Sentence:  Although we don't know exactly "why" Li is chosen to dance, we witness a man assuring officials that the child isn't from bourgeois stock. Phew. There are no known landowners in the family, so the <WSD>grasshopper</WSD> passes some cultural purity test, in a state often fixated on class warfare, driven by the cult of personality, and bullied by paranoia. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A young student in initial stages of training who has been chosen on account of their obvious talent.