Tuesday 12 May.

Li was born into bitter poverty in rural China, when a chance discovery by Madame Mao’s Beijing Dance Academy put 11 year old Li on course to become one of the best ballet dancers China has ever produced. He later went on to defect to the U.S., tour the world as a guest performer with some of the world’s best ballet companies, win medals at international competitions, marry and move to Australia until at the age of 34, Li started to plan his life after dancing and a radical shift in career. He began studying accounting and financial courses by correspondence at the Australian Securities Institute with a view to becoming a stockbroker.

For the final two years he was with the Australian Ballet, he rose at 5am to start ballet training, then raced to get to the stock exchange by 8am to work as a stockbroker until noon. By the time he joined the rest of the Australian Ballet dancers for rehearsals, he had already put in a full day's work and has gone on to become a senior manager at one of the biggest stockbroking firms in Australia.

Upon learning his remarkable story, you begin to understand why it strikes such a chord with presidents and world leaders and small to medium business owners alike: it’s a story of change, vision and transformation, shattered and recreated dreams and passion, determination, love, hard work - and triumph despite all.

It’s one of those stories that warms the human heart and inspires us to stay true to our faith in the future in the belief that no matter what life may throw our way, we ourselves always have a say in our outcomes.

As soon as Li’s autobiography, Mao's Last Dancer, was published it immediately hit the top of the Australia best sellers list. It was number 1 in the non-fiction category and won the Book of the Year Award in Australia, the Christopher Award in America and was short-listed for the National Biography Award among other prestigious literary awards.

Mao's Last Dancer stayed on the Top 10 Bestseller List for over one and a half years and is now in its 45th printing, having been published and sold in over 20 countries with a feature film in the pipeline. He is now a highly sought-after speaker and will be in New Zealand briefly to address a largely business audience.

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