"My colleagues don't understand what ballet means to me. They always ask me why I practice ballet since I am so old. I couldn't live like my parents: just going to work and back home."

Liu Wenjun is not an average taxi driver. "People always ask me why I spend my money on dancing lessons instead of more practical things. My answer is I love ballet."

Inspired by Swan Lake

Liu Wenjun's father was a clarinet player, and he encouraged his son to be musical. In his childhood, Liu learned to play the clarinet, piano and violin. On weekends, his family would have music performances in their small house. Many of his father's friends would come over and Liu was always excited to play for the crowd.

However, he found practicing everyday was boring and he couldn't stick to it. Like other kids, Liu admired film stars. "At that time, I liked the actress Huang Wanqiu, who played the title role in Liu Sanjie, a kind of folk movie about a clever beauty. I was mad about her." But growing up during the Cultural Revolution made t hard for Liu to indulge in his love of art.

What brought Liu into the world of ballet was Swan Lake. "My father took me to see Swan Lake when I was a kid, but I was too young to remember anything." Years later, however, he saw a scene from it in a Russian movie. Seeing the graceful movements of the dancers, Liu was transfixed. After the Cultural Revolution, when Swan Lake was allowed to be performed again in China, Liu's father brought him to see it a second time, and this time he was more appreciative. Watching the dancers on stage, Liu decided he wanted to become a dancer himself.

Secret hobby

After graduating from junior high school, Liu Wenjun joined the army in Qinghe, Beijing in 1981. "The movie Shaolin Temple was very popular that year. A lot of my comrades in the army were from Henan. They had practiced kung fu since childhood. So I begged one of them to teach me."

Liu returned home to Beijing after one year in the army and was assigned to a factory as a worker. One day he noticed a recruitment poster for ballet students in the cultural and recreation center of Xicheng district. "I was very excited. I said to myself that I must sign up," Liu says.

At that time Liu earned 90 yuan every month. The fee for the ballet lessons was 30 yuan. "I didn't dare tell my parents. They thought I should work hard and be a model worker. If they had known about it, I wouldn't have had the lessons. Every month I gave 40 yuan to my mother for the family's expenses, so I was able to take part in the lessons." Along with Liu, there were three other boys in the class. "There weren't many boys taking ballet classes at that time but the teachers and the girls in the class didn't think it was strange. I put my heart and soul into learning ballet."

In theory, the ideal age to start learning ballet is five years old when the bones are not fully formed. That way they can develop to accommodate the unique stresses that ballet places on dancers. Liu was 21 when he started, so practicing was very difficult. The lessons were twice every week. In order to catch up with the rest of the class, Liu practiced again and again in his spare time. He was constantly wearing out his shoes and had to buy a new pair every two weeks.

"I was an electrician in the factory and I used to find some time to practice. One time, unfortunately, I kicked the power switch. It shut down the whole factory. Fortunately my supervisor immediately switched it back on. When the boss asked what had happened, my supervisor told him it was a problem with the switch, otherwise I would have been punished," Liu says. " From then on I didn't practice on duty."

Satisfaction

Three months after Liu had started his classes, the Central Ballet Dance Troupe started to recruit amateur students. Liu took part in very excited. I'd only been learning a short time, so I felt encouraged to exercise harder.

Liu found himself having to get up at 5:30 in the morning everyday and cycling to the Academy of Chinese Traditional Opera. He had to be at work by 7 o'clock. "It was very rd but it was also a good time. Sometimes I wanted to sleep more, especially when the day before had been very busy. But I told myself that I must persist, or maybe I would not be able to unbend my leg tomorrow."

"I know why I've been able to keep on exercising for 20 years, no matter how difficult it's been." Liu says. "Every time I stand before the huge glass, I feel excited. Spinning on the tips of my feet gives me such a sense of satisfaction. The older I get, the more proud I am that I can still do it. I remember once some young people saw me dancing. They were so surprised that I could stretch my leg over my head, while they could not."

Liu enjoys his ballet, even though his parents are not so enthusiastic. He still keeps it a secret from most of his colleagues. My colleagues don't understand what ballet means to me. They always ask me why I practice ballet since I am so old. Ballet has become a part of my life, and it makes me feel great. I couldn't live like my parents: just going to work and going home. I'm living a wonderful and colorful life," Liu says.

Happy at the wheel

Thanks to his ballet dancing, 40-year-old Liu looks much younger than his age. "In general, men in their 40s have a beer belly for lack of exercise, and they might suffer illness in old age. But I have none of those problems." And there are other benefits for dancers. "Our backs are upright all the time, whether sitting or standing."

Though ballet is his real love, Liu takes his current job as a taxi driver seriously. "At work, I am a driver. I must serve my customers well." Liu learns English in his spare time in order to communicate with tourists.

(bjtoday October 21, 2003)