Jingjing Xue grew up in China and graduated from the Acrobatic School of Shanghai in 1961. From 1961 to 1987, he was a star performer with the Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe and was considered one of China's best acrobats and one of the world's top performers in the art of the handstand. Jingjing also performed around the world with the Shanghai Circus, including for the likes of President Richard Nixon, President Jimmy Carter, and the king of Cambodia. In 1979 he began teaching performers in the troupe his advanced skills; teaching one student to win the championship of the 10th World Tomorrow Acrobatic Competition in Paris for his Juggling with Benches show and another to win Gold at the English Voyage Cup and Gold at the Stunt Programmes Competition in London. In the 1980s Jingjing became the instructor and coach of the troupe and was responsible for designing training programs at the school. He conducted valuable research into acrobatic training theories, publishing "How to Train Young Acrobats,&rdquo "Training of Handstand," and "Reform in Acrobatic Training," which contributed to improvements in acrobatic training programs in China. In the 1990s Jingjing left China for Australia. He worked at the National Institute of Circus Arts in Melbourne, Australia, from its inception in 1999 through 2017. He lives in Melbourne.

Bo Ai has worked as a translator and interpreter since 1997, and has translated multiple books from Chinese to English and English to Chinese. His diverse collection of translations includes Collection of Critical Biographies of Chinese Thinkers, Digital Gold: Bitcoin and the Inside Story of the Misfits and Millionaires Trying to Reinvent Money, The Frackers: The Outrageous Inside Story of the New Billionaire Wildcatters, The End of Absence: Reclaiming What We've Lost in a World of Constant Digital Connection, Understanding China, The Era of China's Turning Point, Deng Xiaoping, 1975-1982, and much more. He lives in Melbourne, Australia.

Prelude

1. The Chosen

2. Left

3. A New Dawn

4. Endure!

5. "All Bitterness Will Turn to Sweetness"

6. My Stage Debut

7. The Great World

8. West to East

9. A New Pair of Eyes

10. The Unveiling

11. In the Army

12. The Swirl of the Cultural Revolution

13. Behind Bars

14. The Turning Point

15. Acrobatic Diplomacy

16. Japan

17. Life after Mao

18. The United States

19. Sidelined

20. The Call of the Southern Cross

21. A New Generation

22. Everyone Needs a Dream

23. Go Forward!

The Technique of Handstand

Gold Glitters Everywhere

For readers of Mao's Last Dancer comes the inspiring true story of a world-famous acrobat who escaped communist China to begin a new life in Australia. Jingjing Xue was born in China in the 1950s, during one of the worst times in the reign of communist leader Mao Zedong, or Chairman Mao. Mao's extreme five-year industrialisation plan -- the Great Leap Forward -- left much of the population starving, destitute and gripped with fear. Jingjing, abandoned to an orphanage as a young boy, was destined to a life of hardship before officials singled him out and enlisted him to train with the Shanghai Acrobatics School. This autobiography tells the moving story of his rise from poverty to become an admired performer in China and beyond -- and of his extraordinary escape from Mao's repressive regime to secure his freedom. Set in China from the early years of the communist era, through the turbulent period of the Cultural Revolution, and to a new life in Australia, this is a story of hope and perseverance, of overcoming adversity and of finding a place to belong.