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Ben Stevenson
The Bandit, whose real name is Wang Lujun, is a student who joins Li Cunxin, Zhang Weiqiang, and Zhu Yaoping at the Beijing Dance Academy during their second year of studies. Madame Mao personally sent him to the dance academy from the Beijing Acrobatic School, where he was a star student. He strikes up a particularly deep friendship with Cunxin, begging and eventually convincing Cunxin to become his blood brother. The Bandit is a good dancer who frequently gets leading roles. He’s also a bit of a troublemaker with a taste for candy and, after Deng Xiaoping’s rise to power, takes to sneaking away from the academy to watch foreign films in the movie theaters. He remains a lifelong friend of Cunxin and becomes one of Cunxin’s and Mary’s Beijing hosts when they finally receive permission to visit China. When he retires from dancing, he becomes a businessman.
The Bandit Quotes in Mao’s Last Dancer
The Mao’s Last Dancer quotes below are all either spoken by The Bandit or refer to The Bandit. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 19: Good-bye, China
Quotes
“I wish to propose two toasts. The first is to all of you for putting up with me for over five and a half years of shouting and carrying on. This may be our last gathering together. I’m proud to be your teacher and I wish you all the best of luck. You’re Chairman and Madame Mao’s last generation of dancers. You have studied under the most strict and disciplined rules imaginable, but this will give you an edge over the others. You’ll be the last dancers of the era.” Teacher Xiao stopped briefly to calm his emotions. “I’ll boldly make a prediction. Your dance training will never be duplicated. Your dancing will proudly stand high in Chinese ballet history.”
He paused again. “My second toast is to Cunxin’s American trip. I hope you will respect your past and charge toward the future. Perfect your art form. Make all of China proud.”
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Mao’s Last Dancer LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Bandit Quotes in Mao’s Last Dancer
The Mao’s Last Dancer quotes below are all either spoken by The Bandit or refer to The Bandit. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 19: Good-bye, China
Quotes
“I wish to propose two toasts. The first is to all of you for putting up with me for over five and a half years of shouting and carrying on. This may be our last gathering together. I’m proud to be your teacher and I wish you all the best of luck. You’re Chairman and Madame Mao’s last generation of dancers. You have studied under the most strict and disciplined rules imaginable, but this will give you an edge over the others. You’ll be the last dancers of the era.” Teacher Xiao stopped briefly to calm his emotions. “I’ll boldly make a prediction. Your dance training will never be duplicated. Your dancing will proudly stand high in Chinese ballet history.”
He paused again. “My second toast is to Cunxin’s American trip. I hope you will respect your past and charge toward the future. Perfect your art form. Make all of China proud.”
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
