Hua Mulan
Hua Mulan 花木蘭 | |
---|---|
First appearance |
|
In-universe information | |
Gender | Female |
Occupation | Cavalry soldier |
Origin | Northern Wei |
Hua Mulan | |
---|---|
Hanyu Pinyin | Huā Mùlán |
Wade–Giles | Hua1 Mu4-lan2 |
IPA | [xwá mû.lǎn] |
Gan | |
Romanization | Fa1 Muk6-lan4 |
Hakka | |
Romanization | Fa Muklan |
Yue: Cantonese | |
Yale Romanization | Fāa Muhk-làahn |
Jyutping | Faa1 Muk6-laan4 |
IPA | [faː˥ mok̚˨laːn˩] |
Southern Min | |
Hokkien POJ | Hoe Bo̍k-lân |
Middle Chinese | |
Middle Chinese | Hwæ Muk-lan |
Old Chinese | |
Baxter–Sagart (2014) | *qʷʰˤra C.mˤok-k.rˤan |
Hua Mulan (
Overview
According to legend, Mulan took her aged father's place in the conscription for the army by disguising herself as a man. In the story, after prolonged and distinguished military service against nomadic hordes beyond the northern frontier, Mulan is honored by the emperor but declines a position of high office. She retires to her hometown, where she is reunited with her family and, much to the astonishment of her comrades, reveals herself as a woman.
First mentions
The first written record of Mulan is the Ballad of Mulan,
The historical setting of the Ballad of Mulan is usually the Northern Wei's military campaigns against the nomadic
The story of Mulan was taken up in a number of later works, including the 17th-century work of historical fiction Romance of Sui and Tang ,[note 2] and many screen and stage adaptations.
Sources
The
An adaptation by playwright Xu Wei (d. 1593) dramatized the tale as "The Female Mulan" [note 5] or, more fully, "The Heroine Mulan Goes to War in Her Father's Place",[note 6] in two acts.[2][3] Later, the character of Mulan was incorporated into the Romance of Sui and Tang, a novel written by Chu Renhuo (褚人獲).[4][5]
Over time, the story of Mulan rose in popularity as a folk tale among the Chinese people.[citation needed]
Name
The heroine of the poem is given different family names in different versions of her story. The Musical Records of Old and New states Mulan's given name is not known and therefore implies Mulan is her surname.[6] As the Ballad of Mulan is set in the Northern Wei dynasty when northern China was ruled by ethnic Xianbei, a proto-Mongolic people, there is some evidence that Mulan was not ethnic Han Chinese but Xianbei, who had exclusively compound surnames.[6] Mulan may have been the sinified version of the Xianbei word "umran" which means prosperous.[6]
According to later books such as Female Mulan, her family name is
Historicity
Mulan's name is included in Yan Xiyuan's One Hundred Beauties, which describes a number of women from Chinese folklore. It is still unclear whether Mulan was a historical person or just a legend, as her name does not appear in Exemplary Women, a collection of biographies of women who lived during Northern Wei dynasty.[7]
Although The Ballad of Mulan itself does not expressly indicate the
The Xianbei in China also retained certain nomadic traditions, and Xianbei women were typically skilled horseback riders.[6] Another popular Northern Wei folk poem called "Li Bo's Younger Sister" praises Yong Rong, Li Bo's younger sister, for her riding and archery skills.[6] The Ballad of Mulan may have reflected the gender roles and status of women in nomadic societies.[9]
The Northern Wei was engaged in protracted military conflict with the nomadic
The Northern Wei sought to protect the frontier by establishing a string of frontier garrison commands across what is today Inner Mongolia.[citation needed]
Ballad of Mulan
Mulan sighs at her loom.
She bids farewell to her parents in the morning and leaves for the Black Mountain, encamping by the Yellow River in the evening, where she cannot hear the calls of her parents due to the rushing waters; only the sounds of the barbarians' cavalry in the Yan Mountains. She advances ten thousand li to battle as if flying past the mountains. The sound of the sentry gong cuts through the cold night air, and the moonlight reflects off her metal armor. A hundred battles take place, and generals die.
After the ten-year campaign, the veterans return to meet the
Her parents, upon hearing her return, welcome her outside their hometown. Her elder sister puts on her fine dress. Her younger brother sharpens the knife for the swine and sheep. Mulan returns to her room, changes from her tabard into her old clothes. She combs her hair by the window and, before the mirror, fastens golden yellow flowers. Her comrades are shocked to see her. For twelve years of their enlistment together, they hadn't realized that she was a woman.
In response, Mulan explains. "The male hare has heavy front paws. The female hare tends to squint. But when they are running side-by-side close to the ground, who can tell me which is male or female?"[13][14]
Romance of Sui and Tang
Chu Renhuo's
In the Sui Tang Romance, Mulan comes to a tragic end, a "detail that cannot be found in any previous legends or stories associated Hua Mulan", and believed to have been interpolated by the author Chu Renho.[5] Xianniang's father is vanquished after siding with the enemy of the Tang dynasty, and the two sworn sisters, with knives in their mouths, surrender themselves to be executed in the place of the condemned man. This act of filial piety wins a reprieve from Emperor Taizong of Tang, and the imperial consort, who was birth-mother to the Emperor, bestows money to Mulan to provide for her parents, as well as wedding funds for the princess, who had confessed to having promised herself to general Luó Chéng (Chinese: 羅成).[16] In reality, Dou Jiande was executed, but in the novel he lives on as a monk.[citation needed]
Mulan is given leave to journey back to her homeland, and once arrangements were made for Mulan's parents to relocate, it is expected that they will all be living in the princess's old capital of Leshou (
Rather than to suffer this fate, she commits suicide. But before she dies, she entrusts an errand to her younger sister, Youlan (Chinese: 又蘭), which was to deliver Xianniang's letter to her fiancé, Luó Chéng. This younger sister dresses as a man to make her delivery, but her disguise is discovered, and it arouses her recipient's amorous attention.[17]
In the novel, Mulan's father was from
Modern adaptations
The story of Hua Mulan has inspired a number of screen and stage adaptations.
Stage
- Mulan Joins the Army (1917 play) starring Mei Lanfang
- Mulan Jr., a one-act stage musical based on the 1998 Disney animated film Mulan
- The Legend of Marissa Inouye (2013 dance production) by the Hong Kong Dance Company
- The Ballad of Mulan" Red Dragonfly Productions, UK
Films
- Hua Mulan Joins the Army (1927 film) – a silent film released by Tianyi Film Company and directed by Li Pingqian.
- Mingxing Film Company production, directed by Hou Yao. The film was unsuccessful, in part due to the Tianyi film that was released the previous year.
- Mulan Joins the Army (1939 film) (original English title Hua Mu Lan), – Chinese film made during the Second Sino-Japanese War, directed by Bu Wancang and written by Ouyang Yuqian.[20] The film also created a large spark of popularity, in terms of literature.[21]
- Lady General Hua Mu-lan (1964 film) – Hong Kong opera film.
- Saga of Mulan (1994 film) – Film adaptation of the Chinese opera based on the legend.
- Mulan (1998 film) – A Disney animated feature, and the basis of many derivative works by Disney. The Mulan character, named Fa Mulan, has appeared in other media and promotions, usually as part of the Disney Princess product line.
- Mulan, Rise of a Warrior (2009 film) – Chinese live action film.
- Matchless Mulan (无双花木兰) (2020 film) – Chinese live action film.
- Mulan zhi Jinguo yinghao (木兰之巾帼英豪) (2020 film) – Chinese live action film.
- Hua Mulan (花木兰) (2020 film) – Chinese live action film starring Liu Chuxian (刘楚玄) as the leading actress.
- Kung Fu Mulan (木兰:横空出世) (2020 film) – Chinese CGI animation film.
- Mulan Legend (花木兰之大漠营救) (2020 film) – Chinese live action film.
- The Legend of Mulan (1998 film) – Dutch animated film.[23]
Television series
- A Tough Side of a Lady (1998 series) – Hong Kong TVB drama series of Mulan starring Mariane Chan as Hua Mulan.
- Hua Mu Lan (1999 series) – Taiwan CTV period drama serial starring Anita Yuen as Hua Mulan.
- Once Upon a Time (2012–2013).[24]
- Mu Lan (巾幗大將軍) (2012) – China production with Elanne Kong starring as Mu Lan
- The Legend of Hua Mulan (花木蘭傳奇) (2013) – Angel Wang. It consists of forty-nine episodes.
- Star of Tomorrow (2015) - a Hunan TVchildren's program which features all-child casts performing classic Chinese tales, produced a two-part adaptation of Hua Mulan in 2017, based largely on the Disney film and featuring Chinese versions of well-known songs from Mulan and other Disney films.
- Mulan is portrayed in the Roosterteeth web series RWBY as a young male named Lie Ren. All of the members of his team are based on legendary figures who dressed as the opposite sex in their stories
Literature
- Maxine Hong Kingston revisited Mulan's tale in her 1975 The Woman Warrior. Kingston's version popularized the story in the West and may have led to the Disney animated feature adaptation.[25]
- The Legend of Mu Lan: A Heroine of Ancient China[26] was the first English language picture book featuring the character Mulan published in the United States in 1992 by Victory Press.
- In the fantasy/alternate history novel Throne of Jade (2006), China's aerial corps is described as being composed of all female captains and their dragons due to the precedent set by the legendary woman warrior.
- Simon Pulse, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.
- In the comics, H.G. Wells's time machine) to stop Deadpoolfrom killing all beloved literary characters and destroying the literary universe.
- Reflection by Elizabeth Lim was published in 2018 as an installment in Disney Press' Twisted Tales series. This is an alternate ending to the Disney film in which Mulan must travel to Diyu, the Underworld, in order to save her captain.
- In The Magnolia Sword: A Ballad of Mulan by Sherry Thomas (2019), Mulan has trained in the martial arts since childhood in preparation for a hereditary duel. When she goes to war in her father's stead, she is shocked to discover her team's captain is also her opponent in the duel.
- Mulan: Before the Sword, written by Grace Lin (2020) and published by Disney Press, is written as a prequel to the Disney live action movie released in the same year.
Children's books
- Wuloom Family (episode 5) - in Chinese
- The Ballad of Mulan by Song Nan Zhang (1998) – in English
- I am Hua Mulan, by Qin Wenjun, illust. Yu Rong (2017)[27] – in Chinese
- Mulan: The Legend of the Woman Warrior, by Faye-Lynn Wu, illustrated by Joy Ang (2019)
Video games
- Kingdom Hearts II - Mulan is an optional party member in the Land of Dragons. Note that this is the Disney version of the character.
- Smite – Mulan is a playable character
- Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV – Mulan is an unlockable Legendary officer that can be added at the beginning of new scenarios in the game.
- Civilization VI - Mulan is a summonable hero in the Heroes and Legends game mode
- Goddess of Genesis - Mulan is a summonable hero through the game's gacha mechanism
- Mulan - Mulan video game from 1998, playable on a Game Boy.
- Mulan is a playable character in the Mobile/PC Game Rise of Kingdoms.
Tribute in astronomy
The Hua Mulan crater on Venus is named for her.[28][29]
See also
Notes
- ^ Ballad of Mulan: traditional Chinese: 木蘭辭; simplified Chinese: 木兰辞; pinyin: Mùlán cí; Wade–Giles: Mu-lan tz'u
- ^ Romance of Sui and Tang: 隋唐演義; 隋唐演义; Suí Táng Yǎnyì; Sui T'ang Yen-i
- ^ Musical Records of Old and New: 古今樂錄; 古今乐录; Gǔjīn Yuèlù; Ku-chin Yüeh-lu
- ^ Music Bureau Collection: 樂府詩集; 乐府诗集; Yuèfǔshījí; Yüeh-fu-shih-chi
- ^ "The Female Mulan": 雌木蘭; 雌木兰; Cí Mùlán; Tz'u Mu-lan
- ^ "The Heroine Mulan Goes to War in Her Father's Place": 雌木蘭替父從軍; 雌木兰替父从军; Cí Mùlán Tì Fù Cóngjūn; Tz'u Mu-lan T'i Fu Ts'ung-chün
Reference notes
- ^ Kwa & Idema 2010, p. 12n
- ^ a b Kwa & Idema 2010, p. xvii
- ISBN 0-8248-2896-8
- ^ a b Kwa & Idema 2010, pp. xx–xxi, 119–20
- ^ a b c Huang 2006, pp. 120, 124–25
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j (Chinese) 暮雨, "燕山胡骑鸣啾啾《木兰辞》背后的鲜卑汉化与柔然战争" Accessed 2020-09-06
- ISBN 978-0-8047-2744-0
- ^ (Chinese) 赵贵全, "北魏兴亡与尔朱荣——北魏官制简介(尚书省)"2019-01-19
- ^ Suyin Hayes, "The Controversial Origins of the Story Behind Mulan", Time Sept. 4, 2020 accessed 2020-09-06
- ^ a b (Chinese) 顾农 "两首《木兰诗》的异同" 《文汇报》 2019-01-18
- ^ "Mulan (Original Story)" translation by Yuan Haiwang 2005 accessed 2020-09-05
- ^ 'The Ballad of Mulan': A Rhyming Translation by Evan Mantyk, 2008 accessed 2020-09-05
- ^ "The Legendary Warrior that Inspired Disney's Mulan Is Pretty Badass". Archived from the original on 2016-12-11. Retrieved 2016-12-15.
- ^ Columbia University (2002). "China for Educators: Primary Sources: China: Ballad of Mulan". China For Educators. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
- ^ Ren-Huo Chu. Suei Tang Yan Yi at Project Gutenberg, Ch. 56 (第五十六回)
- ^ Ren-Huo Chu. Suei Tang Yan Yi at Project Gutenberg, Ch. 59 (第五十九回)
- ^ Ren-Huo Chu. Suei Tang Yan Yi at Project Gutenberg, Ch. 60 (第六十回)
- ^ Ch. 56, "其父名弧,字乘之,拓拔魏河北人,为千夫长。续娶一妻袁氏,中原人。"
- ^ Huang 2006, p. 120
- ^ "Hua Mu Lan 木蘭從軍 (1939)". Retrieved 2021-02-27.
- ^ "Google Ngram Viewer". books.google.com. Retrieved 2017-04-20.
- ^ "Mulan (2020)". IMDB. March 27, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
- ^ The Legend of Mulan (Animation, Action, Adventure), Django Studios Inc., Springboard Communications Inc., Denzel Film Investment, 1998-05-18, retrieved 2023-06-04
- ^ Hibberd, James (July 5, 2012). "'Once Upon a Time' scoop: 'Hangover 2' actress cast as legendary warrior". Entertainment Weekly.
- ISBN 0-679-72188-6.
- ^ Hu, Eileen. "Mulan". heroinesinhistory.com. Retrieved 2016-09-30.
- ^ "33. I Am Mulan". Chinese books for young readers. 2017-03-13. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
- Bibcode:1993LPI....24.1219R.
- ^ "Venus Crater Database". Lunar and Planetary Institute of the Universities Space Research Association. Retrieved 2011-05-06.
References
- Kwa, Shiamin; Idema, Wilt L. (2010), Mulan: Five Versions of a Classic Chinese Legend with Related Texts, Hackett Publishing, ISBN 978-1-60384-871-8
Bibliography
- Dong, Lan. Mulan's Legend and Legacy in China and the United States (Temple University Press, 2010) 263 pages; Traces literary and other images of Mulan from premodern China to contemporary China and the United States.
- Kwa, Shiamin and Wilt L. Idema. Mulan: Five Versions of a Chinese Legend (Hackett, 2011).
- Rea, Christopher. Chinese Film Classics, 1922-1949 (Columbia University Press, 2021), chapter 9: Hua Mu Lan (Mulan congjun 木蘭從軍).
External links
- Ballad of Mulan from Columbia University
- Information on the historical Mulan
- The Legend of Mulan: A Heroine of Ancient China, a bilingual Chinese/English children's picture book
- Ode to Mulan The original poem in Chinese and English side-by-side translation.
- 'The Ballad of Mulan': A Rhyming Translation, Translation by Evan Mantyk
- Hua Mu Lan (1939 film, directed by Richard Poh [Bu Wancang]), with English subtitles
- The female individual and the empire: A historicist approach to Mulan and Kingston's woman warrior
- The poem in Chinese calligraphy (images), simplified characters, traditional characters, and an English translation
- The poem in printed Chinese, with hyperlinks to definitions and etymologies