ballad_of

The Legend of Mulan

After years of Japanese anime setting some of their stories in the West (e.g.Nadia, Kiki's Delivery Service, Lupin, etc.), Disney has finally set one of their animated features in the East, and they chose for their heroine none other than the warrior woman Fa Mu Lan that Maxine Hong Kingston referred to. The film was released in the US in summer of 1998 and for more information about it, check out the Mulan FAQ maintained by Angela Kuo.

Of course the Disney version was their take on this story. And it's not like no one else had ever done a variant on it. It's sort of like Robin Hood in English, there are any number or versions and contradictory tellings of the basic story that have been done in China over the past 1500 years. See Angela's page about these alternative versions of the story for more information. All of them (including the Disney version) ultimately trace back to the original poem from around 500 AD. I was able to find a translation of the original Chinese poem in the book The Flowering Plum and the Palace Lady: Interpretations of Chinese Poetry by Hans H. Frankel, Yale University Press, 1976.

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The Legend of Mula

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Introduction

Poem, "Mu-lan"
Anonymous (fifth or sixth century A.D.)
Form: yueh-fu

Tsiek tsiek and again tsiek tsiek,
Mu-lan weaves, facing the door.
You don't hear the shuttle's sound,
You only hear Daughter's sighs.
They ask Daughter who's in her heart,
They ask Daughter who's on her mind.
"No one is on Daughter's heart,
No one is on Daughter's mind.
Last night I saw the draft posters,
The Khan is calling many troops,
The army list is in twelve scrolls,
On every scroll there's Father's name.
Father has no grown-up son,
Mu-lan has no elder brother.
I want to buy a saddle and horse,
And serve in the army in Father's place."

In the East Market she buys a spirited horse,
In the West Market she buys a saddle,
In the South Market she buys a bridle,
In the North Market she buys a long whip.
At dawn she takes leave of Father and Mother,
In the evening camps on the Yellow River's bank.
She doesn't hear the sound of Father and Mother calling,
She only hears the Yellow River's flowing water cry tsien tsien.

At dawn she takes leave of the Yellow River,
In the evening she arrives at Black Mountain.
She doesn't hear the sound of Father and Mother calling,
She only hears Mount Yen's nomad horses cry tsiu tsiu.
She goes ten thousand miles on the business of war,
She crosses passes and mountains like flying.
Northern gusts carry the rattle of army pots,
Chilly light shines on iron armor.
Generals die in a hundred battles,
Stout soldiers return after ten years.

On her return she sees the Son of Heaven,
The Son of Heaven sits in the Splendid Hall.
He gives out promotions in twelve ranks
And prizes of a hundred thousand and more.
The Khan asks her what she desires.
"Mu-lan has no use for a minister's post.
I wish to ride a swift mount
To take me back to my home."

When Father and Mother hear Daughter is coming
They go outside the wall to meet her, leaning on each other.
When Elder Sister hears Younger Sister is coming
She fixes her rouge, facing the door.
When Little Brother hears Elder Sister is coming
He whets the knife, quick quick, for pig and sheep.
"I open the door to my east chamber,
I sit on my couch in the west room,
I take off my wartime gown
And put on my old-time clothes."
Facing the window she fixes her cloudlike hair,
Hanging up a mirror she dabs on yellow flower powder
She goes out the door and sees her comrades.
Her comrades are all amazed and perplexed.
Traveling together for twelve years
They didn't know Mu-lan was a girl.
"The he-hare's feet go hop and skip,
The she-hare's eyes are muddled and fuddled.
Two hares running side by side close to the ground,
How can they tell if I am he or she?

This story is available in several English language children's books, specifically China's Bravest Girl by Charlie Chin, The Song of Mu Lan by Jeanne M. Lee, The Ballad of Mulan by Song Nan Zhang, and Fa Mu Lan by Robert San Souci. (It was San Souci who first suggested the idea of using the Mulan legend to the Diseny animation folks, hence he gets a credit in the film.) These books are available from your local bookstore or through the on-line store Asia For Kids. For more information on these books go to Angela's Mulan books page.

There are several live action movies based on this folktale made in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. According to the magazine Cinefantastique (July 1998) there are two major movie versions of the Mulan story. The first was Maiden in Armor starring Nancy Chan. It was made in black and white in 1937 primarily as a propoganda piece to rally the Chinese against the invasion by the Japanese. The other one is The Lady General Hua Mu Lan done in the 1960 and based on a Chinese opera version. (Disney wasn't the first to have Mulan sing.) This version starred Ling Buo as Mu Lan Also there was miniseries in the 1990s on Hong Kong tv called just Hua Mu Lan starring Chan Mi Yang as Mu Lan.