Mao's Last Dancer closes Harcourts conference

Mao's Last Dancer closes Harcourts conference in Christchurch

The author of best-selling autobiography Mao’s Last Dancer, Li Cunxin, was the final key-note speaker at the 2010 Harcourts New Zealand conference which was on in Christchurch this week.

At the conference, which was held across the Christchurch Convention Centre and Christchurch Town Hall, Mr Cunxin shared the inspirational life story he recounted in his award-winning memoir Mao’s Last Dancer, which was the basis for a film of the same name which screened here earlier this year and is due out on DVD in July.

Now a stockbroker in Australia and the recent recipient of the Shepherd Centre's 2009 Australian Father of the Year Award, Mr Cunxin was born into bitter poverty in rural China but aged 11 was chosen to go to Madame Mao's Beijing Dance Academy to study ballet and serve in Chairman Mao's revolution and so his remarkable journey began.

On the final day of Harcourts three-day conference he recounted how his determination, perseverance, vision, courage, hard work and the sacred family values and integrity that he learned in poverty-stricken China drove him to become one of the best dancers in the world and later to pursue another career in which he has also achieved considerable success.

Now a senior manager at one of the biggest stockbroking firms in Australia, the former award-winning dancer who lives in Melbourne with his Australian wife and their two children received a standing ovation from the hundreds of delegates who attended Harcourts conference at the end of his inspiring and emotional presentation.

Other keynote speakers at the three-day conference attended by approximately 1000 people were United States-based social media guru Matthew Ferrara, top American realtor and renowned speaker Rick DeLuca; and leading Australian real estate sales consultant James Tostevin   Other external speakers included Business New Zealand Chief Executive Phil O’Reilly and Kiwi adventurer Jamie Fitzgerald .

ENDS

© Scoop Media