The 1998 Disney film Mulan is based on the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan. But how did the film tell the story? And how true to reality was the film? Johann Hollar lets us know.
An 18th century depiction of Hua Mulan.
Did you know that Disney's Mulan is inspired by a Chinese poem?
The original work that was the 'Ballad of Mulan" is lost to history; however it was well documented enough to make its way into Chinese literature and popular culture as Disney has shown with its movie. Whether Mulan was a real person or not has yet to be determined, but the story itself shows how women can change the course of history. [1]
The Story
No matter how many centuries have passed, the beginning of her tale remains the same. She joins the army disguised as a man to go in place of her father, who along with his age is also ill and would likely killed during the first battle. She was said to have brought her family's ancestral blade with her into battle and she proved to be an efficient commander in battle. In the end she surprises her comrades-in-arms by revealing herself to be a woman. [2]
Other aspects of why Mulan did what she did
Other than the fact that Mulan was a woman and proved to the ruling Chinese dynasty at the time that a woman can lead, serve and fight as well as any man, she also proved that she could perform other roles too. In Chinese culture, honoring one's elders and being modest is paramount. She refuses a favor offered to her by the emperor, preferring to go home, thus promoting modesty. Her willingness to go into battle in place of her father shows how much she honors her elders (in this case her father).
Different endings
One ending was that after she refused the Emperor’s gifts, she returned home to find out that her father had died and thus losing the reason for why she went in the first place. Another version is where she comes home having been so traumatized by the fighting that she falls into depression and eventually commits suicide.[3]
What isn't mentioned in the movie
There are also a few notable historical inaccuracies or missing information in the movie. The first is that Mulan was not an only child. She had a brother, but he was far too young to serve. [4] Second, the use of rocket weapons in China did not occur until the Battle of Kai-Keng in 1232 CE (Common Era) against the Mongols. [5] Third and final is that the invading forces were called Huns in the Disney movie. According to historical facts about the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534 CE, when the story of Mulan is said to take place [6]), they were attacked by the Rouran, who were, like the Huns, from Mongolia but were not the same people. [7]
Other warrior women
Mulan wasn’t the only warrior woman in the history of China.
Before her the first female general in the history of China was Fu Hao.
During the Shang Dynasty, she began her life as a consort and was able to rise up in the ranks to become the first female general in China. [8]
Another one was Xun Guan during the Western Jin Dynasty, who suppressed the Revolt of Xiangyang city, by breaking through enemy lines. [9]
Legacy
The tale of Hua Mulan has inspired adaptions before and after the Disney version. Stage, television and even the live action movie Mulan: Rise of a Warriorare amongst the many depictions of famous warrior woman in China.
Historically, two more examples of warrior women in China are the revolutionary Qiu Jin, who contributed to the fall of the Qing Dynasty [10], or even Liang Hongyu, who suppressed a rebellion that threatened the Song Dynasty. [11]
I am of course well aware of the fact that Disney is doing a live-action version of Mulan starring Lei Yifei as the title heroine and Jet Li as the Emperor of China.
It seems from a cultural perspective that women were treated far better in China than in Europe. There may have still been some chauvinism in China, but that did not stop them from becoming the heroines of their time and becoming the legends that they are today.
What do you think of Mulan? Let us know below.
References
[1]http://www.char4u.com/content/the-legend-of-hua-mulan/
[4]https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/the-real-story-of-mulan
[5]https://www.thoughtco.com/early-fireworks-and-fire-arrows-4070603
[6]http://www.nouahsark.com/en/infocenter/culture/history/dynasty/northern_wei.php
[7]http://chinaknowledge.de/History/Altera/rouran.html
[8]https://gbtimes.com/fu-hao-chinas-first-female-general
[9] http://www.womenofchina.cn/womenofchina/html1/people/history/12/4863-2.htm
[10] https://theculturetrip.com/asia/china/articles/qiu-jin-the-female-knight-of-mirror-lake/
[11] https://people.wku.edu/haiwang.yuan/China/tales/lianghongyu_b.htm
