The "Real” Mulan
- Josh Walker
- Apr 11, 2020
- 2 min read
What's the true story behind the legend?
Besides Top Gun: Maverick, the movie I was looking most forward to seeing this year was Disney's live-action remake of Mulan. Nostalgia was definitely a big part of that – a few days before we were married, my wife and I took her little sister to see the original movie – but I was also excited because I teach Chinese history. In fact, since it connects to our curriculum, I pitched the idea that the entire seventh grade at my school should go on a walking field trip to our local movie theater to see it. The powers-that-be agreed (hooray!) and we were planning on going the week before Spring Break... Alas, it now looks like it will be released in the summer.
A lot of the buzz about the new Mulan has been about how it will be similar to or different from the animated version (and about the politics of its star), but I wanted to know just how true-to-history it would be. That's why History Extra's article Mulan: the history of the Chinese legend behind the film caught my eye.
In short, because the story of Mulan is based on a poem from sometime between the 4th and 6th centuries, it has seen many variations. The basics of the story have stayed the same – a young woman disguises herself as a man to take her father's place on the battlefield – but over the centuries, just like with every legend, the different versions tell as much about who's telling it as they do about the "true" story.
Earlier this school year, I had my students read and discuss "The Ballad of Mulan." I adapted my assignment from this primary source analysis activity developed by Columbia University's Asia for Educators.
There are several illustrated versions of the Mulan story – and I'm sure even more with movie tie-ins are making their way into stores – but the one that has been on my wishlist since last summer is Mulan: The Legend of the Woman Warrior by Faye-Lynn Wu with illustrations by Joy Ang. Click on the image below to read an interview with Wu and Ang from publisher Harper Kids.
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