Mao’s Last Dancer

Name: Mao’s Last Dancer
Genre: Drama, Romance
Released: 2009-10-01
Duration: 1 h 57 min
Rating: 6.6
Cast: Amanda Schull, Chi Cao, Chengwu Guo, Wen Bin Huang, Joan Chen

2009·Movie·PG·117 min·★ 6.6(123)

Drama Romance More English titles

“Before you can fly, you have to be free.”

At the age of 11, Li was plucked from a poor Chinese village by Madame Mao's cultural delegates and taken to Beijing to study ballet. In 1979, during a cultural exchange to Texas, he falls in love with an American woman. Two years later, he managed to defect and went on to perform as a principal dancer for the Houston Ballet and as a principal artist with the Australian Ballet.

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Click a service to open Mao’s Last Dancer there. Availability last verified on June 21, 2026.

Where is Mao’s Last Dancer streaming around the world?

Country	Streaming on	Rent / Buy
United States	Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Kanopy, The Roku Channel	Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies
Australia	Stan	JustWatch TV, Apple TV Store, Amazon Video
Germany	Rakuten TV, Amazon Prime Video Free with Ads	Amazon Video, YouTube, maxdome Store
Spain	Filmin, Acontra Plus, Acontra Plus Amazon Channel, Tivify	Apple TV Store, Rakuten TV, Google Play Movies
South Korea	wavve, Watcha	wavve

About Mao’s Last Dancer

Mao’s Last Dancer is a 2009 English-language drama and romance film directed by Bruce Beresford. The cast is led by Amanda Schull, Chi Cao, Chengwu Guo. It has a runtime of 1h 57m. Viewers rate it 6.6/10 across 100 ratings. In United States, it is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Kanopy.

Mao’s Last Dancer was produced by Great Scott Productions Pty. Ltd. and made in Australia and China. It was released on October 1, 2009, and carries a PG certification. Made on a budget of about $25 million, it went on to gross $24 million worldwide.

Director: Bruce Beresford
Writers: Jan Sardi
Release date: October 1, 2009
Original language: English
Age rating: PG
Status: Released
Country: Australia, China
Budget: $25 million
Box office: $24 million
Production: Great Scott Productions Pty. Ltd.

#dance#dancer#village#ballet dancer#rags to riches#based on true story#promise#ballet#communism

Mao’s Last Dancer cast & crew

Mao’s Last Dancer was directed by Bruce Beresford and written by Jan Sardi.

The cast features Amanda Schull as Elizabeth Mackey, Chi Cao as Li Cunxin - adult, Chengwu Guo as Li Cunxin - teenage, Wen Bin Huang as Li Cunxin - boy, Joan Chen as Niang, and Bruce Greenwood as Ben Stevenson.

Behind the camera, cinematography is by Peter James and it was produced by Troy Lum and Jane Scott.

Is Mao’s Last Dancer worth watching?

Mao’s Last Dancer holds an audience score of 6.6/10 from 123 ratings, a solidly received drama films.

At 1h 57m, it's a standard feature-length watch.

If you enjoy drama and romance, Mao’s Last Dancer is worth a place on your watchlist.

How and where to watch Mao’s Last Dancer

In United States, you can stream Mao’s Last Dancer on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Kanopy, The Roku Channel, and Pluto TV, or rent and buy it on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, and YouTube. Click any service above to open it directly.

Streaming rights change country by country and month by month, so the options above reflect United States today — switch your country at the top of the where-to-watch section to see availability elsewhere.