Who is Mulan?
Mulan is the heroine of the Ballad of Mulan, an ancient Chinese poem first recorded in the 6th century CE. Though this text is lost, it is mentioned as the source in a 12th century text including the poem. Mulan dresses as a man to take her aged father’s place in the army and distinguishes herself on the battlefield. Her story was also the subject of a 1998 Disney film. The original story of Mulan, as a poem intended to be sung, does not offer much in the way of historical details. The story is simple. Mulan enlists in the army after seeing her father’s name on the registers, since there are no men of an appropriate age to fight in her family. After Mulan becomes a celebrated warrior and her term of service ends, the Emperor offers her a government position, but she declines, asking instead for a camel to help her on the trip home. Later, her battle colleagues visit her home and discover her true gender. The final image of the poem is a male and a female hare running side by side, acco
Mulan is the heroine of a famous Chinese poem written during the Northern Dynasties (AD 420-589). In the story, Mulan disguises herself as a man to serve in the army in her father’s place. While serving, she is recognized as a courageous soldier and offered a government post. She turns down the position in favor of going home and living a peaceful life with her family. After she returns home, she puts back on her lady’s clothes–and shocks her fellow soldiers, who didn’t know she was a woman during the time on the battlefield. The story was expanded into a novel during the late Ming (AD 1368-1644) Dynasty.
