Mulan is the protagonist of an ancient Chinese poem where she dresses as a man to fight in the army in place of her father. Her story has become popular and has been adapted into plays, books, and a Disney film. The historical details of Mulan’s character are debated, and her story has become a symbol of strong and resourceful women.
Mulan is the heroine of the Ballad of Mulan, an ancient Chinese poem first recorded in the 6th century AD Although this text is lost, it is mentioned as a source in a 12th-century text that included the poem. Mulan dresses as a man to take her elderly father’s place in the army and distinguishes herself on the battlefield. Her story was even the subject of a 6 Disney film.
The original story of Mulan, as a poem meant to be sung, doesn’t offer much in the way of historical detail. The story is simple. Mulan enlists in the army after seeing her father’s name in the records, as there are no men of proper age to fight in his family. After Mulan becomes a celebrated warrior and her term ends, the Emperor offers her a government position, but she rejects it, instead asking for a camel to help her on the return journey. Later, his battle colleagues visit her home and find out her true gender. The final image of the poem is a male and female hare running side by side, accompanied by the remark that they are impossible to distinguish.
Chinese stories written later in the medieval period debate Mulan’s historical character, but the details are disparate. An early source places Mulan in the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534), while another places her in the late Sui Dynasty (581-619). His surname, not mentioned in the poem, is given alternately as Zhu, Wei and Hua. Hua Mulan, the name used in scholar Xu Wei’s 16th-century drama inspired by the story, is the best-known variant. The Disney version uses Fa, the Cantonese pronunciation of the same character that represents Hua in Mandarin.
Mulan’s story has captured the imagination of many over the years and has become the subject of plays and books both within and outside of China. She is a popular symbol of the strong and resourceful woman. The Chinese mascot for the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup is based on Mulan, and a crater on the planet Venus is named after her.
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