Mr. Ling began his training at the Shanghai Ballet School, and in 1977, he ranked as a Principal Dancer for the famed Shanghai Ballet. In 1980, he and his partner Ms. Wang Qifeng went to international ballet competition in Japan. He and his partner made history by winning the first gold medal in an international competition for China. Upon defecting to the United States in 1982, he joined the American Ballet Theatre as a soloist under the direction of Mikhail Baryshnikov. Mr. Ling has appeared as a guest artist with the National Ballet of Canada, the Hong Kong Ballet, the Hong Kong Dance Company, the Fort Worth City Ballet, the Dallas Ballet, and the National Ballet of Mexico. He has danced the leading roles in all the major classical ballets. In addition, Mr. Ling has not only choreographed and staged the classics but has also given master classes around the world.