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Born into Mao’s communist China, Li was selected to train in Madame Mao's Beijing Dance Academy at the young age of 10 years old. This is where his dancing career began. He entered into the Beijing Dance Academy at 11 and took up gruelling training schedules. At first Li hated it and missed his family. But determination and fear kept him going. In the beginning his grades were not up to scratch but then he was taken under the wing of a special teacher who recognised what Li was capable of. Practicing in the middle of the night his strength and determination was apparent, this was what he wanted to do.

At 18 years old Li took up a soloist contract with the Houston Ballet. Li defected to the West after two years in a dramatic media storm. A few years later, he fell in love with another Houston Ballet dancer, Mary McKendry. They married in 1987, and in 1995 moved to Melbourne where Li became a principal dancer with the Australian Ballet. He quickly made an impression.

Li had now reached an age at which many dancers have already hung up their shoes, he was 34 and was wondering how he would continue to support his two (soon to be three) children when his dancing career came to an end. Learning how to compound his money was his latest fascination, so in 1997 he began studying at the Australian Securities Institute with a view to becoming a stockbroker. During his final two years with the Australian Ballet, he rose at 5am to start barre work, and would then race to the stock exchange by 8am to study until noon. He had already worked a full day by the time he began rehearsal with the other dancers.

Li’s amazing and inspiring autobiography Mao’s Last Dancer was published in 2003. A tale of raw talent, belief and sheer determination, the book is a moving account of the moral complexities, personal costs and rich rewards of following one's dreams.

Currently in its 23rd reprint, Mao’s Last Dancer is now sold in over 20 countries. It was awarded the Book of the Year by the Australian Booksellers Association, the Nielson BookScan (2004) and was named in Amazon.com's Break-Out Books list just weeks after its USA release.

An inspiring and motivational speaker, Li’s story is a beautiful account of his extraordinary journey told with honesty, dignity and pride.